Is it rude to leave an interview early if you have already made your decision?

I always find it interesting how we (as humans) are not expected to act the same way as companies.

A company can end an interview early and it's not rude.

A company can terminate an employee without notice and it's not rude.

A company can change dress code and it's not rude.

That's not to say that people won't complain, just that these things are perfectly normal.

I disengaged hard, once, in the middle of the code test. I still don't know how I feel about it.

The situation was that the company, right before the code test, had told me a bunch of really weird stuff that wasn't part of the discussion right up until the last minute - it wasn't actually a job, but rather contract to hire; they needed to be ready if the next round of financing didn't come in, but they still expected me to move; I would legally be a consultant and therefore not have proper insurance; et cetera.

They wanted me to do this in exchange for admittedly fairly decent money and equity. However, the sudden, last-minute nature of the reveal really left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Then we got into the code interview, and the programmers started asking questions that made it pretty clear they only sort of barely understood what they were asking. One of them tried to "catch me on an error," and when I showed him the standard saying something else, he complained that I should just accept his viewpoint.

And at that point, I said "well you know what? This is a problem."

And so I just put the brakes on, hard. I turned over a far better solution to what they were asking than the question was structured to generate, said that I was sorry that I had consumed their time, but I was uncomfortable with the way that things had been done, especially that they had not been up front about the structure of the job, and I thought the interview was probably finished, and I appreciated the opportunity.

The guy who complained asked me to explain what I had handed over.

I disconnected, and decided I was happy I hadn't flown in.

There are a lot of people who, I suspect, will feel that this is me being unacceptably rude. I could have gone out in a more gracious fashion, et cetera. I've burnt bridges.

I look at it differently than that. I think those people need to know just how strongly their choices changed how I looked at them. I had been extremely bullish; I was super excited. They knew that. We'd been on the phone a lot, and I'd given them some help over the phone (small startup, lead engineer of dubious ability.)

And, they could hear the change in my voice when they pulled back the curtain on what they were offering.

They need to know that dirty pool like that is going to cost them, hard.

I believe I informed them of that in a fairly clear way. Your mileage may vary.

Depends on how the interviewer(s) have treated you. I walked out mid-interview one time, after the 2nd time the manager was called away to fix a production problem. I could see the room he went into, full of programmers just sitting around waiting for the boss to fix it. I decided this was a sick department and just walked out w/o saying "Bye" as I didn't want to interrupt the debugging session. Another time, in a tag team interview situation, each person kept showing me photos of the calf the team was raising for eventual slaughter for a team cookout. I love meat, but their glee at the prospect of killing this particular cute beast made me not want to work with them. I allowed for the slight chance they were flesh-eating ghouls, and just scampered away during a break.

I have done something very similar. Walked out of an interview (politely) due to how it was being conducted.

Employers forget that interviews are two-way, and that a talented potential employee is scoping you out to make a decision as well.

They are too often used to having all of the power in the negotiation, they completely don't get it when the time comes to interview someone who isn't desperate.

The ego blow is hard for them to take when you turn them down.

I find the "nobody could possibly dislike our culture" groupthink the actual brilliant bit of information in this, it happens way more than it should.

The only thing to keep in mind is that somehow, somewhere, you might run into these people later on in your career. For that reason, maybe seeing the interview through is a good idea. Remember, people and cultures can change.

That said, I think it is perfectly acceptable to leave; however, do your best to explain why & don't just duck out when no one is looking.

You occasionally do need a way to cut interviews short.

I was once chastised by a manager because I didn't boot a candidate after I was done, aborting the schedule. (He came to me while I was writing a negative review of said candidate.)

It turns out that the candidate offered to fight a later interviewer. I thought that the candidate was a jerk but that was a bit surprising. (The interviewer in question was a rather mild person.)

Explain first: "I don't think this is going to be a fit. I wish you well in your search." Repeat as necessary until you're out the door.

It all comes down to the way you disengage. You can do so cordially or gruffly, and that tends to make all the difference. If you make it clear that you like them, but see no reason to waste any more of their time, then you will fare well in most situations. If they're still upset, then, well, that probably explains why you didn't want to work there.

