How to Respond to an Interview Request – Examples and Templates Included

Email interview requests are a common part of the hiring process. Recruiters and hiring managers often follow up with a job interview request after a successful job screening call. Responding to an interview invitation is a crucial stage in the hiring process, so you need to make a good impression with your response.

How to respond to an interview request/invitation

Your response to an interview request might be the first time your potential future manager has a direct line of communication with you. That’s why first impressions matter.

Here are a few tips/guidelines provided by our career counseling team that can help you craft your email:

Respond promptly within 12 hours of receiving an invitation.

After receiving the interview invitation, prepare and send your response as soon as possible, ideally no later than 12 hours after receiving the invitation email. Being prompt shows that you’re eager, motivated, and responsible and respect the recruiter's time and interest.

Use a professional greeting.

You should address your email using salutations like "Dear" or "Hello". Avoid cliches like “To whom it may concern”, and take the time to confirm the recipient's name and use it to show your respect for them––most likely it’s in the invitation email you’re responding to.

Show appreciation for the recruiter and their time.

Take a moment at the beginning of your response to thank the recruiter for considering your application and reaching out to you for an interview. This is a great way to start a conversation with them and show you understand professional email etiquette and are a good communicator.

Confirm your availability.

Follow up in the next sentence by clearly stating when you're available for the interview. If you’re presented with time-slots to choose from you can select ones that work best for you. If you’re unavailable in the proposed timeframes, provide the hiring manager with 3 or 4 suggested time slots. Additional information like your phone number can also be helpful if a last-minute reschedule is needed. Believe it or not, your response email is part of the interview. Show professionalism and set the tone. If you’re a busy individual, use a time-scheduling software like Calendly.

Ask for clarifications if needed.

Ideally, the invitation email will contain all of the information you may need for the interview, yet if you have some questions make sure to ask them in your response email.

Questions like whether or not you should bring something or the exact location if it’s an in-person job interview are more than welcome––it shows that you’re genuinely invested in the process.

Close with a professional sign-off.

A classic, professional sign-off like "Sincerely," "Regards," or "Thank you" is more than enough. Below that, include your name, email address, and phone number on separate lines, so it’s easy for them to reference if needed.

Proofread your email before sending it.

This is pretty self-explanatory but also often overlooked. Our career team suggests using a content-checking tool like Grammarly or even ChatGPT to check for typos and punctuation errors.

Interview request replies that you can use

These interview response samples were written by professional career counselors. Use them to guide you when replying to a hiring manager's message:

Interview request response – confirming an interview

This is an excellent response if everything checks out and you can make it to the interview as suggested:

Interview request response – conflicting schedules

Use this example email in case the time slots proposed to hiring managers don’t work for you:

Interview request response – confirm a virtual interview (with clarification)

Use this example to write a reply accepting a virtual interview as suggested, but when you need specific clarification about something:

Interview request response – request to call

Sometimes an interview invite email will require you to call the employer’s office to schedule your interview. Here’s an email that you can use:

Interview request response – request to schedule an interview with another person

If you have to schedule an interview with the manager of a department, this will require you to write t2o separate emails.

The first email should be to the recruiter and it should confirm that you’ve received and read their email. Here’s an example:

The second email should be to the point of contact that you have to schedule your interview. Here’s how that goes:

Interview request response – declining an interview request

Sometimes you’re no longer interested in a job and that’s okay. It’s still a good idea to respond to a job interview request, noting that you’re not interested.

Tips for responding to an interview request email

Finally, here are a few extra things to keep in mind when interviewing for a job:

• Use a formal and professional tone that comes across as courteous and respectful.
• Show enthusiasm for receiving the response by saying thanks and using positive language.
• Keep your response short and direct. You don’t need to do any explaining at this point.
• I can’t stress this enough: edit and proofread your message for mistakes before sending it.
• Finally, be sure to use the “Reply All” button when sending your message to be sure it gets to the right people.

Subject lines for an interview request email response

Your best choice here is something bare-bones and to the point. Choose one of these and you’re all set.

What do interview invitation emails typically include?

Each employer will have their own format and style for an interview request email, but in most cases, they’ll include these standard items:

• The position and company
  It’s typical to include a line clarifying or reminding you of the company and exact position the email is about in either the email subject line or at the start of the email body. This helps confirm everyone’s on the same page about the rest of the email, and you should quickly check to be sure you are!
• The interview format
  Employers use various interview formats to assess whether you’d be a good fit for their team. Your interview request email will likely specify the form to let you know what to expect. They might use individual, group, or panel interviews held in person, on the phone, or virtually. When you find out what kind of interview it will be, take some time to prepare.
• A suggested date, time, and place
  Most employers will either give you a few specific dates and times to choose from or ask that you suggest some times you’d be available. The email will also specify the location for the interview, or it may include contact info or a link if it will be held by phone or online. They’ll also probably include a way to confirm your availability, such as an automatic calendar confirmation or an email reply. Be sure you follow those instructions; it‘s a red flag to the recruiter if you don’t.
• Expected duration
  The email will indicate how long you can expect the interview to last or the planned timeframe. This is especially common for professional and more senior positions where you may have to fit the discussion in between other meetings you have scheduled during the day.
• The interviewer's details
  The interview request email may include the interviewer's name and job title. If it does, it’s a golden opportunity to research them and prepare for questions they may ask. For example, the head of the UX design team will be expecting you to ask very different questions than an HR generalist would. Use this to your advantage; prep some thoughtful questions in advance.
• What to bring and wear
  The recruiter should let you know if there’s something specific you need to bring to the interview. For example, you may need safety boots at a warehouse or workshop or your ID to go through security. You can ask in your response if you should bring anything else. Regardless, follow the recruiter’s instructions when preparing your interview outfit and packing your bag.
• Contact information
  Your email interview request will include the contact details for who you should reach if you need to follow up on anything, typically reception, the HR department, or the interviewer. Knowing who to reach out to is essential if you need to reschedule or run late.

Takeaways

When responding to an interview request email you have to remain professional and promptly schedule your interview with the recruiter.

• Always send a prompt reply to an email request for an interview.
• Keep your reply short and to the point, but be positive and appreciative.
• Ensure you’re clear about the date and location of the interview
• Take the opportunity to prepare for the format and specific person interviewing you if you’ve provided that information.
• It’s okay to ask questions and reschedule if you do it in a way that shows you respect the recruiter’s busy schedule.

References

• How to Win Jobs and Influence Interviewers: A Psychological Exploration of Job Interview Best Practices — Claremont Colleges

• How to prepare for an interview — NCBI

• How to Research a Company for a Job Interview — Purdue University

• Things to do Before, During, and After Your Interview — Columbia University