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The business owner decided to reject the candidate, believing that while it’s fine to arrive a little early, showing up much before the scheduled time can create unnecessary pressure.
He shared that the candidate’s early arrival also showed a “lack of social awareness.” (Representative Image)
Being punctual for job interviews is highly recommended, which is why many candidates aim to arrive early. But how early is too early? A business owner recently shared his experience on LinkedIn, explaining why a candidate arriving 25 minutes early became a reason for not being hired. Matthew Prewett, owner of The Brothers that Just Do Gutters in Atlanta, said he decided against hiring a candidate for an office administrator position because they arrived “significantly early” before the scheduled interview time.
“I had a candidate show up 25 minutes early to an interview for an office administrator position last week. That was a major deciding factor in why I didn’t hire him. What are your thoughts on candidates showing up significantly early?” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.
His post gained significant attention and varied opinions. Prewett then shared why he saw the early arrival as “negative.”
He said it is fine to be a little early but turning up much before time can create unnecessary pressure, especially in a small office.
“Showing up early is good. Showing up extremely early can suggest that someone is not good with time management or that they expect to be accommodated time wise. In this case he showed up as if he was on time – didn’t make any comment about being early. I had scheduled my day to be available about ten minutes before the interview. This candidate knew we are a small office,” he wrote.
“I was doing double duty as receptionist so him being early meant that I had to leave my office door open and have an entire phone call with him listening in. It was not something explicitly private or I would have asked him to come back at his scheduled time but it made me feel rushed,” Prewett continued.
He further shared that the candidate’s early arrival also showed a “lack of social awareness” and poor time management. Prewett also pointed out that many job advice platforms recommend reaching the interview location just 5 to 15 minutes early and “advise against showing up significantly earlier.”
In the comment section, many social media users disagreed with Prewett and felt the candidate was treated unfairly.
One user commented, “What if his only transportation was the bus or something where he didn’t have control over what time he arrived? I would look at it as he did what he had to do to make sure he was on time.”
Another said, “Looks like the applicant dodged a bullet.”
“I’m actually grateful they got rejected. The interview process reflects a company’s culture, and this way of assessing candidates was just ridiculous!” a person shared.
However, some supported Prewett’s reasoning with one user saying, “I prefer not more than 15 mins earlier, both as interviewer and interviewee. When interviewees show up so early, it causes pressure on the interviewer.”
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