Interview Invitation Letter
Invites a candidate to interview with the practical detail they need.
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Dear [candidate name],
Thank you for applying for the position of [role] with [organisation]. We would like to invite you to an interview.
The details are: [date and time], video call, at [location or link].
If that time does not work, reply to this letter and we will find another. Let us know as well if there is anything we can do to make the interview work better for you.
We are looking forward to meeting you.
What is an Interview Invitation Letter?
An interview invitation tells a shortlisted candidate when and where to come, who they will meet, what the session involves and how long it will take. It matters because a vague invitation produces candidates who arrive at the wrong entrance, unprepared for a test nobody mentioned, and who then interview badly. It is also the first sample of your organisation that a candidate can actually judge you on.
Recruiters, HR coordinators, hiring managers and owner-managers send these, usually by email and occasionally by post where a public-sector or academic process requires it. The same form covers a first screening call, a panel interview, an assessment centre and a second-stage meeting, with different detail in each. Where an agency is involved, the employer often writes the invitation and the agency forwards it, which makes it more important that the letter stands on its own.
Two obligations sit behind the wording. Adjustments: the UK's Equality Act, the ADA in the US, the Disability Discrimination Act in Australia and provincial human rights codes in Canada create duties to accommodate candidates — check the duty that applies to you, and invite candidates to say what they need. Data: you are processing personal data, so if you record interviews or use automated assessment, say so and point to your privacy notice, as the UK and EU GDPR, India's data protection law and comparable regimes expect.
An invitation is not an offer and should not read like one. It creates no employment relationship, promises nothing about the outcome, and is not the place to state a salary as though it were agreed — reference the advertised range instead. It does not replace the job description, which the candidate should already have. And offering a slot is not the same as booking one: nothing is confirmed until the candidate has replied and you have acknowledged it.
What to put in an Interview Invitation Letter
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Issuing organisation | For example: Maple Grove Homeowners Association |
| Organisation address | For example: 1420 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Role | For example: Customer Success Associate |
| Interview date and time | For example: Thursday 17 September 2026, 10:30 AM ET |
| Format | For example: Video call |
| Location or link | For example: Video link sent separately the morning of the interview |
| Expected length optional | For example: about 45 minutes |
| Who you will meet | One per line |
| What to bring or prepare optional | One per line |
| Signatory name optional | For example: K. Srinivasa Rao |
| Signatory designation optional | For example: Honorary Secretary |
| Issued to (full name) | For example: James Whitfield |
| Their address | For example: 588 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
How to write an Interview Invitation Letter
Confirm the role, date, time and zone
Name the exact role and reference number, then give the date, the start time and the time zone spelled out — 'Tuesday 14 October, 10:00 BST'. Remote interviews go wrong on time zones more often than on anything else. Give the expected finish time as well, so a candidate taking annual leave or arranging childcare knows what they need to book.
Say exactly where and how to enter
For an on-site interview: the full address, the entrance to use, the reception to report to, the name to ask for, parking or the nearest station, and how long the walk takes. For a video call: the platform, the joining link or dial-in, and what to do if it fails. A mobile number for the day is the single most useful line in the whole letter.
Name the panel and describe the format
List who the candidate will meet, with job titles, and set out the shape of the session: a competency interview, a technical exercise, a presentation, a written test, a tour of the site. If there is a presentation, give the brief, the time limit and the equipment available in the room. Candidates prepare for what you tell them; surprises test nerves rather than ability.
Say what to bring and how long
Spell out documents, portfolios or examples of work you want them to bring, and any identification your process requires — noting that right-to-work document checks are governed differently in each country, so follow the current guidance for yours. Give a realistic total duration. If candidates should expect to wait between stages of an assessment day, tell them that too.
Ask for confirmation and offer adjustments
Ask the candidate to confirm the slot by a stated date and give an alternative contact in case that person is away. Then invite adjustments in plain language: ask whether they need anything in order to take part fully, and give a named person and a deadline for arranging it. A tick-box buried in a portal is not the same as an open question in the invitation.
Common mistakes
- Giving a time with no time zone for a remote interview, so an overseas candidate joins an empty call an hour late.
- Omitting the panel members' names, leaving the candidate unable to prepare and signalling that the process is careless.
- Failing to mention a technical test or a presentation, which measures who guessed the format rather than who can do the job.
- Providing no contact number for the day, so a candidate stuck at the wrong entrance has nobody to call and arrives flustered.
- Never asking about adjustments, which excludes candidates who needed a small change and exposes the organisation to a discrimination complaint.
Frequently asked questions
What should an interview invitation email include?
Role and reference, date, start and expected finish time with the time zone, location and entrance or joining link, the names and titles of the interviewers, the format including any test or presentation, what to bring, the total duration, a contact number for the day, a request to confirm, and an invitation to request adjustments.
How much notice should you give a candidate for an interview?
Enough for them to arrange time away from a current job — several working days at minimum, and more for an assessment day, a presentation brief or travel. Offering two or three slots rather than dictating one gets more candidates through the door. If you must invite at short notice, say why and make it easy to decline without losing their place.
Should the interview invitation include the salary?
Reference the advertised range rather than quoting a figure as though it were settled. Be aware that pay transparency rules in some US states, in parts of Canada and in EU member states affect what must be disclosed and when — check what applies to you. If the range has changed since the advert, tell the candidate before they take a day off work for you.
Do I have to tell candidates who will be interviewing them?
There is rarely a rule requiring it, but there is no good reason to withhold it. Names and titles let a candidate prepare properly and cut the anxiety that makes people interview badly. Where a panel member may change, say who is expected and note that it might vary. Candidates notice which employers treat the interview as a two-way meeting.
How do I invite a candidate to a second interview?
Say what stage this is, what it covers and how it differs from the first, since candidates often assume it is a repeat. Name anyone new they will meet, particularly a senior leader or a full panel. If a task or presentation is involved, send the brief with the invitation rather than on the day, and say when a decision will follow.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.