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For every interview or a meeting, I surf the internet and refresh my mind on "what to do in an interview". Almost every resource I read, stated that I need to arrive ~15 mins before the interview time.

I have noticed in most of the cases that I arrived earlier, the hiring committee stated that my appointment was at X:XX and not 15 minutes earlier; sometimes by the receptionist and sometimes later by the interviewer; Sometimes by both. They are like:

"Mr. Interviewer said your appointment is at X:XX, and he will be right with you."

Or something like:

"Hey you are here already!"

"Hey I did not expect you arriving now!"

I am asking because I believe it is the right thing to do. But what am I missing here? And what is the best time to arrive at an interview?

Khalil Khalaf
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    I've always arrived 10-15 minutes early for interview or longer (although in that case I waited elsewhere until nearer the time) and never found it a problem, no one ever mentioned anything negative about it, could be the repeat of the time is to confirm that's indeed the one you're attending as you could be someone "on time" for an earlier one. – RoguePlanetoid Apr 07 '17 at 09:56
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    I always arrive quite a bit early, but might walk around a bit to trim the margin once I've found the building. Then I introduce myself with "I have a xxxx o-clock interview with xxxxxxxx". If you're somehow unavoidably very early (it's raining really hard?) then you could do that, and add - "is it ok if I wait here until nearer the time". Assuming they have some sort of reception area with a couch or something. – Grimm The Opiner Apr 07 '17 at 11:38
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    Maybe it's the military in me, but a candidate arriving 15 minutes early would not bother me in the slightest. I would assume they are punctual and did not want to risk being late for something important. – Kevin Apr 07 '17 at 15:40
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    Arriving too early can put the interviewer to a bit awkward position, which explains the reaction. If candidate arrives say 30min early I would feel awkward having him/her wait 30min in the building for myself, particularly if I don't have prior engagement. Aim for ~10min early so they know you make it to the interview but not earlier so they don't have to "accommodate" you. If there are unknowns in your trip to the interview, reserve more time but wait in the cafe outside or something and be at reception ~10min before. – JarkkoL Apr 07 '17 at 18:52
  • Learned something new today. I never thought that arriving 15 mins early could cause much that trouble. Yet I believe the fact is strongly culture-based, arriving 15 mins early is actually "recommended" in my Vietnam culture. – Hoàng Long Apr 08 '17 at 08:29
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    I think part of the issue is that the receptionist ends up calling / notifying your interviewer or escort early - if you arrive at 9:40 for a 10:00 interview and let the receptionist know that you are early for your 10:00 meeting, then they will hold off on notifying your appointment until it's a more appropriate time (the receptionist likely knows better than you how far in advance). You can then take your time and not stress out about it. – user2813274 Apr 08 '17 at 20:29
  • @JarkkoL if a candidate arrives 30 minutes early, and you don't have a prior engagement, why would you make them wait? – Dan Henderson Apr 09 '17 at 17:35
  • 15 minutes in advance doesn't seem unreasonable. One doesn't know how hard is to find the entry to the premises, if there are any control to pass, transportation problems, parking, etc etc. On arriving, simply announce yourself in reception mentioning the hour of the meeting. You may wait watching the ceiling paint until they are ready. More than 15 minutes? wait outside! – roetnig Apr 10 '17 at 10:36
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    I suspect this is culturally variable. What country was this interview in? – Jack Aidley Apr 10 '17 at 14:08
  • @DanHenderson Usually there are more people involved and specific schedule for the interview. – JarkkoL Apr 10 '17 at 17:07

12 Answers12

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The reason for planning to arrive 15 minutes early is so you can have 15 minutes of delay and still be on time. It's so you can take a quick detour into a coffee shop to use the bathroom if you're struck by a sudden urge. It's so you have time, outside the building or in the lobby if it's large and anonymous, to set aside the "getting to the interview on time" mindset and give yourself a pep talk and switch gears into interview mode.