This is why I like being a consultant. Have work and money to pay for it? Then we're on. I don't want a marriage.

God, now that I think of it, I'm a prostitute.

If you feel the need to leave an interview early it's best to do it in the least rude manner possible. Unfortunately, someone is bound to see whatever you do as rude to some degree, so be kind, and courteous, honest and polite.

Explain to the most senior participant possible (such as the hiring manager) or barring that someone from HR why you are calling it off early. Don't get huffy and spew on the staff as that's needless.

Culture mismatches may not be obvious to young inexperienced staff, but to management it's an obvious red flag for team work. And it's management's job to keep the team highly functional so they will thank you for your honesty.

I've never walked out of an interview, but I wish I had.

If it's not going to work, it's not going to work. I've gone into in-person interviews with reservations, because sometimes my impressions are wrong and it's good to keep an open mind. But if it's beyond all doubt that it won't work, end it.

Even if you've received a personal recommendation from a current employee and don't want to make him look bad, it doesn't matter. You're wasting everyone's time by continuing.

I had this happen to me five years ago with a terrible interview process--embarrassingly unprepared interviewers, clueless HR, arrogant VP of engineering. They offered me the job and told me to go by HR, but I just walked out because I was so angered by the entire experience.

There was no reason to let it get to that point, though.

Duplicate: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4448500

Reframe this question in terms of a date: Is it rude to leave a date early? Most people would say no, provided that one uses some kind of plausible excuse. Hence all the mysterious phone calls / texts an hour into a first or second date.

I think the "time wasting" aspect is the important part: most people don't want their time wasted and, ideally don't want to waste the time of others—or to raise their expectations.

People in general don't like there time wasted and if you had mad a descision then yes you could say "Sorry but I'm going to agree we would not be a good fit and lets finish up early as I have taken enough of your time". The smart thing is to remember interviews work both ways and if you have concerns then ask them directly in a way that its a show breaker and put the onus upon them. There might be a situation were you dont like something and by telling them then they may very well change it and as such your saving alot of time and potentual mistake. They may very well say it wont happen or give a vauge promise and from that you also know were you stand with clarity and are also in a better position to say sorry for taking up your time and end there. Both can end on a good note, the later is the smarter play though.

This has nothing to do with with leaving early, which is totally fine as long as you do so politely and decently as what you are actually doing is saving the interviewer from wasting time and effort.

No, this is to do with embarrassing and humiliating the interviewers in front of the other candidates. The example guy stood up and walked up in front of every other candidate and sent a clear message to them all. Having stuck his neck out he slightly undermines himself by showing he was not aware of how he got in to the room in the first place!!!!

Like I say, if done right you are doing the interviewers a favour by leaving as soon as you are clear you don't want the job. How you do that is every thing.

I would've said yes until I read that it was an all-day interview.

Interesting discussion on SA on this. I don't think it is rude but I do think the OP could have executed it better. There is always someone who is 'co-ordinating' the interview and they are ready to step in if it is going poorly. That person would be the person to talk to about cutting it short.

That said, you should talk with folks about your discomfort as well (you are interviewing them as well). So asking them if you could use your business skills would be appropriate too.

If you have decided on another offer, it's not rude to be honest and explain why you have chosen another position. Focus on how the other offer is a better fit for you.

If you have decided you just don't like the company or the position, continue with the interview just to hone your interview skills and to be professional. But keep your answers succinct and don't fain enthusiasm.

A seasoned manager will get the message and will cut the interview short.

This is a grey area. It IS rude to setup an interview then cancel at the last minute. It is NOT rude to send a thank you note the next day and say that you will be perusing other opportunities. Anywhere in-between these 2 conditions is going to offend someone.

It may feel good to explain why you have no interest in working in a place where egos are based on coding standards adherence, it is better to maintain professionalism.

Walked out of an interview once saying I had a meeting to attend and was offered the job a few days later.

Why is this story on the front page of HN twice, and nobody's removed the dupe?

Rejection is painful, but if done right it shouldn't be rude.

Re-post anyone??