Job Interviews: Best & Worst Times
When is the best time to schedule your interview? The easy answer is whenever it works for the interviewer! After all, that’s the goal — to ace the interview and get the job offer.
But what if you are offered a choice of dates and times for the interview? Is it better to be the first person interviewed? Or to be one of the final candidates considered? Should you schedule your interview for the morning? Or the afternoon? And, if you’re offered the option of a virtual interview or meeting in person, which should you choose?
Here are the pros and cons of being towards the front of the pack, one of the last, or somewhere in the middle.
Where Do You Want To Be In the Schedule?
Interviewers compare candidates against other candidates — if you are the first, other applicants will be judged against you. This sounds good — but unconsciously, the interviewer is looking for an improvement over you.
“Contrast bias” occurs when an interviewer compares candidates against each other. It’s common in the hiring process as candidates are judged and compared instead of each candidate being assessed individually on their skills and qualifications. This can be a positive if you are a stronger candidate than the other applicants being interviewed. Still, it can also be a negative as the interviewer may unconsciously look to find someone “better” than you, even if you’re the perfect fit.
You don’t want to be the last candidate interviewed — especially if many applicants are being considered. Unless your qualifications are substantially better — or different — than the others being interviewed, it’s harder to stand out.
If all the interviews are conducted on the same day, it’s likely that the interviewer may be tired — conducting multiple interviews in a single day can be draining. If the interviewer says, “Did I already ask you….” — that’s a signal that the applicants are all starting to blend together and that you need to make yourself stand out.
You want to be in the early to the middle part of the list of candidates interviewed.
If you’ve ever watched “America’s Got Talent” or “American Idol,” you’ve seen this principle in action. As the days grind on, the decision-making process gets shorter and shorter as the judges' patience wears thin. An act that might have advanced if it had been considered earlier sometimes gets a quick “no” on the next-to-last or last day of judging.
This is a fundamental concept for screening interviews (when the applicant pool is being narrowed down for more in-depth interviews) or in a first-round interview (when second or third interviews will be conducted). The interviewer may have already said “yes” to several other candidates and may be mindful of not wanting to interview too many candidates in the next round.
If you are told that interviews will be conducted over three days, schedule your interview in the middle of the first or second day. Try to avoid being at the very beginning or the very end of the scheduled interviews.
What Time of Day is Best?
Don’t be the first interview of the morning if you can help it. Your interviewer might be delayed if they run into traffic (for an in-person interview) or encounter an unexpected situation when beginning the workday. An early-morning interview could be derailed by family/home issues — if you’ve ever walked out the door to discover a flat tire in the morning, you get it.
You also don’t want to be the last thing on the interviewer’s schedule before they leave for the day, or they might be impatient to wrap things up. You don’t want to have a great conversation cut short by, “Sorry, I have to leave here by 5 p.m.” Of course, a premature ending to the interview can also happen when the interviewer has another candidate to see or another task that needs to be completed. You can ask when scheduling the meeting how long you should block out for the interview.
If offered a choice of the time of day, consider your natural preferences too. If you are a morning person, schedule your interview between 10-11 a.m. Too close to noon, and it is possible that you, the interviewer — or both of you — will be getting hungry. If you’re a night owl, it might not be easy to be at your best for a morning interview. In that case, consider an interview time in the mid-afternoon. But don’t select a time that is too close to lunchtime, or you — and the interviewer — might be a bit more tired, especially after a carb-heavy lunch.
What Day of the Week is Best?
What is the best day of the week to schedule an interview? Tuesday or Wednesday, according to the experts. Mondays can be hectic, especially for interviewers who juggle hiring responsibilities with other job functions.
Fridays aren’t always a good choice, as interviewers sometimes mentally “check out” after a busy week. A Friday before a holiday weekend is an especially bad time. And try not to schedule the interview for the day after a holiday — the interviewer may feel pressure to catch up on some things that fell behind up while they were out of the office.
In-Person or Virtual Interview?
According to HireVue’s 2022 Global Trends Report, 37 percent of more than 1600 hiring leaders surveyed said they have moved to a combination of both in-person and virtual interviews.
Both types of interviews have their pros and cons.
If offered the choice, consider these factors:
Virtual interviews are more common for screening and first-round interviews, while in-person interviews are more likely for final interviews.
Take the cue from your interviewer — if they seem to be leaning towards one or the other, consider deferring to that option.
If the position is a work-from-home or hybrid role, a virtual interview may be the best choice to showcase your skills to work remotely.
If technology may be a barrier (for example, your Internet connection isn’t always reliable or your environment has a lot of background noise or distractions), eliminate any potential glitches by interviewing in person.
How difficult will it be for you to get to the interview in person? If you’re taking time off from your job to interview, consider the time it will take you to get to and from the interview (in addition to the time the interview takes). Also, will you need to change to more formal business attire for the interview? Factor in that time as well.
A final in-person interview is important if you are considering relocating for an in-person role. You want to see for yourself where you will work and live.
Questions to Ask When Scheduling the Interview
You can ask some questions before selecting your interview time and date. Some of these include:
How many candidates are you expecting to interview?
Are all the interviews conducted on a single day or over multiple days?
(Once you find out the day of the week): What times do you have available that day?
How much time should I set aside for the interview? (30 minutes? An hour?)
Will this be an in-person interview or a virtual interview? (Be sure to find out what platform is being used — for example, Zoom — so you have a chance to test the technology before the interview)
Whom will I be talking with, and may I have their full name(s), title(s), and contact information?
The Most Important Thing to Consider in Job Interview Scheduling
The most important factor for success in a job interview isn’t the time of day or day of the week — it’s clearly articulating your accomplishments and qualifications in an engaging manner, preparing for the interview, and establishing a human connection by demonstrating your enthusiasm and suitability for the position.
The ideal situation, of course, is that you interview when there are few distractions. If you follow a few weaker candidates, you and the interviewer will both have high energy levels, and you will shine as the best applicant. But you can only control a few of those factors, so take the best time, date, placement, and format and make the most of it!
If you need more help or advice, check out Life Working® career coaching services, resumes & writing services, and schedule your free consultation.