It's not so you can talk to the receptionist 15 minutes before you need to and then sit getting nervous in a plastic chair for 15 minutes or more. Present yourself to the company about 5 minutes before your appointment, and I typically say something like "I'm Kate Gregory, I have a 10:15 appointment with FirstName LastName" - this will eliminate any chance of people telling you what time your appointment is, as though you don't know.

I don't think the answers you're talking about show people considering your behavior offensive. They just don't quite understand it. Neither do I. Once you're in the building in plenty of time, retain control of your actions by waiting in private until just a few minutes before the meeting. Don't burst through the door in a sweaty mess at the exact time of your interview, but don't spend your 15 minutes of "just in case" time cooling your heels where they can see you, either.

Kate Gregory
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    Quite right, you arrive 15 minutes early so you can locate where you are supposed to be, but you present yourself just a few minutes before the appointed time. I use the ten minutes to find the office area I need to be in and freshen up and get rid of my heavy smoker smell. – Kilisi Apr 07 '17 at 03:16
  • Thanks kate! I think I know now where I was failing. I thought I was showing professionalism, but turned out to be the complete opposite! – Khalil Khalaf Apr 07 '17 at 03:25
  • Spot on, especially as it accounts for acknowledging that you're a few minutes early. There's also the possibility of "Good morning, I'm early for xxx, where would you like me to wait" in some cases: e.g. by taxi/bus to an out-of-the-way location, or somewhere where you can expect heavy security on the way in and don't know how long it will take. – Chris H Apr 07 '17 at 08:01
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    I would actually recommend using the bathroom before an interview. Feeling the need to go during the interview would be uncomfortable and may affect your performance. You can also use the opportunity to check yourself in the bathroom mirror and adjust your tie, check for food stuck in your teeth, etc. – camden_kid Apr 07 '17 at 08:09
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    @KyleKhalaf presenting yourself to the receptionist 15 minutes early is hardly "failing". It's no big deal, really. Don't worry about this too much. –  Apr 07 '17 at 09:20
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    @dan1111 I have absolutely been annoyed by people showing up 15 minutes early and the receptionist calling up right when they arrive, interrupting my previous meeting. About five minutes before, I start expecting and hoping the receptionist would call. I think arriving outside the building, maybe in the parking lot 15 minutes early is perfect, and then getting to the receptionist 4-6 minutes early is also perfect. It is possible to be too early. – Todd Wilcox Apr 07 '17 at 12:14
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    @ToddWilcox surely you could arrange for the receptionist to not do that? It doesn't sound like the candidate is the one at fault here. –  Apr 07 '17 at 12:46
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    @dan1111 surely you're not suggesting the receptionist keep track of all appointment times for all of the staff in the entire building and only notifies people that their appointment has arrived in the final five minutes before the appointment? Why should we go through all of that trouble just to accommodate people who aren't savvy enough to wait in their car a few minutes before coming in? – Todd Wilcox Apr 07 '17 at 12:55
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    @ToddWilcox not everyone has a car or drives to appointments (driving to downtown in many cities is a great way to be late.) Reminding the receptionist of your time is a simple thing to do. "I'm super early for my 10:15 with FirstName LastName, but came in so I could wait out of the rain. Please don't announce me until about 5 minutes before ... I don't want to look pushy. Thanks!" and then at 10:10 "it would be great if you let FirstName LastName know I'm here now." Simple and friendly. – Kate Gregory Apr 07 '17 at 13:26
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    @KateGregory Agreed. My point is that it is possible to be too early. – Todd Wilcox Apr 07 '17 at 13:41
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    @ToddWilcox - It is possible to be too early, but if your time is that important, then it is appropriate to make the candidate wait until the agreed upon time. If I'm able to accommodate the early candidate and I really want to hire this person, I'll appreciate their being early especially after having to deal with most people in this world who constantly show up late. –  Apr 07 '17 at 14:59
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    @ToddWilcox If you are so involved in a meeting 15 minutes before an interview is scheduled that a notification from a receptionist annoys you then that implies that you are not respecting the candidate's time. By that point you should already be wrapping up your previous meeting so you have a few minutes to prepare yourself for the interview (re-read CV etc). – thelem Apr 07 '17 at 15:10
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    @ToddWilcox Why is the receptionist interrupting you? Do you know have anything that shows your status as "in a meeting" – Kevin Apr 07 '17 at 15:39
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    It is obvious that y'all have completely different work environments from mine. Let's just leave it at, "It's possible to to be too early", since we agree on that. Micromanaging workplace without knowing anything about it has zero relevance to this question or answer. – Todd Wilcox Apr 07 '17 at 18:09
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    This advice doesn't apply to secured buildings that require presenting yourself to the security/front desk, going through one or more turnstiles, getting your bags scanned, navigating to one or more elevator banks, going up a tall building (with multiple stops/delays)... any of these can cause enough of a delay that I would not want to arrive a mere 15 minutes before my interview. – Chan-Ho Suh Apr 08 '17 at 04:29
  • @ToddWilcox that is obvious. I think I would not be happy in your workplace. I will continue to be early. Your momentary annoyance is a small price to pay to help quickly reach a mutually beneficial decision. – emory Apr 08 '17 at 14:08
  • @camden_kid Probably good advice, but it might be interesting to see if the supposed "full-bladder" effect on public speaking (see Guardian article) transfers to an interview. – TripeHound Apr 10 '17 at 07:55
  • Although of the building has security you might want to go in early. I've been in places that took 15 minutes to sort out badges etc. –  Apr 10 '17 at 09:24
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I disagree with the consensus here:

