AITA for not interviewing a prospective employee or returning their call because they showed up too early for their appointed time?

Jonathan Hours
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A quick stop at the office on a day off turns into a scheduling snafu when an employer arrives to find their job candidate has already come and gone. Set for a 12:15 interview, the applicant showed up at 11:45, was told the boss wasn’t there yet, left a number, and vanished before the appointed time.

Dismissing the candidate’s early exit as a lack of commitment, the employer skips the call-back, sparking debate over workplace etiquette. This tale of missed connections and assumptions hooks readers: was the boss too harsh, or did the candidate blow their shot?

‘AITA for not interviewing a prospective employee or returning their call because they showed up too early for their appointed time?’

I scheduled an interview with a job candidate for 12:15. That was the time that I was available to interview them. It was my day off, but I was going to be in the area of my work anyway on personal business, so I planned to just run by the office, complete their interview, get a couple things done, and then leave for the day.

I would not be finished with my personal business or at the office at all until after noon. When I arrived around 12:10, one of my employees informed me that my interviewee had arrived at 11:45, was told that was I not there yet, left her number for me to call, and then left.. I went ahead with the work had to complete and then went home without calling them back to reschedule.

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I scheduled you for the time that I was available. You said that time was great. I would have rescheduled you for a better time if you had let me know in advance, but you arrived 30 minutes early, did not want to wait until the agreed upon time, and left-- all on your own accord.. Am I the a**hole?

This interview mix-up highlights a clash of communication and professionalism. The employer’s decision to skip the call-back stems from the candidate’s failure to wait, viewing it as a breach of commitment. Yet, the candidate’s early arrival and departure suggest a possible misunderstanding, perhaps due to unclear messaging from staff.

Career coach Alison Green notes, “Clear communication is key in interviews; missteps by either party can derail opportunities” (source: AskAManager.org). The candidate’s exit, while premature, may reflect confusion if staff implied the employer wasn’t coming, especially on a day off.

This ties to broader hiring challenges. A 2023 study by the Society for Human Resource Management found 50% of interview no-shows stem from miscommunication, like unclear schedules or staff errors (source: SHRM.org). Both parties share blame here.

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The employer could clarify by calling the candidate to understand their departure and reschedule if warranted. Future interviews should ensure staff relay accurate availability.

Check out how the community responded:

Reddit’s users didn’t hold back, tossing out fiery takes on this workplace blunder. Here’s their unfiltered pulse:

Janefallsforflowers - NTA to arrive early is one thing but to not stay for the interview seems pretty weird. If your employee had not informed you, you wouldn’t have even known that they showed up. As I see it, they did not show up to their interview time. No follow up needed from you.

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Drops_of_Brain - Info. What was the applicant told? Were they told you weren't there *yet* or that you weren't there because it was your day off? Because frankly, this sounds like a straight up miscommunication. Because the way they handled things is appropriate if they believed you weren't coming in.

Edit 2: NAH. Though, I think OP might become the Ahole of they don't reach out and at least confirm what seems to be a simple miscommunication and reschedule. Edit: This has got to be one of my favorite AITA's in a long time, though. Really great for finding commentors who lack logical thinking skills.

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Weeber23 - Info: were they informed that you 'were off today,' or, 'not in the office today?' You said you planned on stopping in on your day off, was anyone else informed of this?. possibly NAH if the potential hire was told you were not there that day.

dinochickennugget19 - ESH. She arrived early, as most would do for an interview, but she should have waited until 12:15. The employees stating you’re not there was true, but they should’ve told her that you were planning on coming in for the interview. It’s clearly a misunderstanding/miscommunication, I’d at least give her a call.

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sweetseussy - INFO Why didn’t you call them. They may have been waiting in the car in the parking lot.

wwolffstarr - YTA. Let me understand this - You had an applicant that you wanted to interview enough to arrange to come in on your day off. And you had an applicant who wanted the interview enough that they came in half an hour early. But your take on it jumped to it being their fault for not sticking around, even though they asked to be called when you arrived?

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This sounds like a comedy of assumptions and missed communication. My guess is that the prospective employee meant to not be intruding when you were clearly gone and/or busy and you took it as not following instructions. Did they ever follow up? Did you?  If a strict routine and schedule is really important to you maybe you should stick to doing interviews during regular business hours,

because the prospect may have been told it was your day off and simply thought they'd gotten the day or time wrong, especially when they didn't hear back from you. Unless you specifically told them you were coming in on your day off to do the interview, you don't know. Seems a shame to lose a good interview and possibly a good employee for something like this.

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philmcruch - INFO what were they actually told when they got there? 'they aren't working today' 'they aren't here' 'they aren't here **yet**' what is the covid situation like? for example in my office we try not to have too many people just sitting and waiting in the common areas or hanging out for no reason (they would be encouraged to come back closer to the time).

Is there any where they could have waited? were they given the option of waiting there? or were they told 'your appointment is at 12:15 come back later' any reason why you didn't just call them? even to say 'its 12:15 where are you?' and rule out any miscommunications and show some professionalism

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Searching4Sherlock - I would like to say, there is a recent post on r/antiwork about a prospective employee who was asked to show up 15mins early to an interview, and the employer never showed. Perhaps we have met the two sides of the story?

ButterStuffedSquash - YTA and I think that candidate dodged a bullet. You sound incredibly petty.

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Chaij2606 - from all your comments in sounds like this was a miscommunication between a team member and the applicant so yeah give them a call

These opinions spark debate, but do they untangle the mix-up or just add static?

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This story of an employer skipping an interview over a candidate’s early exit shows how quickly assumptions can derail opportunity. The boss stood firm, but was it fair to ghost the candidate? Clear communication is the backbone of hiring. Would you call back to clarify, or move on like this employer? Share your thoughts and stories below—let’s unpack what makes a fair shot in the job hunt!

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