She must not. The candidate's change of heart is frustrating
but not unethical. Her duty was to inform you promptly of any
significant change in her thinking about the job, and that's what
she did. A job search is fraught with uncertainty on both sides.
As the two parties move through the process, their feelings often
fluctuate. And as Dr. Johnson did not say, "Depend upon it, sir,
when a man knows he is to schlep to the airport in a fortnight,
it concentrates his mind wonderfully."
You would have a legitimate beef if she had unalterably
decided against the job but took the trip anyway -- to revel in
the Beaver Dam high life, perhaps -- but you do not suggest that
that was the case. Under the circumstances, you cannot know what
she felt, more an epistemological problem than an ethical one,
and so you should make the more charitable assumption that she
acted, if not promptly, then at least in good faith.
(Readers can direct their questions and comments by e-mail to
ethicist@nytimes.com. This column originates in
The New York Times Magazine.)
COPYRIGHT 2008 UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE