The interview was scheduled for 2 PM. At 2:15 PM, your phone rings. It's the candidate with an excuse.

Sometimes the excuses are legitimate. Sometimes they're creative lies. And sometimes they're so ridiculous you can't even be mad—you're just impressed by the audacity.

Here are the greatest hits from recruiters who've heard it all.

The Technical Difficulties Collection

"My cat unplugged my router during the interview."

Plausible? Maybe. Convenient timing? Absolutely. Did the cat also delete the calendar invite and disable your phone? Because you didn't call or text either.

"Zoom wouldn't work on my computer."

The interview was via phone. You could've called. You have our number.

"My laptop died and I couldn't find my charger."

You've had the interview scheduled for a week. Your laptop battery lasts 6 hours. This interview was 30 minutes. The math isn't mathing.

"The power went out in my entire neighborhood."

Checked your zip code. No outages reported. Also, your LinkedIn shows you posting 10 minutes before the interview. From home. With wifi.

"I forgot my login credentials for Zoom."

The meeting link doesn't require login credentials. It's a direct link. You just... click it.

The Transportation Disasters

"I got stuck in an elevator for three hours."

Oddly specific. Did the fire department not show up? Were you posting TikToks during the elevator entrapment? Because your social media activity suggests otherwise.

"My Uber driver got lost and I ended up in a completely different city."

Google Maps exists. GPS exists. You have a phone that does both. Also, the interview was virtual.

"I missed my bus and the next one wasn't for four hours."

The interview was scheduled a week ago. You didn't plan around the bus schedule? Also, there's another bus every 15 minutes according to the transit app.

"My car broke down on the highway."

Legitimate excuse! Except you called us two hours after the interview to explain. What were you doing for two hours on the highway? And why couldn't you call from the side of the road?

"I was in a minor car accident."

Actually believable. We hope you're okay. Except you scheduled a different interview for 30 minutes later with another company. Fastest recovery ever.

The Medical Emergencies (Real And Imagined)

"I had food poisoning."

Classic. Everyone's used this one. Hard to verify, impossible to disprove, and conveniently timed for right before the interview.

"I threw out my back and couldn't sit at my computer."

The interview was via phone. You could've done it lying down. You could've asked to reschedule. You did neither.

"My wisdom teeth got infected overnight."

Dental emergencies happen. But your LinkedIn shows you at a networking event that same evening. Miraculous recovery.

"I had a panic attack."

Legitimate and we're genuinely sympathetic. Mental health matters. But this is the third "panic attack" you've had for three different scheduled interviews with us. Maybe interviewing just isn't your thing.

The Family Emergency Category

"My grandmother died."

I'm so sorry for your loss. How many grandmothers do you have? Because this is the second one who died during our hiring process.

"My child got sick and I had to take them to the ER."

Completely understandable. Hope your child is okay. You posted party photos on Instagram that same night, so we're assuming they recovered quickly.

"My dog ate my phone."

Dogs eat homework. Phones? New one. Also, you're calling us from your phone right now to tell us your dog ate your phone.

"My spouse went into labor."

Congratulations! Except your LinkedIn says you're single and your Facebook relationship status from this morning says you're "not seeing anyone currently."

The Weather-Related Creativity

"There was a tornado warning and I had to shelter."

Checked the weather. Sunny, 72 degrees, zero tornado activity within 200 miles. Try again.

"It snowed and I couldn't leave my house."

You live in Arizona. In August. It did not snow.

"The heat made my apartment too hot to think clearly."

It was 68 degrees. Your apartment has AC according to your TikTok house tour from last week.

The "I Forgot" Variants

"I forgot."

At least it's honest. We sent you three reminders. You confirmed the day before. But sure, you forgot.

"I thought it was next week."

Despite the calendar invite, the three email reminders, the text confirmation, and your reply yesterday saying "See you tomorrow!"

"I thought it was tomorrow."

Yesterday was the interview. We're calling you today to ask what happened. The math still doesn't work.

"I wrote down the wrong time."

The calendar invite has the time. Your email confirmation has the time. The text reminder has the time. You wrote down a different time anyway? That's on you.

The Wildly Implausible

"I got arrested."

Okay. What for? "Misunderstanding." Is the misunderstanding resolved? Are you currently in jail? "No, they let me go." So you could've called to explain you'd be late? "I didn't have my phone." You're calling from your phone right now.

"I was helping someone who got robbed."

Hero moment! Did you file a police report? "No." Did you at least get their contact info so we can verify? "No." So you just... helped a random stranger for three hours and have no proof? "Correct."

"A bird flew into my window and I had to rescue it."

For two hours? The entire interview block plus the 30 minutes we waited for you? That's a long rescue.

"I accidentally locked myself in my bathroom."

You have a phone. You could've called while in the bathroom. "That would've been unprofessional." More unprofessional than missing the interview entirely? Interesting priorities.

The Honest Ones (That Probably Shouldn't Be Said Out Loud)

"I got a better offer and accepted it."

Respect the honesty. Would've been nice to know before the scheduled interview, but at least you told us.

"I forgot I wasn't interested in this role anymore."

So you confirmed the interview yesterday and then remembered you're not interested 30 minutes before? How does that timeline work?

"I was hungover."

Points for honesty, minus several points for judgment. You knew you had an interview and drank heavily the night before anyway?

"I didn't feel like it."

Well. At least you're direct. Aggressive choice, but we appreciate not wasting more time.

The Lessons (If There Are Any)

Most interview no-shows don't offer excuses at all—they just ghost. The ones who bother to explain often make it worse with implausible stories.

If you need to cancel or reschedule an interview:

• Do it as early as possible
• Be honest (within reason—you don't owe them your life story)
• Apologize and offer to reschedule if you're still interested
• Don't lie about dead relatives or natural disasters

If you're a recruiter receiving these excuses:

• Assume most are partially or completely untrue
• Move on quickly
• Don't waste time trying to "catch" them in lies
• Document in your ATS and don't interview them again

And if a candidate says their cat unplugged the router, at least appreciate the creativity.

Sources:

• Collective recruiter trauma
• Reddit: r/recruiting
• SHRM: Interview No-Show Stories
• Glassdoor: Interview Excuses