Let's take the notion of an 11:00am interview with a recruiter. If you arrive (with i-Pod still attached) at 11:10am as if nothing's wrong (without even a hint of an apology), what do you think the recruiter is going to think of you? Are they going to confidently represent you to one of their clients? Surely they will just assume that you would also quite happily show up late to a meeting with a potential future employer and therefore take you out of the equation ...

I am certainly not suggesting that you arrive for an interview 20 minutes early - believe me that can be just as irritating for a recruiter as when a candidate arrives 15 minutes late. However in today's climate you can't afford not make a positive impact and a lasting first impression. You need to be on your most professional behaviour. This week three candidates were up to 20 minutes late for their interviews with me. One of them had some mumbled excuse about missing a train and the other two carried on as if nothing was wrong.

If you are going to be even one minute late for an interview, show some common courtesy and call the recruiter to let them know. If you are serious about finding a new job in a market where recruiters are being inundated with literally dozens of applications (especially in the IT space) every day, then you need to understand that whilst your CV, skills and competencies are certainly very important, the way you present yourself at interview is equally as important.

Catch the earlier bus or train ... go and have a coffee in a nearby cafe, but you must be on time for a job interview. Quite frankly there are no excuses.