What should an interview scheduling email to a candidate say?
The role and company, the round and its length, who they will meet and their title, the format (Google Meet, phone or in person with the address), two or three specific time slots with the time zone, and what to do if none work. Add anything they must prepare. Then confirm the pick in a second email with the calendar invite attached. Keep the tone warm; the candidate is judging you too.
Template 1: first-round invite with time slots
Use this for the first scheduled conversation after a screen or application review.
Hi [Candidate name],
Thank you for applying for the [Role] position at [Company]. We would like to invite you to a first-round interview with [Interviewer name], [title]. It will take [30] minutes on Google Meet and cover [your background and the role].
Please pick one of these, all in IST:
[Day, date], [time] to [time]
[Day, date], [time] to [time]
[Day, date], [time] to [time]
If none of these work, reply with two or three times that do and I will arrange it. Once you choose, I will send a calendar invite with the Meet link.
Looking forward to it,
[Your name]
[Title, Company]
Template 2: panel or final round with several interviewers
Use this when the candidate will meet more than one person back to back, and preparation matters.
Hi [Candidate name],
Good news: we would like to bring you in for the final round for [Role]. It runs for about [two hours] and has three parts:
[Name], [title]: [topic], [45] minutes
[Name], [title]: [topic], [45] minutes
[Name], [title]: [topic], [30] minutes
Format: [in person at our office at [address] / Google Meet]. We can do [day, date] starting [time] IST or [day, date] starting [time] IST. Tell me which, and whether you need a break between sessions.
To prepare: [one line, for example: bring a piece of work you are proud of and be ready to walk through it].
[Your name]
[Title, Company, phone]
Template 3: confirmation after the candidate picks a slot
Send this within a few hours of the candidate's reply, with the calendar invite already sent.
Hi [Candidate name],
Confirmed. You will meet [Interviewer name], [title], on [day, date] at [time] IST for [30] minutes. The calendar invite with the Google Meet link is on its way to this address.
A few practical notes: [join a couple of minutes early / the office entrance is on X Road, ask for me at reception]. If anything changes on your side, reply here and we will find another time.
See you on [day],
[Your name]
Template 4: rescheduling an interview from the company side
Use this when an interviewer drops out. Apologise properly; candidates read a moved interview as a signal.
Hi [Candidate name],
I am sorry to do this: [Interviewer name] is no longer available on [day, date] at [time] IST, and I would rather move the interview than have you meet a stand-in.
Could you do [day, date] at [time] IST or [day, date] at [time] IST? If you have already arranged time off for the original slot, tell me and we will do everything we can to keep that day with a different interviewer.
Your application is in exactly the same place; this is a calendar problem on our side, not a decision.
Apologies again,
[Your name]
Template 5: nudging a candidate who has not picked a time
Use this three working days after the first invite, once, before you assume they have moved on.
Hi [Candidate name],
Checking you saw this. The slots I sent on [day] may have passed, so here are fresh ones, all IST:
[Day, date], [time]
[Day, date], [time]
If you are no longer looking, a one-line reply saying so is completely fine and I will close the loop on our side. If the timing is just bad this week, tell me when suits and I will hold a slot.
[Your name]
What to change before you send
The details that candidates notice, and that cost you good ones when they are wrong.
- Confirm the interviewer's availability in their calendar before you offer slots. Offering a time the interviewer cannot make leads straight to Template 4.
- Write the time zone on each slot, and if the candidate is outside India, convert it for them in brackets.
- Name the interviewer and title every time. "A member of the team" tells the candidate nobody has committed.
- State the round's length honestly. A "30-minute chat" that runs 90 minutes burns trust before day one.
- For in-person rounds, include the full address, the floor, and who to ask for. For remote rounds, say the link follows in the invite rather than pasting it in the email.
- Check the role title against the job post. Candidates applying to several roles at once will notice a mismatch.
Timing, notice and what not to write
Offer slots at least two working days out so the candidate can arrange time away from a current job, and spread them across morning and late afternoon so someone employed can take a lunch hour or an early finish. Confirm within the same working day that they reply; a slot left unconfirmed overnight reads as disorganised.
Do not ask for "your availability" with no slots of your own; it pushes the work onto the candidate and adds a round-trip. Do not mention other candidates or the number of applicants. Do not send a scheduling link as the only option for a senior hire; offer the slots in the body and the link as a backup. If a candidate goes quiet after one nudge, close the loop with a short note rather than leaving them in limbo. How many days to wait before following up has the general rule.
Let Momo AI do the thread
Momo AI runs this thread from your Gmail. It offers interview slots from the interviewer's free time in Google Calendar, drafts the invite in your voice to Gmail Drafts, books the pick with a Google Meet link when the candidate replies, and writes the confirmation. Candidates who do not answer show up in your morning brief with the nudge already written. You tap Send on each one; nothing goes to a candidate on its own. See scheduling by email and the recruiters page.