There's no problem with presenting yourself 15 minutes early for an appointment.

There's nothing abnormal about arriving that early. It's quite common, especially for an important meeting like an interview, and especially if you are travelling some distance.

Arriving early at reception doesn't inconvenience anyone; they can simply let you wait if they aren't ready.

I have been early for a number of meetings, including interviews, and it was never a problem. As someone who does a lot of interviews, I don't mind if candidates arrive early, because then we can start early in the event that the previous one has finished.

If you are worried that it looks like you got the time wrong, just mention the time when you announce yourself:

Hi, I'm here to see XYZ. I had a 10:15 appointment.

  • I agree with you. I try to show up 15-20 minutes early and merely make it clear that I'm fine with waiting, which I generally am. I will spend the time reviewing my resume (I've caught the occasional embarrassing typo that way, particularly when a headhunter rewrote my resume and handed it to me shortly before walking in) or reading from either my tablet or provided material in the reception area. – Sean Duggan Apr 07 '17 at 11:36
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    This answer seems the most reasonable. I have a problem with answers that consider that arriving in advance is an issue: as a candidate, you never know how long it will take to go from the reception to the actual place of the interview. Walking the the next building, taking elevators, signing a few documents,... all of this can quickly adds up. – Taladris Apr 07 '17 at 12:24
  • arriving early at reception doesn't inconvenience anyone; they can simply let you wait... I agree that this is true the majority of the time. However, as mentioned in other comments, some workplaces do not have reception areas where anyone can wait. This strategy can (very rarely) backfire. – Beofett Apr 07 '17 at 12:29
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    This is especially important when considering interviews at large companies with multiple buildings. At my current job I arrived 15 minutes early for my interview and was told by the receptionist I was in the wrong building. I walked about 5 minutes to another building to be told my original building was the correct building. Once I made it back to the original building everything had been squared away. However If I had only arrived 5 minutes early and had to walk back and forth to another building, the result would have been me appearing to be 10 minutes late. – rogerdeuce Apr 07 '17 at 17:37
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    "Arriving early at reception doesn't inconvenience anyone" if the office has 10,000 employees sure. If it has 30 there's a good chance you're going to be inconveniencing someone or creating the pressure to entertain. –  Apr 07 '17 at 18:06
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    @rogerdeuce I arrived early to an interview. However the city had multiple "Spring St". I had gone to 1015 Spring St. The company was located at 1015 N Spring St which was on the other side of town. I arrived at the right location a little bit late. – emory Apr 07 '17 at 21:30
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    +1 to @djechlin for mentioning the difference between large and small offices. I'd plan to arrive earlier for a large company with a multi-building campus than for a small one with only a few dozen (or less) employees. – reirab Apr 07 '17 at 22:16
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    I've heard this 'pressure to entertain" argument before and it literally baffles me. What pressure? You're early. Receptionist says "we'll be with you when it is time. Have a seat." Carry on. Who seriously expects somebody to entertain them? I've got my phone, my papers, etc... it isn't that person's job to entertain me. Their job is to show me where to sit and let somebody know I'm there. I ignore them after that as they should me. – NKCampbell Apr 09 '17 at 21:26
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    @Taladris any company expecting you to account for the time to get from the receptionist to the interview location itself when setting an interview time is being extremely unreasonable. – HorusKol Apr 10 '17 at 03:38
