Interview Cancellation Email-Template|Pocket HRMS

To save time and effort, get a template for the interview cancellation email.

The recruitment process involves many steps, and the interview is a very important one. Other than collecting resumes and screening them according to various instructions and requirements from the hiring manager, scheduling and rescheduling the job interviews is complicated. This involves many things, like the availability of candidates and interviewers at the same time. Sometimes the hiring manager finds the right candidate early in the process, and you have to cancel your interview process going further.

Reasons to Cancel an Interview

Cancelling an interview when the position is no longer available for recruitment is the next logical thing to do and saves time and effort for everyone involved in the process. There are other circumstances where the HR team need to cancel a job interview for candidates such as

• • The job position is itself eliminated because of a budget issue
  • The job description for the job is changed by the hiring manager
  • Some recently found information about candidates makes them the unsuitable for your company

You should send an interview cancellation email as soon as possible. Whether you want to reschedule your interview for the position depends upon the circumstances. You need to inform the candidates in your email that you are cancelling an interview scheduled for them, along with information if you want to reschedule the interview or not.

Many people wonder how to cancel an interview in the right way. You can not be harsh when you want to cancel the interview. When candidates are interested in the position, they often make special adjustments to attend a job interview. Sometimes it involves taking leave from their current job, so they can attend the interview for a better opportunity.

What Should be Included in an Interview Cancellation Email?

There are a few things that must be included in the interview cancellation email. Let’s discuss what are these components and why are they important.

Subject

The intent of the email should be made clear, and it should not confuse the candidate. Remember that we typically skim through our inboxes and do not open every email. When someone already knows that they have scheduled an interview with the company, they might confuse the cancellation email for just another reminder for the interview when the subject line is not clear enough. This definitely wastes their time as they may wait for a video interview call or even travel to the venue as previously scheduled to attend the interview. This damages the company’s image from their perspective. If you reschedule an interview for them, they are less likely to show any interest, and you lose top talent in a competitive market.

Contact Person

This may seem trivial, but it is essential for the candidate to carry out further correspondence in case you mention that you want to reschedule the interview in your email. So if they are still interested in the position, they know whom they should reach out to after you cancel the interview that has been scheduled for them.

Rescheduling

The talent market has become very competitive, and it costs a company a lot of time and money to replace an employee. So do not forget to mention the possibility to reschedule the interview. If you don’t want to reschedule, you can mention that too, so candidates won’t bother with emails and phone calls requesting the same, and you don’t have to waste time attending to this process further.

Apologize for Any Inconvenience

We all know that if you’re cancelling the interview, it causes some type of problem. As HR, you are representing a company, and it is important to mention that you understand that if you cancel an interview it can be a bother for the candidate. You need to be sure that your email does not come across as harsh or insensitive. Including a simple sentence that mentions that you apologize for any inconvenience as you have to cancel the interview can be enough.

Date and Time

This is not a secret that candidates apply for multiple jobs at the same time when they are looking for new opportunities. If you forget to mention these details, candidates can confuse your company with some other company. If you mention the date and time you set an impression as an organized company, and they won’t hesitate to apply for the job with the firm in the future, that’s why you should include the date and time when you have to cancel the interview