Email template · Interview scheduling
Interview invitation email
In short
An interview invitation email tells a candidate they have been selected to interview and gives them everything needed to show up prepared: role, format, length, who they will meet, time options or a booking link, location or video details, and a deadline to reply. Below are four templates, subject lines and an SMS version.
When to send it: Send it within one business day of deciding to interview someone, and no later than 48 hours. For hourly and high-volume roles, send it the same day the application is screened, ideally within hours.
Interview invitation email: 4 versions
Standard
SubjectInterview invitation: [Job Title] at [Company]
Hi [First Name], Thanks for applying for the [Job Title] role at [Company]. We liked what we saw and would like to invite you to an interview. Here are the details: - Format: [Video call / Phone call / In person] - Length: about [Duration] minutes - You will meet: [Interviewer Name], [Interviewer Title] - What to expect: [e.g. a conversation about your experience, plus a short scenario exercise] Please pick a time that works for you here: [Scheduling Link] If none of those slots fit, reply with two or three times that do and I will make it work. It would help to hear back by [Reply Deadline]. [Location or Video Link and dial-in details will be in the calendar invite.] If you need any accommodation for the interview, just let me know. Looking forward to it, [Your Name] [Title], [Company] [Phone Number]
Short
SubjectNext step for [Job Title]: let's set up an interview
Hi [First Name], Thanks for your application for [Job Title]. We'd like to set up a [Duration]-minute [video / phone] interview with [Interviewer Name]. Grab a time here: [Scheduling Link] Any questions, just reply to this email. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Onsite with logistics
SubjectYour interview at [Company] on [Interview Date]
Hi [First Name], Great news: we'd like you to come in and interview for the [Job Title] position. When: [Interview Date] at [Interview Time] ([Time Zone]) Where: [Street Address], [Building / Floor] Parking: [Parking or transit instructions] Ask for: [Contact Name] at the front desk Length: about [Duration], including [a site tour / a short skills exercise] You'll meet [Interviewer Name], [Interviewer Title], and [Second Interviewer Name], [Second Interviewer Title]. Please bring [a photo ID / a copy of your resume / anything else]. Dress is [business casual / whatever you're comfortable in]. Can you confirm by [Reply Deadline] that this time works? If it doesn't, reply and we'll find another. If you need an accommodation for any part of the interview, let me know and we'll arrange it. See you soon, [Your Name] [Title], [Company] [Phone Number]
High-volume / hourly
Subject[First Name], pick your interview time for [Job Title]
Hi [First Name], Thanks for applying to be a [Job Title] at our [Location] site. You're invited to a [Duration]-minute [phone / video / in-person] interview. Book your time now: [Scheduling Link] Slots are available [Days and Hours], and the earliest ones fill first. Pay starts at [Pay Rate] and the next class begins [Class Start Date]. If you'd rather talk by text, reply to [Text Number]. [Your Name] [Company] Recruiting Team
Subject line ideas
- Interview invitation: [Job Title] at [Company]
- Let's talk about the [Job Title] role
- [First Name], we'd like to interview you
- Schedule your interview for [Job Title]
- Next step in your application with [Company]
- Your [Job Title] interview: pick a time
- Interview request from [Company] for [Job Title]
SMS and WhatsApp version
Hi [First Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. Thanks for applying for [Job Title]. We'd like to interview you ([Duration] min, [phone/video/in person]). Pick a time here: [Scheduling Link]. Reply STOP to opt out.
Placeholders to replace: [First Name], [Job Title], [Company], [Duration], [Interviewer Name], [Interviewer Title], [Scheduling Link], [Interview Date], [Interview Time], [Time Zone], [Street Address], [Reply Deadline], [Pay Rate], [Location], [Your Name], [Title], [Phone Number]
When to send it and how fast
Speed matters more than wording. Strong candidates for professional roles are usually talking to several employers, and for hourly roles the first employer to call often gets the hire. A practical rule: invite within 24 hours of the screening decision for salaried roles, and within a few hours for hourly, retail, warehouse and contact-center roles.
Picture a 250-seat contact center filling a 30-person training class every month. If it needs 120 interviews to fill that class and waits three days to invite people, it will lose a noticeable share of applicants to whoever called first. The same team sending invites the same afternoon, with a booking link, typically sees far fewer no-shows and a much shorter time to fill.
Send on a weekday morning in the candidate's time zone when you can. Avoid Friday evening invites for Monday slots; people miss them over the weekend and you end up with gaps.
What every interview invitation should include
A candidate should be able to read the email once and know exactly what happens next. Include:
- The role and company, spelled out, because many candidates have applied to a dozen jobs.
