The Best Day Of The Week To Schedule A Job Interview If You Want To Land The Job, According To A CEO
Turns out, the early bird doesn't always get the worm.
fizkes | Getty Images Pro | Canva Pro "It's all in the timing," as the saying goes, and that goes for pretty much everything in life, including, of course, our careers. When we're searching for a job, most of us tend to be so excited to FINALLY have a foot in the door that we just take whatever schedule slot we're given and immediately move on to interview prep.
But might we be missing out on an opportunity to strategize in our favor by doing so? One CEO says yes, and that when it comes to a job interview, timing can make a huge difference in how effectively we're able to get our message across.
Tuesday is the best day for a job interview, according to a CEO.
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Richard Edwards, founder and CEO of U.K.-based PR agency Vibra Media, says just taking what you're given when it comes to interview times is not the best strategy. Choosing the right day "taps into fundamental workplace psychology that most candidates never consider,” he says.
Despite how seemingly unimportant a detail the day of the week is, choosing the right timing can sometimes make "the difference between landing your dream job and missing out," according to Evans. And when it comes to the optimal timing, the best day for an interview is far and away Tuesday.
Tuesdays are the sweet spot between the chaos of Mondays and the checked-out mindset of Fridays.
What makes Tuesday so much better than the other four days? For nearly all of us, Mondays are chaotic. Even if our jobs are simple and low-key, we are still adjusting to being back in the swing of things after the weekend.
"Monday interviews often fall victim to the weekly reset chaos," Edwards says. "Managers arrive at the office to overflowing inboxes, weekend backlogs, and the mental fog of transitioning back into work mode."
That means your interview has that much more competition, not from other candidates, but from this Monday haze. Edwards adds that Monday meetings often run long, "fires have to be put out" that erupted over the weekend, and everyone is a bit scattered. "Even the most qualified candidate can get lost in that Monday mayhem," he says.
By Tuesday, the dust has settled. And if you can schedule your interview specifically between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., all the better. "This window avoids the morning email catch-up period and the post-lunch energy dip that can affect later afternoon sessions," he explains.
Wednesday through Friday come with their own unique issues that make them not ideal for interviews.
Friday is obvious: Everyone's ready to get to the weekend, and so your interview becomes just one more thing to check off a list, not something to be thoughtfully considered. “Friday interviews are where good candidates go to die,” Edwards says. “Even if you nail every question, you're fighting against someone who just wants to finish their week and get home.”
But what about Wednesday and Thursday? They're not great either, mainly because Wednesdays tend to be when workloads hit their apex. "Wednesday is when deadlines loom largest and stress levels peak,” Edwards explains. “Managers are thinking about project deliverables, not potential new hires.”
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By Thursday, decision makers are focusing on getting the week as close to wrapped up as possible in advance of the weekend, so you're not getting anyone's optimal attention then either.
Edwards says there's another benefit to Tuesdays. To some leaders, it will signal that you understand the rhythms of the business world and have a certain savvy that could help you stand out even more. And he notes that Tuesday candidates he's spoken to often notice how easily the interview conversation flowed, a likely knock-on effect of the interviewers being in the right headspace.
Of course, we don't always have an option of when we're scheduled, but when we do, Tuesday is the day to jump at. "When given a choice, always push for Tuesday morning or early afternoon," Evans says. "When you choose this optimal time slot, you're orchestrating the conditions for your best possible performance.”
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