  • I've never seen a problem with this either. If you're interviewing me (super important to be on time) and I'm coming in from someplace quite far away, I don't think anyone will begrudge you if you wait in the lobby for 15 minutes instead of standing outside and coming in just when you're asked. – Magisch Apr 10 '17 at 06:06
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    I've arrived early at every single interview I've ever done - and once it was even 30 minute in advance. It's never been an issue. I've always got away with a good impression, "despite" earliness. Worst case, I can use it as an ice-breaker "you're here early - yeah, traffic was light / yes, I was in doubt of location bla bla bla". It's always better to be early than late in my experience and opinion. And I've applied at some very small companies and larger companies - and if they don't have time for me yet, I'll just sit and wait until they have time. And it's worked each time. – Allan S. Hansen Apr 10 '17 at 06:08
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    @djechlin "(...) If (the office) it has 30 (employees) there's a good chance you're going to be inconveniencing someone or creating the pressure to entertain. No matter the business size, if you annoy and distract people by sitting quiet in the reception, I don't think that room in your building is aptly named. The main purpose of that room is to put outsiders there so they don't disturb or are disturbed, isn't it? – xDaizu Apr 10 '17 at 15:41
  • @xDaizu do you take baths in a bathroom? when you wash in a washroom do you wash for an hour and thirty minutes, or do they need to call it a "less than an hour wash room"? In the break room should you hang out there for an hour? And do they have a plaque calling it a "waiting room" -- or is that just what you prefer to call it? –  Apr 10 '17 at 19:39
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5 Minutes Early Is On Time; On Time Is Late; Late Is Unacceptable!

The above saying should help answer who comes too early, and also be a suitable answer to people who complain.

Draken
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comxyz
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    So 5 minutes early is unacceptable? I'm confused... jk – dasdingonesin Apr 07 '17 at 11:22
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    @DonQuiKong It's a pretty common saying here in the US. Draken's edit added a reference from 2007, but I've definitely heard it before then. – David K Apr 07 '17 at 12:36
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    @dasdingonesin it simply means: To be On Time you need to arrive 5 minutes early. The next statement means that if you arrive exactly on time, that is late, and late is unacceptable. – Khalil Khalaf Apr 07 '17 at 14:11
  • To be early, is to be on time. –  Apr 07 '17 at 15:00
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    @KyleKhalaf Dasdingonesin was cracking a math joke by purposely misreading the statement using the transitive property. Don't worry if you didn't catch it... that's probably an indication that you are a little more hip than we are. :-) –  Apr 07 '17 at 15:42
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    @dank I actually did not read his "jk" part at first but once when I did, I kept my comment intentionally for others later if someone did not get it – Khalil Khalaf Apr 07 '17 at 15:51
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    $on_time = $five_min_early; $late = $on_time; $unacceptable = $late; ..DOH!!! – coderodour Apr 07 '17 at 17:53
  • I work for a Japanese company in Brazil and this is true for them. – Rodrigo Menezes Apr 07 '17 at 20:00
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    A mantra like this without thinking about why is just silly. This phrase has always bothered me - I've literally never saw someone come into a meeting at 2:00 and thought to myself "What a slacker, wasn't here at 1:55..." – corsiKa Apr 09 '17 at 02:40
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    take it easy @corsiKa, and try no to take my statement literally. Cheers! – comxyz Apr 09 '17 at 07:03
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    If you're 5 minutes early, you're already 10 minutes late - Vince Lombardi – alroc Apr 10 '17 at 11:22
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In addition to other answers which focus on interviews only, turning up late for meetings is a strategy often used to gain an advantage in negotiations. It puts inexperienced people off their stride and they can lose focus. It's shows your lack of respect for them as individuals and shows you think you are superior.

