No Call Means No Opportunity

I recently helped someone secure a coveted appointment with a company they wanted to work with. Guess what? Said someone never showed up. This, after she was advised several times the importance of showing up early and not missing the appointment.

Am I disappointed? Absolutely. Embarrassed as well, since I vouched for this individual by setting the appointment. Now I’ll have to save face next time I run into anyone from this company, but it’s all good. I’ve shown up for my appointments when I had to, so they know I’m responsible and professional. It’s this someone who I went out of my way to help who didn’t.

I’ll start by saying that I haven’t heard back yet as to why this person never made it to the appointment. Unless there was something severe, such as something with her children or her house went up in flames, I’m not really interested in knowing why. All I know is that I was asked to go out of m y way to help out and she didn’t show up.

I see this happen a lot lately. This laid back attitude about not showing up. This idea that some have that they don’t owe anyone anything for not living up to their side of the bargain, because that’s exactly what an appointment is, a bargain. Person A decides to clear an hour or so from their busy, hectic schedule to give person B a chance, and person B agrees to show up. All that’s missing is a signed lawful contract. Break that obligation and you might as well break a law on the books, because in the end each one has its own important value.

Skipping an appointment shows such malicious regard for the person who scheduled it in the first place. Of course, certain situations deserve their own exceptions, but a missed appointment without the attempt to make a call and explain what went wrong is selfish.

Here’s why. I had a client one time show up late for an interview at a company she really wanted to work for. When she arrived at the lobby ten minutes late, the receptionist warned her it’ll be nearly impossible she will get the job offer. Said client decided she would sit for the interview anyway. Guess what? She wasn’t hired. She called me back to ask if there was anything I could do and I explained there wasn’t. It’s not my job to change anyone’s mind, especially anyone who’s trying to run a business and is apparently looking for someone to show up on time to get the work done. Problem is, the client had no valid reason for showing up late. She just did and didn’t take the time to call ahead and advise the interviewers she was on her way. That showed a lack of judgment, unfortunately. And there was nothing anyone can do for her at that point.

So next time you schedule an appointment, just understand it may be your last chance to make a lasting impression. Sure, there’ll be other opportunities, so it’s not the end of the world. But why risk any opportunity just because you didn’t think it was important enough to make amends before an unfortunate decision is made against you?  Show some courtesy, go out of your way to arrive early or call ahead to explain why you’re running late. Best of all? Be an adult and reschedule the appointment as soon as you know an obstacle has come up. It’ll show that you’re reliable enough to become part of any team.