You're conducting an interview and a candidate arrives late. How do you handle the situation professionally?

I will not take it kindly. Because interviews are well planned in advance. The interview panel consists of battery of professionals. Attitude is an important aspect which i also evaluate during interviews.

I would provide the candidate the opportunity to tell me why they were late and then assess the way they handle it. I will always remember my own experience with the final interview with the President and CEO of a firm. Travel to his office should have been a short 20 minute subway ride however on the way there was a violet crime on the train that caused the train to be stopped and kept in place for about an hour to allow police to investigate and arrest some people. I arrived late immediately apologized and explained what happened. The CEO showed concern for me and we continued with the interview. I joined that firm and admired the CEO in large part because of how he treated everyone.

I would ensure the person is ok and nothing serious they need to deal with, possibly offering to reschedule. Depending on the response (what they say and how they say it), I would potentially gear questions to dig a little deeper, but go on as usual. If the delay is extensive, note we need to cut it short due to the delay. It would be noted and ask references (if we get to that point). But it can definitely hinder the candidate moving forward.

Firstly, I would give the candid opportunity to explain why they have been late and then try to assess an answer then because I think it’s needed to know from there and as well, what exactly happened there could be an emergency or it could be a network connectivity issues you know maybe let’s just wait 10 to 15 minutes on the call and just wait for them to attend like after 15 minutes if they haven’t even joined the meeting, I think we can just drop off from the call and then send them an email asking them like you know why they haven’t attended the interview like if they have any issues or any concerns that we can help us with or like you know if like or if they would like to reschedule the interview.

Based on the reasons candidate has given for being late we can judge the seriousness of the candidate towards the role, this will also determine the outcome of the interview. The choice of words and the reasons given for being late will determine our response, maintaining control shows we are in control of the situation.

Reconhecer brevemente o atraso e redirecionar a conversa para as habilidades e qualifica??es do candidato demonstra profissionalismo e flexibilidade. Acho essencial, focar na coleta de informa??es relevantes, ao invés de fazer uma penaliza??o do atraso, de forma a assegurar que o processo seletivo se foque em conhecer a pessoa candidata. Acredito que a forma como um candidato lida com um atraso pode revelar muito sobre sua capacidade de lidar com contratempos e manter a compostura sob press?o.

Importante focar nas perguntas mais importantes que definir?o a senioridade do candidato com rela??o as habilidades que ser?o importantes para a vaga. Assim, otimizará o tempo de entrevistas e garantirá uma tomada de decis?o. N?o se pode controlar as variáveis, mas podem ser controladas as situa??es.

A menudo puede suceder que algun participante ya sea evaluado o evaluador se demore. En caso de que el candidato se demore, primero es importante intentar ubicarlo o revisar los correos/telefonos para poder chequear su estatuos o algun eventual aviso. En caso de no poder localizarlo, es importante dar aviso al gerente de la posición para que este al tanto de a situación. Al momento de su llegada, dar el espacio para que pueda comentar el porque de la demora. En caso de que no lo haga,y aun esten a tiempo de realizar la entrevista, sin exponer al candidato,se le puede consultar si el horario que tenia agendado/habia recibido, coincidia con nuestra agenda. De este modo si coincide, podra comentar su retraso, de lo contrario, entender que pasó

Cuando alguien es puntual y le ha surgido algún imprevisto , avisa con antelación y con la actitud frente a la situación se percibe si hay una responsabilidad real o no

Aproveitar a experiência do atraso pode ser útil para abordar a importancia da gest?o do tempo de forma sutil. Isso permite avaliar como o candidato lida com contratempos e refor?ar a relevancia de habilidades organizacionais, sem comprometer a imparcialidade da avalia??o. Isso beneficia tanto o candidato quanto a organiza??o, promovendo um ambiente de avalia??o mais justo.

This should be done as step 2 instead of step 3. As such, will show that you are in control. I do not think there is any question who is in control, in the end you are the one giving the job offer.

Be fair and always listen and acknowledge his/her side of story. Loosing an excellent candidate just because of punctuality is not a wise decision.

Be fair 100%! Because if you say you never ever been late to anything I would say you’re wrong. Everyone has been late at lease once. So give everyone a chance but I take note! That could be the deciding factor from hiring and being runner up.

é importante mensurar a quantidade de atrasos e entender cada contexto. Assim, o profissional de recrutamento será justo, mas sem deixar a imparcialidade de lado. é importante ressaltar que em algumas empresas, a pontualidade é extremamente algo importante que pode ser reprovatório em um processo seletivo.

Being late happens to everyone, it's okay. If it's a pattern: the candidate has been late at different stages of the recruitment process, then it's worth providing feedback to the candidate, but other than that, it's already a stressful experience, so avoid overthinking everything.

Ensure that the remainder of the interview is conducted fairly and objectively, thoroughly assessing the candidate based on their qualifications, experience, and responses. Additionally, maintain consistency in the evaluation criteria to ensure each candidate is judged equitably.

If I have allowed the interview to move forward it is a given that any issues have been addressed and at this point you should not hold their late arrive against them. Unless, you have two identical candidates who you see as equal and one was late and one was on time then you can bring up punctuality.

In my 20+ years of experience as a Recruiter, I have found that an interview doesn't tell the entire candidate story. I have had more than a few candidates who have showed up late for an interview and are now star employees. My practice is to express genuine concern for the candidate giving them an opportunity for explanation. Based on the information and my availability, I will decide to continue with the interview or reschedule. Don't let the talent shortage drive your hiring decision!

When choosing a candidate, it is crucial to implement a structured and transparent selection process. This process should include clearly defined job criteria, objective evaluation methods, and a thorough review of each candidate’s qualifications, experience, and potential fit with the company culture. To ensure that proper expectations are set: Job Description: Provide a detailed job description that outlines responsibilities, required skills, and qualifications. Selection Criteria: Use standardized criteria to evaluate candidates consistently. Communication: Clearly communicate the selection process and timeline to candidates. Interview Training: Train interviewers to conduct fair and unbiased interviews.

If they don't apologise, ask if everything is ok. If they don't get your message, they clearly aren't aware that there's something wrong or they're too stressed to bring that up. Use your good judgement.

Upon the candidate's arrival, greet them warmly and acknowledge their presence. Politely ask if everything is alright and if there was any issue that caused the delay. This shows empathy and understanding. Next, inform them about the importance of punctuality in the organization while ensuring the conversation remains respectful. Depending on the schedule, decide whether to proceed with the interview or reschedule it for a later time. This approach maintains professionalism and conveys the significance of timeliness without compromising the candidate's dignity.

When the candidate arrives late, greet them warmly and say something like, "Hi, thanks for coming. Was everything alright on your way here?" Then, smoothly transition to the interview by saying, "Let’s get started with your background." If necessary, adjust the timing by mentioning, "We may need to adjust the timing, but let’s make the most of it." Finally, you can gently note, "Just a heads-up—punctuality is important for us." This approach keeps the conversation professional yet personable.

In the end we are humane, let the process go as normal and the candidate will realise that the culture is more valuable and in the end he/she will respect our company.