It's used on purpose by some hard nosed people.

The counter is to just leave the meeting if they're not there on time, and let them chase you.

Kilisi
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    That's definitely a slippery slope. Next thing you know you're being told things that were agreed upon in your absence. It really depends on the specific power balance you have. – JMac Apr 07 '17 at 10:41
  • @JMac It's just one strategy, you use it in the right circumstances like any other. I don't use it myself, but have seen many who do. – Kilisi Apr 07 '17 at 10:57
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    Just a nitpick: while leaving if they're not on topic can be a valid counter, if the person who is late actually is in a superior position, leaving before they arrive can turn out very bad for you. It exposes you to agreements made in your absence, as JMac indicated, or even accusations of unprofessionalism (and yes, I do see the irony of someone being late for a meeting accusing someone who was on time of being unprofessional, but most people who would be deliberately late as a power tactic wouldn't scruple against throwing people under the bus if they think they can get away with it). – Beofett Apr 07 '17 at 12:24
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    @Beofett I agree, it's a judgement call, and a power play. The important thing is you recognise what is happening, rather than lose focus. – Kilisi Apr 07 '17 at 13:16
  • It's also used by middle managers when there is no particular strategic advantage, but they like to show off they have several important things to do as a matter of style. –  Apr 07 '17 at 18:08
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    @JMac Trump can use it wrt Cabinet Meeting b/c nothing can be agreed upon in his absence. If something could be agreed upon in your absence then this is a risky strategy. (The candidate is late, let's trash his candidacy.) – emory Apr 07 '17 at 20:10
  • @emory Which for an interview generally they can agree not to hire you in your absence. Since the question body seemed to focus pretty heavily on interview-type environments I just thought it was good to mention. In the case of pretty much anything it's pretty unprofessional to show up late, especially on purpose. It seems like an easy way to help sour relationships for a very questionable advantage. – JMac Apr 07 '17 at 20:15
  • @JMac my answer is specifically not about interviews, it's a useful strategy when there is a negotiation over costings or the other party called a meeting to settle a dispute. It sends them a message that you're not at their beck and call and you don't recognise them as superior in any way. I actually go further when people make meetings and call me to come. I sometimes don't even show up, I send an email 15 minutes late saying I can't make it, please pay my invoice asap so we can move forwards. – Kilisi Apr 07 '17 at 21:38
  • @JMac It's an interview meeting. Nothing will be agreed upon in your absence if it's a 1:1 meeting. – Mast Apr 09 '17 at 19:38
  • A Wizard is never late. He arrives precisely when he intends to. – corsiKa Apr 10 '17 at 21:04
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I certainly do not appreciate people showing up much earlier than the agreed time (and not just for interviews), because I may not be ready to receive them. Their unwanted interruption messes up what I had planned, and adds to my stress.

For example, if I call a candidate for an interview at 10am, I like to have another look at their resume just before the interview (say, at 9.30am), and prepare a list of points I want to discuss with them. I may also want to quickly discuss with my peers or manager the plan for dealing with my "absence" for the next few hours (when I am doing the interview). There could be some other official or personal business I have to take care of.

Most of these things are most effective when done shortly before the interview. For example, reading the candidate's resume a week or even a day in advance means I am likely to forget some points, and identifying a backup plan to deal with my absence of a few hours may become obsolete by the events of the day.

If the candidate shows up before I have had a chance to do this preparation, it puts me in an awkward situation where I have to tell them to "hang around" until 10am. Then doing that preparation also becomes stressful because I know someone is out there waiting for me to finish.

