Rescheduling Your Job Interview
Posted August 19, 2013 & filed under Uncategorized
What if you have to reschedule your job interview? It’s not desirable but sometimes rescheduling an interview is the best or only option. Maybe you caught the latest bug circulating around or your car broke down or a pressing family emergency makes it impossible to attend the scheduled interview. Whatever happened, you can still salvage your chances at a new job if you’re fast acting and tactful when dealing with the hiring manager.
Is it worth missing?
In most cases, you can answer this question pretty easily. In the case of a family emergency, you have to go where you are needed and when it comes to a broken down car, you don’t have much of a choice. Personal illness can be the trickiest decision to make when determining whether or not to reschedule your job interview.
If you only have light symptoms, you might think it’s okay to make the meeting but you really need to keep the office’s health in mind. You wouldn’t want some stranger coming into the midst of your workplace to spread a virus to you and your coworkers without regard. So, unless you are in full swing recovery, you should probably sit this one out.
Breaking the bad news
Always act fast. Call the hiring manager or send an email the instant you know you won’t be walking into their office anytime soon. Your prompt action shows that you respect both the hiring manager’s time and the opportunity to prove your worth during the job interview. If you wait to the eleventh hour to give your courtesy call, you risk being shut out from the interview process entirely. So, always give an advanced warning when major conflicts arise.
When speaking with or emailing the manager, keep your explanation clear and succinct. Don’t hide anything from the hiring manager but don’t stray too far from your simple, clear-cut reason. Too many details can backfire, even if you have the best of intentions.
On a final note, never leave the new date of your interview open-ended. If you are calling to reschedule, get an over-the-phone confirmation of an exact date for your interview. If you are sending an email, provide a few different options that work for you. Any dates you provide more than a business week away can seriously hurt your chances of getting the job.
by James Walsh
