Is being three minutes late considered really late or just kind of late? Some say that the old standard of “early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable” is becoming outdated, especially with a workforce that returning to the office after years of working from home. Shouldn’t a five-minute grace period be the standard rule of thumb for actual face-to-face meetings?
@alyssayeoman.mp4 no more grace period? #job #jobs #graceperiod #fyp #septembersurge ♬ original sound – alyssa ☀️
That’s what jobseeker and TikToker Alyssa Yeoman (@alyssayeoman.mp4) is arguing in a video she uploaded yesterday. She claims she was doing very well in her latest job interview but says a last-minute question about her slight tardiness put her out of the running for the position.
In the video, which as of this writing has 487,000 views, Alyssa asks, “Do y’all believe in a five-minute grace period for interviews?”
“I just did an in-person interview and it was going really well,” she continues. However, toward the end of the interview another employee, who she describes as nervous and giggly, entered the room and asked if she had arrived late to the interview that day.
“I said yes, I showed up at 11:03,” Alyssa said. “I was going a new route and I hit some traffic.”
“I just said it straight up because, no shame in my game, I just have to be honest,” she told her viewers.
“I thought there was a five-minute grace period to arrive anywhere,” she added.
Several of her viewers noted that the preferred practice is to always arrive early for any sort of job interview.
“I conduct interviews for a living. 5 minute grace period isn’t a thing but if a candidate lets me know they’re running late I’ve never let it hurt them,” one viewer commented.
Another wrote, “Always arrive early for interviews but 3 minutes is not enough to not hire a strong candidate,” to which Alyssa replied, “10000% I was shooting for early and obviously didn’t make it. I just found the way the q was asked to be a little strange.”
Alyssa also noted that the way the question was asked in the interview seemed “weird” and again described the questioner as “awkward” and “laughing and giggling.”
Some viewers felt that the jobseeker may have dodged a bullet.
“Showing up late isn’t like ideal but that says a lot about their company culture that it’s such a huge deal. Red flag IMO,” wrote one viewer.
Another added, “3 minutes??? Absurd. Do you know how many interviews I’ve waited 10+ minutes for the company? Too many to count. Do NOT work there.”
A third viewer pointed out, “I’m confused by why they had to ask. Did they not know? Because if they didn’t know you were late, they were more late.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Alyssa via TikTok comment for further comment.
