Has it ever happened to you that you landed an interview for your dream job but couldn’t attend it due to some unforeseen emergency? If yes, then you must be familiar with the disappointment one goes through when one can’t attend an interview one has been waiting for.
Millions of people across the world look for jobs every day. Unemployment is one of the major problems various countries are facing these days. In such circumstances, the opportunity to crack the interview and become employed becomes quite important. If an organization has scheduled an interview for you, missing it would be a terrible mistake.
Therefore, you must know the art of how to reschedule an interview. If you have landed an interview and feel that you will not be able to attend it for any reason, you must get it rescheduled. The fact that you are reading this blog post proves that you want to reschedule an interview set you have to give. It’s also possible that you might be looking for useful information regarding rescheduling an interview for someone else.
But irrespective of your reason, we are here to help you. This blog has been created to share valuable details about rescheduling an interview. We know that job applicants find it hard to negotiate with the employer regarding any matter, whether it’s salary or the interview date. Hence, in the majority of cases, the interview date and time are fixed by the employer. The job application gets informed about the date and time. They are expected to reach for the interview in time. Usually, all the applicants accept the interview schedule.
However, some applicants realize a few days or hours before the predetermined date and time that they won’t be able to attend the interview. In such circumstances, they feel hesitant in sharing with the employer or hiring executive their reason behind not being able to attend the interview. At the same time, they don’t even want to miss the chance of landing the job they applied for. Having the knowledge of how to reschedule an interview becomes helpful in such situations.
Find Out How to Reschedule an Interview
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Candidates may feel hesitant in requesting the employer or hiring manager to reschedule an interview. They may feel scared that they will lose an opportunity just because the date or time of the interview is clashing with their other priorities or urgent tasks.
Considering the level of competition in today’s time when it comes to filling a vacancy, candidates might also worry that the organization might select another candidate. The thought that they might come across as unprofessional also occurs to them. Therefore, as a job applicant, you must know how to reschedule an interview without coming across as unprofessional or non-credible. You can follow the tips mentioned below to reschedule your interview in a proper manner.
Inform as Soon as Possible
The first tip to follow when it comes to understanding how to reschedule an interview is that you should inform the employer as soon as possible. The moment you realize that you might not be able to attend the interview, you should let the concerned person know.
It will give them a chance to plan in advance and reschedule the interview. When they come to know about your inability to appear for the interview well in advance, they can utilize the time they would have blocked for interviewing you in another activity.
Explain the Genuine Reason
The prospective employer deserves to hear the truth from you. The reason for which you cannot attend the interview must be explained properly. You should state the genuine reason behind not being able to go to the interview.
However, you should not expect the employer or the hiring executive to consider every reason as appropriate. For example, if you are requesting the cancellation of the interview because of reasons like sickness, death of an acquaintance, medical emergencies related to you or any of your acquaintances, or professional duties, then it might seem suitable.
But if you want to reschedule the interview to attend social events like birthday parties, marriage anniversaries, and graduation parties, the employer might not like it. They might also not like if you are able to attend the interview because of reasons like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, daughter’s day, and so on. You should evaluate whether the reason you want to give is genuine or not and then explain it with conviction.
Communicate Both Verbally and in Written
An important point you must know when it comes to learning how to reschedule an interview is that you should communicate about your non-availability for the interview in both verbal and written forms. The information about the interview date and time is usually passed on to the candidate via email. So, you should reply to the email you must have received. You need to mention that you will not be able to appear for the interview.
You have to state the reason for the same. Once you send the email, you must call the employer, hiring manager, or any other executive with whom you have been interacting until now. You need to inform them about your nonavailability on a phone call as well. You should inform on the phone call that you have also sent an email. While verbal communication is quick, written communication is professional.
Express Gratitude and Regret
The whole purpose of rescheduling an interview is to not miss the wonderful opportunity that has knocked at your door. If you are not careful enough with the message you put across, the prospective employer might feel that you are either not interested or not thankful. It’s easy to come across as egoistic or choosy in some cases.
Hence, you should express your gratitude in the phone call as well as the email for the chance to be interviewed. It will prove that you are not taking the opportunity lightly. Along with gratitude, you also need to express regret for not being available at the time of the interview. You should apologize for the inconvenience the organization might face because of changes in your plans.
State Your Availability in a Polite Way
A significant part of learning how to reschedule an interview is to request explicitly for arranging the interview at another date or time. If you want the interview to be held on the same day but at a different time, you must suggest the time when you will be available in your call and email.
If you want the interview to be held on a different day, you should suggest a day when you are available. While mentioning the date or time suitable to you, confirm that the employer or the hiring manager is comfortable with the date or time. You can also just mention that you are available any time and day they decide. As you are requesting to reschedule the interview, you must show flexibility. Similarly, you should also show politeness.
Prepare the Script and Proofread the Email
Since you might be asking for rescheduling the interview for the first time in your life, you might get nervous or stressed. But the key is to be clear and confident. You should sound professional and friendly on the call you make to the employer or hiring executive.
When it comes to the email you send to the organization, you should seem professional and humble. You should choose your words carefully. If you feel that you might not be able to explain your situation properly, you should prepare the script for the phone call and draft the email. You can take the help of the internet to prepare the script and the email draft. You need to go through the script and remember it before calling the employer. You should proofread the email before sending it.
How to Reschedule an Interview: Email Template
We have provided an email template that you can use to reschedule your interview. The contents of this template stand valid in the case of most candidates, irrespective of the position or the job title, industry, geographical region, and other factors. Whether you have applied for the post of a digital marketing executive, project coordinator, or travel manager, the following template will help you.
Subject: A Sincere Request to Reschedule the Interview
Dear [Name of the Recipient],
I am extremely grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to prove my candidacy for the position of [Position / Job Title] at your organization through the interview scheduled on [Date and Time].
However, with much regret, I want to inform you that I will not be able to attend the interview at the predetermined date and time. The reason behind the same is that I have to [State the reason]. I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.
But I am quite keen on being selected for the role I have applied for. So, it’s a sincere and humble request to reschedule the interview. I am available on [Dates on which you are available]. I am also comfortable with any other date you choose for discussing the job in person. If the situation would have been avoidable, I would not have had to ask for rescheduling the interview.
Kindly consider my request. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Regards,
[Your Name]
Wrapping Up
We hope that you would have obtained essential information on how to reschedule an interview from this blog post. If you are really looking forward to being considered for the vacancy you have applied to, you must leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the interview gets rescheduled. It’s also worth mentioning here that if you feel that you can avoid the need to reschedule by making adjustments in terms of other priorities, you must do it, as it will save you a lot of hassle.
