The interview ended, and the candidate got in the car for the three-hour drive home. He had made it a few exits when the company reached its decision. By the time he checked his inbox, the rejection was already waiting — sent 30 minutes after he walked out of the room.
No overnight deliberation. No “we’ll be in touch.” The email had been written and fired off while he was still on the highway, which means the interview was never going to change the outcome. Whatever was said in the room, the answer had been decided before he reached the first town.
There is a particular cruelty to a rejection that cannot wait. A candidate can absorb a no that arrives next week; there is even a small dignity in a no that arrives the next day. But a no that lands 30 minutes after the handshake tells you exactly what the interview was worth. The candidate unpacked his bag and read the email in the same sitting, which is the only timing the company got right.