As daunting as any interview process is for candidates, they must keep trying their chances in order to land an interview confirmation email. However, there are times when a candidate may be skeptical about attending a certain interview that is scheduled for them. There may be a number of reasons why an interview must be declined, and this can be done from the candidate’s side or even from the employer’s side. HR managers and recruiters cancel or reschedule interviews all the time. Irrespective of who wants to decline the interview, it is important to let the other party know about the cancellation.

Just like the care that is put into drafting a Job Application Email, you need to understand how to decline an interview properly and write the corresponding interview cancellation email.

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Reasons to Cancel a Job Interview

One may need to cancel a job interview for a number of reasons, such as a candidate’s priorities changing, getting a different job offer that is better than this one, or an employer staffing policies changing due to market conditions, etc. Here are some examples why a job interview might need to be canceled or rescheduled.

Why do Employers Cancel or Reschedule Job Interviews?

The Employer or Recruiter may cancel or reschedule an interview if:

  1. They have found and finalized a better candidate for the job.
  2. Changing market conditions and the economy forces them to change their hiring policies.
  3. They close hiring outside candidates in favor of promoting internal employees.
  4. An emergency situation arises, after which it may not be possible to conduct the interview on the scheduled date and time.
  5. The person who was scheduled to interview you may not be available.

Why do Candidates Decline or Request to Reschedule Job Interviews?

A candidate may decline a job interview or request to reschedule it if:

  1. They find a better job offer or position somewhere else.
  2. They decide to not pursue a job with a specific employer any further.
  3. They are unhappy with the interview process and experience.
  4. They believe the position might not be a good fit for them.
  5. They believe that the remuneration that would be offered by the company might be too low compared to their skills and experience.
  6. They are unavailable at the proposed date and time.
  7. An emergency situation arises.
  8. Prior commitments at their existing job don’t allow them.

Tips to Politely Decline an Interview

Writing a good email to cancel an interview isn’t a mammoth task, but it’s also easy to go wrong if you don’t know how to politely decline an interview. Here are some tips that will help you to write a request email cancelling a scheduled interview:

  1. Inform Early — If you’re going to cancel an interview, you must give them ample time to make alternative arrangements. No one likes being cancelled at the last minute, so give the other party enough time to comfortably see your email.
  2. Be Courteous — Any interview cancellation email must be written professionally and you must be courteous and polite. As an employer, you must leave a good impression of your company on the candidate and as a candidate, you must ensure that the employer isn’t put off by your email.
  3. Apologize — Conducting an interview or appearing for an interview is a lot of work, so if you must cancel the interview, make sure that you apologize to the other party. It’s very likely that they took great pains to prepare for the interview and now they’ll have to do it all over again.

Sample Email Templates for Candidates to Decline Interviews

1. For Candidates No Longer Interested



Subject: [Position] Interview Cancellation

Hello [First Name],

Thank you for considering me for the position of [Position Name] at [Company Name]. I greatly appreciate you inviting me for an interview on [Date] at [Time]. Unfortunately, I have to cancel our interview as I have decided not to pursue this opportunity with [Company Name] further. Please accept my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience.

I am grateful to you for having given me your time and sincerely hope that you find a good candidate for the position.

Thank you.

Kind Regards,
[Your Full Name]
[Contact Details]

2. For Candidates Who Get Other Job Offers



Subject: [Position] Interview Cancellation

Hello [First Name],

Thank you for considering me for the position of [Position Name] at [Company Name]. I greatly appreciate you inviting me for an interview on [Date] at [Time]. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that I have to cancel our interview as I have accepted an offer from another company.

I am grateful to you for having given me your time and please accept my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience.

Thank you.

Kind Regards,
[Your Full Name]
[Contact Details]

3. For Candidates Wanting to Reschedule



Subject: Rescheduling Request of [Position] Interview

Hello [First Name],

Thank you for considering me for the position of [Position Name] at [Company Name]. I greatly appreciate you inviting me for an interview on [Date] at [Time]. Unfortunately, I am unable to appear for the interview due to [brief reason]. Please accept my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience this may cause.

I request you to kindly reschedule the interview next week or later. Wherever possible, I am willing to adjust my availability according to your schedule.

I look forward to your response.

Thank you.

Kind Regards,
[Your Full Name]
[Contact Details]

Sample Email Templates for Employers to Cancel or Reschedule Interviews

1. For Employers Who Want to Cancel Interviews



Subject: Cancellation of [Position] Interview

Dear [First Name],

Thank you for your interest in the position of [Position Name] at our company. We regret to inform you that unfortunately we have to cancel the interview that was scheduled for you on [Date] at [Time] due to [brief reason].

I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused to you and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for your understanding.

Regards,
[Your Name]
[Designation]
[Company Name]

2. For Employers Who Want to Reschedule Interviews

Subject: Change in Schedule of [Position] Interview

Dear [First Name],
Thank you for your interest in the position of [Position Name] at our company. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to cancel the interview that was scheduled for you on [Date] at [Time] due to [brief reason]. We would like to reschedule your interview for any of the following slots:

[Date] — [Time]
[Date] — [Time]
[Date] — [Time]

Kindly confirm your availability with an acknowledgement to this email. In case the above dates are not suitable, please let us know your preferred date and time.

I apologize for the inconvenience, and look forward to your interview again.

Thank you.

Regards,
[Your Name]
[Designation]
[Company Name]

Once you send these “cancel interview” emails as we’ve described above, don’t relax right away. It’s common that your email may go unnoticed by the other party, so it’s a good idea to send them a follow up email in case you don’t hear back from them in a couple of days. You can use the follow-up reminders feature in Spark email client to do this. With Follow-Up Reminders, Spark will automatically remind you if the other party does not reply to your email.

This is one of the many features in Spark designed to improve your email experience and handle the email overload in your inbox. Get Started with Spark for Free and start loving email again.