How this rule can stop needless conflict

The Hanlon's Razor.
There is something about this rule that excites me, and I will tell you why. It saves you from yourself.

Recently, I had a scheduled meeting with a recruiter for a senior program manager position. She sent me an email with a calendar link to choose a date, and I did. Two days later, I joined the call. Before joining, I had received the usual automated reminder emails, the ones that tell you your meeting is in two days, a day before the meeting, 30 minutes before the meeting. I joined the meeting, and this particular recruiter did not show up.

I was furious, a bit sad, and mad. To prepare for every interview takes a lot of time. You have to understand the company, what they do, what the role demands. I messaged her 10 minutes into the meeting with no response, and again at 30 minutes, still nothing. So I left and sent a follow up email. Still no response. Bad behavior, I would say, and I think companies should do better.

I could have sent an angry email. I could have written the company off entirely. But I went back to the calendar invite, rescheduled for another time, and she showed up. She did not apologize, which is what I would have expected from someone that works for a Fortune 500 company. But she showed up.

And that captures Hanlon's razor in full display. When someone does something that does not favor you, or something that makes you angry, you should not assume they want to cause harm to you, or that they hate you. It is probably an error on their part, or incompetence, or ignorance, or they are just very tired of their job. This rule excites me because it stops you from making a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion.