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To keep top talent interested, crafting a clear interview invitation email is critical. Providing the right details and tone supports your brand and enhances your reputation.

Investing the right amount of thought into interview scheduling enhances the candidate experience and saves time. Let's take a look at the best practices for interview invitation emails and cover the perks of automating the recruiting process.

Why Not Use the Phone?

Phone calls may seem like a timesaving option for an interview invitation, but email works better for many reasons.

The most obvious reason is most people don't use their phones for calls. If they see an unknown number come through on their caller ID, they're far more likely to suspect a spam call and send it to voicemail. With 54.6 billion robocalls in the US in 2019 alone, according to a study by Hiya, it’s understandable.

This leaves the recruitment team in limbo, as you won’t know if the candidate received and listened to the message. Even if you get a candidate on the phone, they may need to confirm their schedule and call you back. This can significantly slow down the job interview process. 

Additionally, if a job seeker is currently employed, getting a phone call during work hours to confirm their pending secret job interview could be stressful.

Even in the best-case scenario, you would need to follow a phone call with an interview invitation email to confirm the details. This is why it typically makes sense to start with email.

Nail the Tone of Your Interview Invitation Email

Now we know why interview invitation emails save time and provide a better candidate experience. That said, we should note the obvious shortcoming of the email versus the phone call: Tone is hard to capture in writing. 

To compensate, you want your interview invitation email to embody your company culture and provide a welcoming and professional tone. Creating this tone and including the needed information can take some finessing, so it helps to work with an interview invitation email template. Templates save time and ensure a consistent candidate experience.

Here's an example of an interview email template:

Subject: Interview request at [company name]

Hi [candidate name],

We loved your application for the [insert job title] role, and we'd like to invite you to a [type of interview] this week.

You'll be meeting with [hiring manager’s name], who leads the [department name] team and/or [relevant team members]. They will tell you more about the role and answer any of your questions.

We expect the interview will last 30 minutes. 

Please choose the time that works best for via this link.

If you need additional time options, let us know. We'll do our best to accommodate you.

Here's a link to our exact office address at [street address].

Please bring an ID so we can provide you with a security pass. Ask for [point person’s name] at the desk, and she'll come to the security desk and walk you up to our office. Please feel free to contact me with any issues.

We look forward to meeting you soon!

Best regards,

[Recruiter’s name]

[Email signature with contact information]

Using Prelude to automate the interview-invitation, email process is a no brainer, explore it with a free demo.

Interview Invitation Email Must-Haves

The above template works because it's friendly and professional, and it contains the details the job seeker needs to schedule and attend the interview. 

As it includes plenty of needed information, the template makes for a lengthy email. While it can be tempting to provide this information in a list format, this can come across as cold and unwelcoming. 

It’s best if you build your own confirmation email template that reflects your company’s tone, efficiency, and thoroughness. To get you started, here are some must-have details to include:

  • A succinct subject line containing with the words "interview invitation”
  • Your company name and the job title for the interview
  • Names of all hiring team members who will be present during the interview
  • The anticipated duration of the interview
  • A few optional times for the interview or a scheduling link to Prelude
  • Updated contact information in your professional signature
  • Detailed instructions for the candidate to follow once they arrive
  • The office’s street address and name of the point person to ask for on arrival
  • Phone or video interviews, a direct link or dial-in number and any other log-in details

Extra Interview Invitation Steps

In a candidate-driven market, you need to provide a top-notch candidate experience that gets them excited about working with you. 

In addition to the above tips, there are additions that can go above and beyond in creating a great candidate experience. Here are some ideas to help you do just that:

  • Hyperlink the names of the interviewers to their bio or LinkedIn profile.
  • Hyperlink the job title of the interview back to the coordinating job posting. If the applicant is applying for several positions, this will help to jog their memory.
  • Automate interview invitation confirmations with software like Prelude. It eliminates needless back and forth and enhances the candidate experience.
  • Include a screenshot of the map of your office building address and nearest major intersection.
  • For web or phone interviews with any candidates abroad, account for their time zone. For example, if they're six hours behind, don't suggest an 8 a.m. slot.
  • Personalize your template by complimenting the candidate on a piece of their experience from their application.
  • Use company branding and logo in the signature to create a cohesive presentation.

How Automation Can Help

An interview invitation email needs to include a few details to keep the candidate experience on track. It can help to install automated scheduling processes that simplify your coordination efforts.

An intelligent automation approach helps:

  • Include tracking and reporting that can lead to better outcomes and recruitment strategies
  • Sync interviews and confirmations seamlessly with your ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
  • Automatically account for time zones of all parties involved
  • Coordinate according to recruiter preferences
  • Mitigate data entry by auto-populating candidate details
  • Allow candidates to select their optimal interview time based on hiring team availability

Provide a Seamless Experience

Building a reputable brand takes time, money, and energy. You can protect this investment by ensuring clear communication throughout the candidate experience. 

For most cases, this means anticipating candidate questions before they are asked and providing relevant details in the interview confirmation email. This helps job seekers feel taken care of and welcomed into your company.

A surefire way to entice the best candidates is by making the interview process easy. Automation alleviates a large portion of a recruiter's administrative duties so they can focus on other priorities and hire for other roles more quickly. 

If you’re curious to see how Prelude can shave hours off of the recruitment process, join us for a free demo. Automating scheduling during the hiring process provides win-win solutions for recruiters and candidates.