One important thing to keep in mind is that in day-long interviews, you interview with a LOT of people. Make a good impression, and those people could provide networking opportunities later, even if you don't take the job.
I've interviewed people who, though they stayed the whole interview, ultimately declined the position. I still have much respect for them because I could see that they are capable and motivated, and were I to encounter them again (which is likely in this industry), I'd be more than willing to put in a good word for them if it would help. Now if someone had up and left halfway through? Well, human nature and emotions are tricky things. Are they within their rights? Of course. Will it strike at my ego or make me feel rejection? Absolutely. Will it form a low level resentment, no matter how minute? Unfortunately, yes. Anyone saying otherwise is simply deceiving themselves. Am I in the wrong for this? Yes, but it happens anyway.
You're dealing with humans, not machines. Maximize your advantages by being polite and civil and bending a bit even when you don't have to. It's a small world in tech.
And yet it is routine for companies to act in a rude way toward interviewees - and I do not see anyone on HN calling that out as burning bridges. Perhaps programmers are machines while the companies are people?
Google is unrepentant in spite of the thousands of terrible reviews online of their (often, not always) disrespectful way of treating people. Nothing happens while those don't reach mainstream news.
>> You're dealing with humans, not machines. Maximize your advantages by being polite and civil and bending a bit even when you don't have to.
Absolutely. Having said that, everyone should have a sensible threshold at which they stop bending.
>> It's a small world in tech.
It really depends on whether you're trying to keep your employment in a specific category (i.e., SF Web Startups) vs. a tech job in any industry in a large city. In the latter scenario, there's actually a good chance you won't encounter anybody you've met in your "previous work lives".
Why is your ego struck by politely leaving in the midst of a series of interviews but not by a polite post-interview rejection? Where do you draw the line?
An in-person rejection is going to have a much stronger negative impact than will a distanced rejection.
It's not about drawing a line in the sand. We're not talking about "fair" here. We're talking about human social nature, and all the quirks that come with it.
There are ways to gracefully exit partway through an interview, I'm sure. But it's much more perilous than is a polite, distanced rejection after a short cooling off period. YMMV.
If we are working in coldly psychopathic "rational economic actor" companies that will lay off our expendable employees whenever it raises the stock price, isn't it hypocritical for us to expect such prospective employees to pretend that we are in a human relationship? Shouldn't we expect them to treat us with coldly mercenary objectivity?
The company, yes. The employees you meet within the company, no. They're going to move around a lot, and it's always nice to be on someone's "cool guy" list when you encounter them at a different company, or as a client.
I've interviewed people who, though they stayed the whole interview, ultimately declined the position. I still have much respect for them because I could see that they are capable and motivated, and were I to encounter them again (which is likely in this industry), I'd be more than willing to put in a good word for them if it would help. Now if someone had up and left halfway through? Well, human nature and emotions are tricky things. Are they within their rights? Of course. Will it strike at my ego or make me feel rejection? Absolutely. Will it form a low level resentment, no matter how minute? Unfortunately, yes. Anyone saying otherwise is simply deceiving themselves. Am I in the wrong for this? Yes, but it happens anyway.
You're dealing with humans, not machines. Maximize your advantages by being polite and civil and bending a bit even when you don't have to. It's a small world in tech.