I was given the choice between Monday early afternoon or Friday early afternoon. I am available on both days. I know the timing might not make a difference, but I could use every advantage I can get. What would you use? I’m guessing people are usually in a better mood on Fridays, no?
I would pick Monday hands down as it gives you all weekend to prepare. Your interviewers might not have been in the best mood on Monday morning, but by the afternoon they should be fine. By Friday afternoon your interviewers might be more concerned with their weekend plans than your answers to their questions.
From a psychological standpoint (no science here, just what I believe + life experiences), if you set the bar high early in the week it plays to your advantage. Example, if you rock the interview on a Monday and the employer has already subconsciously made up their mind that they will hire you, then a person who interviews on Friday who is just 5% better than you probably won’t get the job. However, in the opposite scenario if you interview Friday, then you are probably going to have to beat the best alternative candidate by 10%+ to have a shot.
Say for instance the Monday candidate scores 90/100 on the interview and the successive candidates from Tuesday to Thursday all suck. In that 3 day period the interviewers have had the time to reassess how great the Monday candidate was and his score in their mind might now seem like a 95/100. So if the Friday candidate comes in and is actually a true 95/100, well my friend that’s just too bad, the decisions already been made.
In any case, there are too many variables and unknowns to put logic to it. Just pick the time slot that you feel would work to YOUR strengths, for me, that’s a Monday.
^ I see your point, but I’m throwing you a curveball. The Friday interview comes first. The Monday interview is after the weekend (3 days later).
Damn, that was a Sandy Koufax curveball right there. That possibility never even crossed my mind.
Well then, since you have destroyed my thesis, let me recalculate:
Assuming that the interviewers will not be at their best on Friday and there are few if any candidates interviewing between the two windows that you have available, I would still choose Monday. That’s simply due to prep time.
Or you can do the interview on Friday and go skiing for the weekend. Don’t know where you live in our great nation but Toronto is getting 20cm of snow in the next 24hrs. Awesome time to hit the slopes.
Interviews are like free-throws/penalty shots anyways, over half the battle is in your head, so just go with the day for which you feel most comfortable.
Go kill that interview and holla at your boy when you sign that acceptance letter. good luck!