Masked Man
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    It's certainly nice that if a candidate is early you feel pressured because they're hanging around, I think most people would feel that way. But some people like myself may be a bit more cautious as to eliminate the possibility of being late by being quite early, and I don't intend it to stress the interviewer and I am very happy to wait. Plus, you're the interviewer that set the time and in control of the situation, so it is perfectly reasonable for you to have them wait for you. – user1997744 Apr 07 '17 at 08:49
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    @user1997744 Please look at it from the perspective of the interviewer: I told you the time I want to see you. You are ignoring my request when you come in a lot earlier. If it would be possible for you to wait outside the building, in your car, wherever, until shortly before the interview time (unless e.g. prohibited by bad weather), I would expect you to do so. And yes, it would be totally okay to let you wait, but it's also not courteous to let someone wait. So you now shift the decision to be polite or correct onto me. This is not a good start for an interview. – Dubu Apr 07 '17 at 09:28
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    @Dubu But a waiting room for example in an office is precisely for that purpose - to wait, and I use that environment to get myself into the zone for the interview. In addition, if the interviewer does come out earlier to greet me, I always say something like 'I know I'm early, just wanted to make sure I'd be on time, please take your time' or something along those lines. – user1997744 Apr 07 '17 at 09:45
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    @user1997744 We do not even have a waiting room at our location. The person you want to visit would be notified of your arrival by the reception and would have to pick you up in the lobby (no seating there, sorry). And hopefully the meeting room would be prepared by then. – Dubu Apr 07 '17 at 09:56
  • @user1997744 I am ok with the candidate planning to arrive early. Hey, I do it myself when I am the candidate! I prepare to reach the place about an hour early, to account for unexpected traffic delays and such. My concern starts when the receptionist calls me to say, "Mr. John Doe is here to meet you for the interview" at 8:30am for an interview scheduled for 10:00am. It is even worse when my manager tells me, "Hey, John Doe is here early, why don't you go ahead with the interview now?" If the candidate comes in early, he should just wait outside the office. – Masked Man Apr 07 '17 at 13:31
  • @MaskedMan Would a candidate arriving early like that at all affect your decision to hire them? I can understand why it can be inconvenient and annoying, especially if your boss tells you to see them early, but I think it's a small detail that in this case shouldn't impact a decision. – user1997744 Apr 07 '17 at 13:39
  • @user1997744 It doesn't affect my decision directly because that would be unprofessional on my part. I do face a lot of irritations in a typical work day, but with growing seniority, you learn to handle those irritations without your work getting affected. It may, of course, affect my decision indirectly. For example, if I haven't had a chance to read the candidate's resume, I may not at all ask them about their most interesting achievements (which I would have otherwise read about), reducing the interview to a dull chore, where the candidate has to try much harder to impress. – Masked Man Apr 07 '17 at 13:59
  • @MaskedMan That's a fair point and in that instance it's solely the candidate to blame if you were affected by it indirectly. – user1997744 Apr 07 '17 at 14:03
  • It doesn't have to be a major interruption. Just inform the receptionist you'll be there 5 minutes before the meeting, so you can actually show up on time. I know I wish I would have turned down some of the jobs I took when the interviewer was late. It really said something about their lack of time-management skills and treating everything as an emergency. –  Apr 07 '17 at 15:03
  • @JeffO Sure, if the candidate is 15 minutes early (which is what the OP is asking for), then it is fine to tell the receptionist to have them wait for 10 minutes. However, I have had candidates come in a good 2 hours early, which is what I was trying to cover here. It makes the receptionist think I am a jerk for making the candidate wait so long, even though it is not really my fault that they showed up so early. In some cases, I am not even in office, and my manager calls me early "since the candidate is here", that adds a lot of stress I can do without. – Masked Man Apr 08 '17 at 06:15
  • @MaskedMan if a candidate is that early, they should be informing the receptionist of their scheduled appointment time, so that it's clear that they are prepared for the extended wait. If they do this, then the receptionist can wait until a time, prearranged by you, to inform you of the candidate's presence. If the candidate doesn't tell the receptionist they're 2 hours early, and you haven't told the receptionist the names and times of your planned interviews, then you and the candidate are both responsible for any inconvenience that results. – Dan Henderson Apr 09 '17 at 18:09
  • @MaskedMan - 2 hours early without an extremely good explanation, would make me cancel the interview. –  Apr 13 '17 at 16:33
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If you are interviewing with a small company (start up), show up dead on time. There is no receptionist, you will cause disturbance if you show up early. Don't walk into a company space 5 minutes early; it is too early.

