Email template · Interview scheduling
Interview reschedule email
In short
A reschedule interview email moves an agreed interview to a new time. It names the original slot, apologizes briefly if the change is on your side, offers new times or a booking link, and confirms what stays the same. Below are templates for employer-initiated changes, candidate requests, same-day changes and volume hiring, plus an SMS version.
When to send it: Send it the moment you know the original time won't work, and at least 24 hours before the slot when possible. For same-day changes, call or text first and follow with the email.
Interview reschedule email: 4 versions
Employer needs to reschedule
SubjectChange of time: your [Job Title] interview on [Original Date]
Hi [First Name], I'm sorry to do this, but we need to move your interview for [Job Title], currently set for [Original Date] at [Original Time] [Time Zone]. [Interviewer Name] has a conflict we couldn't avoid. Here are a few new times: - [Option 1] - [Option 2] - [Option 3] Or pick any open slot here: [Scheduling Link] Everything else stays the same: [Duration] minutes, [format], with [Interviewer Name]. I'll send a new calendar invite as soon as you choose. Thanks for your flexibility, and apologies again for the change. [Your Name] [Title], [Company] [Phone Number]
Reply to a candidate's request
SubjectRe: Rescheduling your [Job Title] interview
Hi [First Name], No problem at all, thanks for letting me know ahead of time. Would any of these work instead? - [Option 1] - [Option 2] - [Option 3] If it's easier, you can choose a time directly here: [Scheduling Link] Once you pick, I'll send an updated invite and cancel the original one. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Same-day change
SubjectToday's interview: need to move it, new times inside
Hi [First Name], I just tried to call you. Unfortunately we have to move today's [Original Time] interview for [Job Title]. I'm really sorry for the short notice. The earliest times we can offer are: - [Option 1] - [Option 2] If you had already arranged time off or travel for today, tell me and we'll do what we can to make it right, including a video option if that's easier. Please reply or call me at [Phone Number]. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
High-volume / hourly
Subject[First Name], please pick a new interview time
Hi [First Name], Your interview for [Job Title] on [Original Date] at [Original Time] needs to move. Sorry about that. Pick a new time here: [Scheduling Link] There are open slots [Days and Hours]. Your spot for the [Class Start Date] training class is still available. Questions? Text us at [Text Number]. [Company] Recruiting Team
Subject line ideas
- Change of time: your [Job Title] interview
- Rescheduling your interview with [Company]
- New time needed for your [Job Title] interview
- Interview time change: [Original Date]
- Can we move your interview to another day?
- Updated interview time for [Job Title]
- Re: your interview request, new times
SMS and WhatsApp version
Hi [First Name], it's [Your Name] at [Company]. Sorry, we need to move your [Original Date] [Original Time] interview for [Job Title]. Pick a new time here: [Scheduling Link] or reply with a time that works. Reply STOP to opt out.
Placeholders to replace: [First Name], [Job Title], [Company], [Original Date], [Original Time], [Time Zone], [Interviewer Name], [Option 1], [Option 2], [Option 3], [Scheduling Link], [Duration], [Days and Hours], [Class Start Date], [Text Number], [Your Name], [Title], [Phone Number]
Who is moving the interview changes the email
When the employer moves an interview, the email has to do more work. The candidate may have booked a half day off, found childcare or turned down a shift. Apologize once, give a short reason ("the hiring manager has a conflict" is enough), and offer new times that are no worse than the original. Never push them back by two weeks without explanation; to the candidate, that reads as "we found someone else."
When the candidate asks to move, the reply should be fast and easy. One line of thanks for the notice, new options, done. Recruiters sometimes treat a reschedule request as a warning sign. A single request with notice is normal life. Two or more, or a request made an hour before the slot, is worth a quiet note in the candidate record and nothing more at this stage.
How much notice to give
Aim for at least 24 hours. Inside that window, call or text before you email, because people do not check email on the way to an interview. If the candidate is traveling to a site, contact them the moment you know.
For same-day changes caused by your side, consider what it cost the candidate. Offering a video slot instead of a second trip, or reimbursing parking or mileage they already incurred, is a small expense that protects your reputation on review sites and in local hiring markets where word travels quickly. A practical rule for hourly hiring: if a site has to cancel the same day, the recruiter offers the next available slot within 48 hours and flags the candidate as priority.
Offer times or send a link
Two or three specific options with time zones work best for senior and panel interviews, because they show you already checked calendars. For everyone else, a self-scheduling link is faster: the candidate picks a new slot and the calendar invite updates without another round of emails. Whatever you do, cancel the original calendar invite explicitly. Candidates who see two invites for the same interview sometimes show up at the old time.
Keep a saved version of each reschedule scenario in your email templates so the team isn't writing apologies from scratch under time pressure. It also keeps wording consistent, which matters when you are rescheduling dozens of candidates after a site closure or a hiring manager's sick day.
Rescheduling versus cancelling
If the role is on hold, the requisition has closed or you have decided not to proceed, do not send a reschedule email with vague promises. Send an interview cancellation email that says plainly what has happened. Candidates can handle bad news; they resent being strung along.
Once the new time is set, treat it like a fresh booking: send a confirmation with the updated calendar invite and a reminder the day before, exactly as you would after the original interview invitation email.
Mistakes that cost you candidates
- Repeated moves from your side. One reschedule is forgivable. A second one loses a meaningful share of candidates, especially in-demand hourly workers.
- Leaving out the original time. Candidates with several interviews in flight need to know which one you mean.
- Forgetting time zones in the new options.
- A long apology. One sentence of apology plus a fast fix beats a paragraph of regret.
- Changing the format silently. If the interview switches from onsite to video, or adds an interviewer, say so in the reschedule email.
- Not updating the interviewer. The candidate arrives at the new time and the interviewer is still expecting the old one. Confirm both sides.
Frequently asked questions
How do I politely reschedule an interview with a candidate?
Name the original date and time, apologize once with a brief reason, offer two or three new times or a booking link, and confirm that the format, length and interviewer are unchanged. Send a fresh calendar invite once they choose.
Is it unprofessional for an employer to reschedule an interview?
Not if it happens once and with notice. Conflicts happen. It starts to look disorganized if it happens twice, at short notice, or without new times offered in the same message.
How do I write an interview time change email when the candidate asked to move?
Thank them for the notice, offer new options right away and say you'll send an updated invite. Keep it to a few lines. There is no need to ask why.
How many times can a candidate reschedule an interview?
There is no rule, but many teams accept one request without question and look more closely at a second. Treat late or repeated requests as information about interest, not as a reason to reject on its own.
Should I postpone an interview by email or phone?
Email is fine with more than 24 hours' notice. Inside 24 hours, call or text first so the candidate actually sees it, then follow with the email and the updated calendar invite.