I had my first proper interview scheduled for 4 PM, but I found myself racing to a café with Wi-Fi because my phone died. I was 8 minutes late, and I was in a panic about how to handle it when I finally joined the call. I considered several options: should I just act normal, apologize briefly, over-apologize, or even email them before joining? I was worried that this would be the only thing they remembered about me. I ended up joining the call a few minutes later and decided to apologize once briefly, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had already blown my chances. I’ve read that being late can reflect poorly on your preparedness, and I was really hoping to make a good impression. I’m still waiting to hear back, but I can’t help but feel that my tardiness may have cost me this opportunity.