- Format: phone, video or in person. For video, name the platform so they can test it.
- Length and roughly what it covers (a conversation, a case, a typing test, a site tour).
- Who they will meet, with titles. Candidates prepare better when they can look people up.
- How to pick a time: a booking link or two or three specific options with time zones.
- A reply deadline, stated politely. It keeps your calendar clean and signals the process is moving.
- Logistics for onsite interviews: address, parking, entrance, who to ask for, what to bring.
- An accommodation line. One sentence inviting requests for accommodation is good practice under the Americans with Disabilities Act and costs you nothing.
Leave out anything that belongs later: detailed benefits, full compensation bands (unless your state requires pay ranges in postings and you want to restate it), and long company history. The email has one job, getting a time on the calendar.
Booking links versus offering times
For volume hiring, a self-scheduling link wins almost every time. Candidates book at 10pm from their phone, the back-and-forth disappears, and recruiters stop spending half the day matching calendars. If you are setting this up, look at how self-scheduling can tie slots to interviewer availability so you never double-book.
For senior or panel interviews, offering two or three hand-picked times is often better. A link that shows a single open slot three weeks out looks disorganized, and executives expect a personal touch. Whichever you use, show times in the candidate's time zone and repeat the time zone in the confirmation.
Once the time is set, send an interview confirmation email with the calendar invite, then an interview reminder email the day before. That three-touch sequence is the single cheapest fix for no-shows.
Tone and personalization
Write it the way you would say it on the phone. "We'd like to invite you to interview" reads fine. "We are pleased to inform you that your application has been shortlisted for the next stage of our selection process" reads like a form letter, and candidates treat it like one.
Personalize one line when you can: mention something specific from the resume ("your two years running weekend shifts at a grocery DC stood out"). For high-volume roles you won't do this for every applicant, and that is fine. Put the effort into clarity and speed instead, and save personal lines for hard-to-fill or senior roles. Saving variants as reusable email templates keeps wording consistent across a recruiting team, which also helps with fair, consistent treatment of candidates.
Follow-up if the candidate doesn't reply
Most non-replies are missed emails, not lack of interest. A simple sequence works:
- Day 0: send the invitation by email and, if the candidate opted in to texts, by SMS.
- Day 1 (hourly roles) or day 2 (salaried roles): send a short nudge in the same thread with the booking link again.
- Day 3 to 4: one phone call or text. If there is still no answer, close the loop politely and move on.
Keep texts to people who have given consent to receive them; the Telephone Consumer Protection Act applies to recruiting texts, and rules on automated messages vary by state. For remote first rounds, the video interview invitation email covers tech checks and platform instructions in more depth.
Mistakes to avoid
- No time zone. "2pm" means nothing to a remote candidate. Always write the zone.
- Vague format. Candidates who expect a chat and walk into a skills test feel ambushed, and you get a worse read on them.
- Wrong name or job title. It happens when templates are copied by hand. Merge fields fix it.
- A link that does not work on a phone. Most hourly applicants will open your email on a phone. Test the booking flow on one.
- Asking for things you should not. Don't request a photo, date of birth or other details unrelated to the job. Several states and cities also restrict salary history questions, so leave that out of the invite.
- Silence after booking. If the candidate books and hears nothing until the day of the interview, expect more no-shows.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write an email to schedule an interview?
Open by saying you'd like to interview them for the named role, then list the format, length and who they'll meet. Give a booking link or two or three specific times with time zones, a reply deadline and a contact for questions. Keep it under 150 words if you can.
What is an interview call letter?
It is the formal name, common in India and in some large employers, for an interview invitation. It usually includes the date, time, venue, documents to bring and a reporting contact. The onsite template above covers the same ground in plain language.
How soon should a candidate reply to an interview invitation?
Ask for a reply within two business days for salaried roles and within 24 hours for hourly roles. If you don't hear back, send one nudge and one phone call or text before moving on.
Should I include salary in an interview invitation email?
For hourly roles, yes: stating the pay rate up front raises show rates and filters out mismatches early. For salaried roles it is optional, but several US states and cities require pay ranges in job postings, so restating the posted range is consistent with that.
Is it better to send a scheduling link or offer specific times?
Use a self-scheduling link for high-volume and first-round interviews; it cuts scheduling time and lets candidates book outside business hours. Offer hand-picked times for senior, panel or executive interviews where flexibility and a personal touch matter more.
Should I also text the interview invitation?
For hourly and frontline roles, a text alongside the email usually gets a faster reply. Only text candidates who have consented to receive texts, identify your company in the message and include an opt-out.