Some small companies have shared lobbies, and you can be as early as you want, because your contact will come to pick you up when they are ready, that's a different story.

Akavall
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I think it very much depends on the type of business you're dealing with. In a big office, you're going to have to speak to a receptionist who will have to work out who to get in touch with, and then it might take them a few minutes to get to you, or for the receptionist to deliver you to the right place. And you might be faced with a queue when you turn up. So it's important to arrive a few minutes early, to leave time for that process.

In a small office, you might well find the door answered by your interviewer. One time I had a candidate arrive to find the door being fixed by their interviewer (me). So there's much less need to turn up early.

I never mind when people turn up 15 minutes early to their first on-site interview, as it's not always clear which situation you're going into. But if they have a second interview in a small office and still arrive early, that's a little annoying.

To be honest, though, the time someone arrives at is only a tiny part of looking at a candidate's fit. I've had candidates arrive at completely different times to when we've expected them, mostly because the recruiter messed up somewhere: so long as you make a good-faith effort to turn up basically when you were told to turn up, I can deal with that.

Andrew Aylett
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No matter what time you arrive, some interviewers will be annoyed if they get notified about it too early or too late.

The best thing is to hold your arrival announcement just ~5 minutes before the interview. This is as simple as asking the receptionist to make the announcement 5 minutes before the scheduled time. Then you just go 5 minutes before the interview to the receptionist and indirectly remind her - "Sorry, could you please notify my interviewer that I'm here?".

This ensures that you never irritate an interviewer and that you have time to relax, visit the loo, eat a banana, etc.

Johannesberg
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    Making a special request to the receptionist seems weird. If you think showing up five minutes early is important, then just announce yourself to the receptionist five minutes early. –  Apr 07 '17 at 14:18
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    I am not sure it is a great idea to make such requests to the receptionist. Why should they care? They are not being hired to be the candidate's personal alarm clock. – Masked Man Apr 08 '17 at 08:22
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    @MaskedMan it's their job to communicate who is in and out? – Johannesberg Apr 08 '17 at 18:53
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    @dan1111 true but at some times you are expected by the receptionist to inform who you are. Sometimes the receptionist is before the actual lobby. Just going and sitting there would seem even weirder. – Johannesberg Apr 08 '17 at 18:55
  • Ok so you walk up to the receptionist at 9.45am and tell her to announce your arrival at exactly 9.55am? Why would they humour such requests to keep watching the clock for you? What if multiple people start making such requests for announcements at different times? It is most certainly not their job to keep making such "scheduled" announcements whole day. If you want your arrival to be announced at 9.55am, just walk up to the receptionist at 9.55am. – Masked Man Apr 08 '17 at 19:17
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    Sitting around in the lobby does look weird, and if you stick around for long enough, the receptionist would ask you what help you need. To avoid that weirdness, all you have to do is walk up to the receptionist once you get there, tell them the purpose of your visit, and that you would wait in the lobby and come back to them 5 minutes before the agreed meeting time. There is no need for the receptionist to keep watching the clock, you can do it yourself. – Masked Man Apr 08 '17 at 19:22
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You'd think people would appreciate the additional information and opportunity of a candidate showing up 15 minutes early, but based on many responses they do not. Especially if you have a receptionist to run interference for you, I don't see this as a problem. It's not like having a party at your house and guests show up when you're not ready. If your butler answers the door, you can wait in the parlor while I get ready.

