Bike To Work? But What About To An Interview?
I’m on the LinkedIn Bike To Work Group, and last week the question raised was,
Bicycle to a job interview?
Good idea? Probably not, I’d guess, even assuming weather that would allow one to arrive comfortably in appropriate office attire. I recall once reading job interview tips that included renting an automobile in case one’s own wouldn’t contribute to making a good first impression.
The general consensus seemed to be “No”, with one of the commenters pointing out that you should dress at an interview as if you were going to meet a client. Funny thing is for me, cycling to visit clients is pretty normal. The concession I make to this is for the initial fce-to-face with a new client. Riding a bike isn’t exactly mainstream in the UK, and so I prefer to break them in gently to the fact that I’m one of those.
Generally, I’ll just drop it subtly into the conversation, usually just after we’ve agreed the project deliverables and fees. Something along the lines of.
Say, until I drove here this morning, I’d no idea you were so close to my office - it’s only X miles! I normally ride a bike to visit clients who’re closer than Y miles. Do you have somewhere I’d be able to lock up?
I’ve only ever had one client who gave me a look like I’d just asked how much for his sister. I drove there for the whole of the assignment, and no-longer do any work for them. Not because they were bicycle-ists (as in sexists, racists, etc - not as in cyclists!), but because their attitude to me riding a bike was symptomatic of how closed their thinking was to the rest of their business. It was a nut that I just couldn’t crack.
So anyway, you may or may not ride your bike to work. But what are the circumstances in which you just wouldn’t?
Given that the main thing you absolutely DON’T want to do at a job interview is to be late, then cycling would seem to me the best form of transport as you can’t be stuck in traffic or have your bus/train/tram cancelled/delayed. But not turning up looking like a drowned rat, or all sweaty, might be a consideration too. I’d definitely have looked favourably on an interviewee who turned up on a bicycle, but then I worked for a greenish organisation - the worst thing you could do at an interview was show up late and then blame it on the traffic…
I cycled to most of the job interviews I ever went for, and got most of the jobs I interviewed for. The most stressful way I ever went to an interview was by bus. It was a real lottery whether it was going to get there on time - eventually it did… and I didn’t get that job anyway.