Recruiting template
Interview Reschedule Email Template
An interview reschedule email moves an interview to a new time: it says the original slot is off, apologises if the change is yours, offers new times and asks the candidate to confirm. Pick the version below for your situation, whether you need to move the interview or the candidate asked to, fill in your details and copy it.
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Rescheduling an interview (employer side)
When to use it: You need to move an interview that is already booked, with a few days’ notice, and can offer new times.
SubjectNew time needed: [Job title] interview at [Company name]
Last-minute reschedule
When to use it: The interview is today or tomorrow and you have to cancel it at short notice, so the candidate may already have taken time off or be on their way.
SubjectUrgent: your [Job title] interview on [Original date and time] needs to move
Second reschedule request
When to use it: The candidate has already moved the interview once and asks to move it again, and you can offer only a limited window before the shortlist closes.
SubjectRe: [Job title] interview: final available times
After a missed interview
When to use it: The candidate did not join or arrive for the interview and has not been in touch, and you want to offer one more slot.
SubjectWe missed you today: [Job title] interview
Changing the date and format
When to use it: The interview has to move and change from in person to video, so the candidate needs a video link as well as a new time.
SubjectChange to your [Job title] interview: new time and format
How to use this template
- 1Pick the version for your situation: you need to move the interview, it is happening at short notice, the candidate asked to move it, they missed it, or the format is changing too.
- 2Send it as soon as you know. If the interview is within a day, call the candidate first and send the email to confirm.
- 3Offer two or three specific new times, with the time zone, or a booking link. "Let me know when suits you" adds a round of emails.
- 4Give a short, honest reason when the change is yours, and say it does not affect the candidate’s application.
- 5Once a time is agreed, cancel the old calendar invitation and send a new one with the link or address in it.
Mistakes to avoid
- Moving an interview without an apology or a reason, which reads as though the candidate is low priority.
- Leaving out the time zone on the new options when the candidate is in a different place from the interviewers.
- Forgetting to cancel the original calendar invitation, so the candidate has two conflicting entries.
- Rescheduling the same candidate more than once from your side; if it keeps happening, the hiring team needs to protect interview time.
- Treating a candidate’s first reschedule request as a warning sign. People have jobs, caring duties and other interviews.
Questions
How do I write an email to reschedule an interview?
Say which interview it is and when it was booked, give a short reason and an apology if the change is yours, offer two or three new times or a booking link, and ask the candidate to reply by a set date.
How do I reschedule an interview with a candidate politely?
Tell them as early as you can, apologise, explain in one line why it has to move and confirm the change has nothing to do with their application. Then make it easy to rebook by offering specific times.
How should I reply when a candidate asks to reschedule?
Thank them for letting you know, agree if you can and offer new times in the same email. Use the "Reply to a candidate who asks to reschedule" version above.
What if a candidate asks to reschedule more than once?
Offer a final, limited set of times and say why the window is closing, for example that other interviews are already booked. Ask them to tell you if the timing is no longer right, so you can plan.
Should I give a reason for rescheduling?
Yes, briefly. "One of the interviewers is unwell" is enough. Without a reason, a candidate may wonder whether the role has been filled or they have dropped down the list.
Should I call or email to reschedule an interview?
Email works when there are a few days’ notice. For an interview today or tomorrow, call first so the candidate does not set off or take time off for nothing, then send the email so they have the new details in writing.
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