I was 20 minutes late for the interview. 

Ohh, we were expecting you at 12:30, how are you, was it difficult to find us? she said as we shook hands.

I said, not at all, I am good! Thank you. I apologized for being late.

It was a young and small organization but they were growing fast. 

Half an hour into the interview, I realized that the role does not align with my career aspirations. And I told her that, I was just being assertive. And boldly asked if there is any other role for me. The discussion concluded shortly after.

Without wasting any time she walked me out and wished me all the best.

And said, next time you are late for a meeting or an interview, make sure you come up with a good excuse. Tell that you had a flat tire or something. But have an excuse ready.

She said this as a good gesture, I liked that. I gave a broad smile, ate a humble pie and walked out.

A couple of days back she had e-mailed me a time slot for the interview. Since it was a two-hour slot, I thought I have a little leeway around my arrival. And I had conveniently used that leeway, hence I was late.

I leveraged the ambiguity around timings to get a benefit of doubt. Or so I thought.

When I shook hands, I had two choices. I could have been brutally honest or I could have inserted the fact that there was ambiguity around timings in the E-mail. I chose neither.

Moral? I don’t know. Try to be assertive. Show all your cards or tell a bold lie, the world doesn’t care. But don’t leave any room for ambiguity. Your stance matters!