There are times I wish someone showed-up 15 minutes early. I can then decide if that's to my advantage or not. There's less risk of our interview getting cut-off because of another appointment I have. Otherwise, I'm more than willing to make you wait.

As others have pointed out, show up early to avoid the risk of being late. Many people will look at this negatively. If you're not comfortable with showing up too early, then just wait a few minutes before acknowledging your presence. Based on these responses, it can be frowned upon if you show up too early and interviewers are uncomfortable making you wait.

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There is no best time to arrive for an interview/meeting/appointment. The arrival time that won't impact your impression is in/on time.

Regarding interviews, I asked a friend who works in HR the same question. I was about to have my first job interview at that time. She stated that I should not attach too much importance to the accurate time of showing up but the best impression I could make to the recruiter. I think she has a point.

About meeting, I would say it sometimes depends on the specific situation. Some people think that the important one always shows up last.

Talking about appointment, I would say that we should never be late with an appointment with dentists/doctors. This may cause serious inconvenience to other people.

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Vanianna
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    "I should not attach to much importance to the accurtate time of showing up" - Really? It's pretty much agreed upon that arriving late for an interview is really not a good way to start an interview. – camden_kid Apr 07 '17 at 08:40
  • @camden_kid: what I mean is 8:15 or 8:17 are not that important. Even if the interview is at 9, you can just show up at 9. Fifteen minutes earlier doesn't make any sense to the recruiter :) – Vanianna Apr 07 '17 at 08:50
  • Understood. When you show up early is not important. – camden_kid Apr 07 '17 at 09:07
  • +1 for covering all the bases from the question. I would also add that for any appointment where you are a paying customer (e.g. physician, hairstylist, banker, auto mechanic, etc.), being early gives them the option of seeing you early, if their previous appointment is a no-show, or finishes earlier than planned. – Dan Henderson Apr 09 '17 at 18:20
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If you have an interview at xx:xx, then you are supposed to show up at xx:xx. At least, is what I liked when interviewing candidates.

What happens, for example, if the company you are interviewing for has no "visitors space"? Are they supposed to keep you standing in the entrance for 15 minutes? A little earlier (at max 5 minutes) is ok, as much as a little late (again, 5 minutes).

Myself, I always arrive earlier (just to be safe) and then ring the bell 30 secs before the interview :-)

motoDrizzt
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    At large buildings, where there is a possibility of having to walk some distance from the entrance to the location of the interview, it's probably better to be a bit earlier. – Dan Henderson Apr 09 '17 at 18:22
  • arriving early also accounts for whether they may have paperwork for you to fill out - sometimes you don't know that until you arrive. I've always lived by the motto "to arrive on time is to be late, to arrive early is to be on time" – NKCampbell Apr 09 '17 at 21:22
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I really would try to be as punctual as humanly possible. In my experience, someone being late (or at least reasonably late i.e. 5-10 minutes) is quite acceptable, in fact sometimes quite "fashionable", while coming (too) early is quite a nuisance. That being said I think punctuality is definitely a trait that the interviewer is going to appreciate, so really try to be perfectly on time. I would try to arrive at the building 5 minutes before the interview (or meeting, conference etc.) and make yourself seen perfectly on time, as the event starts.

Casey Neistat
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    I can't think of a professional situation in which being late is seen as a good thing by those waiting for you. Sometimes being 5-10 minutes late is no big deal, but fashionable? –  Apr 10 '17 at 04:53
  • By that I mean that they could respect you for having the self-activeness to be late, which puts you in a higher position of control. For example like when the boss can come late but the employees cant. – Casey Neistat Apr 10 '17 at 11:52
  • I'm aware that people intentionally show up late as a power play, but do the people that are kept waiting appreciate or respect them for it? I think not. –  Apr 10 '17 at 14:44
  • @dan1111 They might not directly appreciate it, however it gives that person a quality of power which people will respect. – Casey Neistat Apr 10 '17 at 14:52