When Is It Better to Skip a Job Interview?
Let’s say you’ve gotten to the interview stage when looking for a job, and after five minutes of talking, you realize that this particular job will not work for you in the end.
Can you finish your interview ahead of schedule?
It’s okay to skip an interview, according to Ask a Manager’s Alison Green, especially if you’re in a situation where the interviewer is unexpectedly rude or the job itself isn’t what it advertised. As Greene explains in Slate :
While employers are evaluating candidates, these candidates must immediately evaluate employers, forming their own judgments about whether they want to work for that particular company and particular manager. And just as an employer might decide to interrupt an interview if a candidate is clearly unsuitable for the job, candidates should feel free to do the same on their part.
But there is a difference between exiting an interview when the other party is behaving in a blatant manner (Green gives the example of a person who came to what they thought was a one-on-one meeting to find out he would be part of a 45-person group.) and politely end the interview when you realize the job isn’t what you’re looking for.
You can, of course, drag out the interview to the very end. Since interviewing is a skill that gets better with practice, there is a lot to be said for taking the opportunity to work your muscles in interviews, even if you plan on turning down any upcoming job offers.
However, you can also shorten this case.
If you decide to go this route, be tactful. Choose a natural transition point, such as when the interview transitions from “Tell us about the time you successfully solved the interpersonal problem” to “Do you have any questions for us?” Thank the interviewers for taking the time to meet with you, tell them that you value everything you have learned about the company, but do not consider it appropriate for what you want to do next, and wish them all the best in their work. search for a candidate.
In other words: make the company remember you as the candidate who was outspoken with them, not the candidate who awkwardly walked away in the middle of the interview.
Ultimately, you will want to treat the interview process as if you were meeting people who may someday become part of your professional network – either because they offer you a job and become your colleagues, or because they were impressed. your behavior and skills. no matter what.
After all, you never know when you might be interviewing some of these people again to find the job you really need.