Arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the interview starts. Not 30, and not exactly on time. Ten minutes is enough to sign in, sit down and stop rushing. Fifteen is about the most you can take without the receptionist wondering why you are there so early.
The short answer: 10 to 15 minutes early, for in-person and video interviews alike. More than 20 minutes puts the interviewer in the position of having to look after you. Arriving on the dot leaves no margin for a late train or a wrong turn.
Ten to fifteen minutes early, not earlier
- Get there 10-15 minutes early to show you respect the interviewer’s time.
- Leave a buffer for traffic, parking and the walk from the car.
- Use the wait to settle: notes out, phone away, breathing slowed.
- Keep the same window every time, so your plan does not change with your nerves.
Why the window matters
Punctuality is read as reliability before you say a word, and it is the one part of the interview you fully control. Arriving early shows you planned the trip rather than hoped for the best, which is the same quality they are trying to assess in the job.
Too early carries its own cost. Arriving 30 minutes ahead means the hiring manager has to entertain you while they are still preparing, and in a busy office you may end up sitting in reception while the previous candidate walks out. You also look like you have nothing else on that day.
What the front desk sees matters more than most candidates realise. The receptionist is usually asked what you were like while you waited, so how you sit, whether you announce yourself and whether you put your phone away all count as part of the interview.
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What to do with the extra ten minutes
Do not open your notes and start memorising. Reread the two or three examples you plan to use, then put the notes away. Say your opening line to yourself once so the first sentence of the interview is not the first time you have said it out loud.
Watch how the staff talk to each other while you wait. It tells you more about the place than the website does, and it gives you something specific to mention. Put the phone away before you walk in; scrolling in reception reads as disinterest.
In the last five minutes, do the physical checks that are easy to forget: phone silenced rather than on vibrate, jacket straight, any paperwork in one folder rather than loose in a bag, and a pen if you were told to bring one. Then stop preparing. Ten minutes of calm beats ten minutes of cramming.
Planning the trip so you arrive on time
Work backwards from the start time. Take the travel time your maps app gives you, then add ten minutes for parking, five for the walk and five for check-in. Check for roadworks, a track closure or a train replacement before you leave, not on the way.
Save the address and the reception phone number before you go. If something does go wrong, ring ahead and say how late you will be. A call at the ten-minute mark is a minor problem; silence at the start time is a different conversation.
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Ring the moment you know, not when the start time passes. Say where you are, how long the maps app says you still need, and offer to rebook if that is easier for them. Interviewers forgive a delay they were told about; what they do not forgive is finding out at the scheduled time.
If you arrive late without having called, do not spend the first five minutes explaining. Apologise once, briefly, and move into the interview. The panel has already decided how much the lateness matters, and how quickly you settle tells them more than the excuse does.
Video interviews
Join the call five minutes early, not fifteen. Test the microphone, camera and connection beforehand, and keep the interviewer’s phone number to hand in case the link fails. If the tech breaks, send an email straight away rather than sitting in silence waiting for someone to notice.
Before you walk in
Two minutes outside the room: stand up, phone away, one slow breath, and remind yourself of the one thing you want them to remember about you. Being on time gets you the interview; being settled when it starts is what makes you sound like the person who already has the job. If you still need to prepare the answer to the first question, start with why you are genuinely interested in the job.
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