Maybe you woke up on the wrong side of the bed and don’t feel like performing for an interviewer. Or you’re having second thoughts about the position. Maybe you are just feeling nervous and don’t want to risk failure.
We’ve all been there. But none of those excuses are enough to cancel a job interview, especially at the last minute. Unless you have an emergency, work conflict, illness or already accepted another job, there are good reasons why you should pull yourself up by your bootstraps and head out the door to keep that appointment.
Below are some of the reasons you should consider.
Staying competitive is associated with job satisfaction
Try to remember that it’s a bullish hiring market. In the first quarter of 2019, nearly a quarter of U.S. employers expect to grow their workforce, reflecting the strongest hiring intentions in more than a decade, according to the latest Manpower Group Employment Outlook Survey.
In this climate, there’s nothing better than going on interviews to explore opportunities and work on improving your “A” game in preparation for that dream job.
That’s not to say it’s easy, especially if you don’t have an experienced recruiter on your side. On average, each corporate job offer attracts 250 candidates, and one in 6 applicants are called for an interview. The more you get out there, the more you learn about potential employers and yourself, and the higher your odds of finding the right fit.
In fact, Glassdoor found in 2015 that a 10% harder interview process is associated with 2.6% higher employee satisfaction. Rise to the challenge now and set yourself up for success later.
You might be pleasantly surprised
Like a blind date, you don’t really know what you’ll find until you show up. Think of interviews as fact-finding missions, at the least. They find out about you, but you also find out about them.
Your expectations may be met — or exceeded —once you are able to make an in-person assessment of a company and how it works. For some people, workplace intangibles (like a fun atmosphere or sophisticated team) can make the difference between a good job and a great one.
You also might find that your first interview is the first of many, giving you more time to ask questions and figure out what you want and giving a prospective employer the chance to consider you for other positions as well.
In other words, try not to close a door that opens.
Practice makes perfect
Interview preparation is not necessarily difficult, especially with an executive recruiter’s guidance, but it can take a lot of time. Still, the opportunity to practice your skills in a real-life situation is invaluable.
You’ll learn how to better focus your resume and adjust to various interview settings, personalities, and questions, making your responses more natural and confident. You’ll also learn to gauge what potential employers seem to view as the most important background and skills in your field.
Review what you did well and what you could improve, and discuss any feedback with your recruiter. There’s a lot to be said, too, for getting that first rejection out of the way.
Establish a reputation for your professionalism and commitment
I learned many life lessons from my parents at a young age, and one of those lessons was to never break a commitment. It’s not only courteous to keep a scheduled job interview, it’s critical to maintaining your reputation as a someone who follows through on your commitments. You never know when you’ll cross paths with an organization or its network of contacts again. The word spreads quickly if you are a reliable person; protect your personal brand.
If you absolutely have to cancel an interview, do it as soon as possible and let the interviewer know that you would like to reschedule or withdraw your application.
Job interviews provide insights and information you simply cannot get elsewhere
Try to remember that keeping a job interview is the means to a new job or career, not just the end to a current job. And, you’re bound to learn something that will prove useful the next time you’re headed into a future interview, making you that much more prepared to take on the next step in your career.
What surprising things have you learned about yourself or a company during an interview? Share your knowledge with others!
