How To Reply To An Interview Email (With Examples)

Many of today’s businesses rely on emails when corresponding with applicants. When you get an email requesting an interview, you’ll be excited and want to rush into your reply, but this isn’t always the professional first impression you are going for. Learning how to reply to an interview email and creating a well-written email response will provide a good first impression and set you up for success.

Interview Email Response Tips

Regardless of what job you’ve applied for, there are general rules that apply when answering an interview email.

• Respond Quickly
A response sent within 24 hours of receiving an interview email is preferable. This shows your interest, responsiveness, and professionalism.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to respond the moment you get the email. You could receive it in the middle of the night or over the weekend.

Your interviewer understands business hours. You’ll still appear professional if you wait until morning or Monday to reply.

• Use “Reply All”
When you use “reply all” when responding, you ensure that your reply goes to the right people. These interview emails are often linked to several people within the company that are involved in the interview process. “Reply all” helps you avoid responding only to the recruiter when trying to arrange an interview with the actual hiring manager.

This also eliminates the chance of mistyping the email address. You may be responding to the person who will schedule the interview, but the person you’ll interview with also needs to get this information. “Reply all” means that everyone involved will get the information they need without any additional hassles.

For you, responding in this manner gives you a tidy thread of information that can easily be referred back to later on. On their end, your email response will have the same subject line as their interview email, which makes their job easier when tracking your correspondence.

Related Article: How To Ask For A Second Chance Interview With Email Examples

Writing Your Email Response to the Interview Email

Your Greeting

Start with “Dear [Interviewer’s Name]. While you don’t usually start an email with a greeting, you should when replying to a job interview email. It shows them that you paid attention to who sent it, read the entire message, and that you know who you’re responding to.

Thank You

Start the actual message with gratitude for this opportunity. Include a thank you for the invitation to interview. The following are a few examples of how to word your thank you:

• Thank you for inviting me
• Thank you for reaching out
• Thank you for the opportunity
• Thanks for considering me
• Thank you for contacting me

You can add “for [the position’s name] to the end of these phrases to further personalize your message.

Keep It Short

This email is not the place to talk about how passionate you are about the position, how you feel connected to their mission, or why you are qualified. Even though you’re excited about the possibility of working for them, save all this information for the actual interview and your follow-up thank you email after the interview.

Instead, provide them with the dates and times you are available and your phone number. Notify them of anything that may interfere with scheduling an interview, such as caregiver responsibilities or school.

Be Professional

Use a professional tone. Avoid emojis completely, as well as informal language. A well-placed exclamation point may be acceptable, but remember that you’re trying to make a good first impression on whoever is doing the hiring.

Proofread Your Email

Don’t let your excitement take over. You want to respond quickly, but don’t skip proofreading.

Don’t count on your computer’s grammar checker. It can miss common mistakes.

Related Article: Best Response To Thank You Email After An Interview (7 Sample Notes)

How to Reply to an Interview Email

When Asked to Schedule an Interview

• Offer Your Available Times
Some of these emails will ask you to let them know what dates and times work for you. In this case, provide them with blocks of time that you can do the interview in so that they have options.

Other interview emails will offer you a few days and times to pick from. You can choose which one is best for you. If you can’t make any of the provided times, reply with alternatives that you can manage.

Sometimes the timing will be off. You’ll be on a pre-planned vacation or taking your exams at school. When this happens, let them know you can’t make it and explain exactly why.

Provide them with alternative times and dates of when you are available. Most interviewers will understand and find a time that works better with your schedule.

• Clean Up Confusion
Your job interview email response is the perfect place to ask questions related to the interview. You can use this as an opportunity to confirm details and ask if the interview is online or in person.

If it is in person, confirm the meeting place and ask if there’s anything they would like you to bring such as your identification. You could also ask where to park when you arrive. If you haven’t yet received a job description of the position you interviewing for, ask now.

You’ll need a phone number and the name of the interviewer too. This comes in handy if there’s an emergency or you run into a delay.

• How to Close
Show excitement in your closing. State that you are looking forward to meeting with them. Tell them you want to learn more about the position. You want to make it clear that you’re excited about the interview.

Related Article: I Got A Response To My Thank You Email – Is It A Good Sign?

When Offered a “Click to Schedule” Option

The company you’re replying to may use an online scheduling system rather than go back and forth through emails to set up an interview. You’ll be able to pick from a list of dates and times.

All you have to do is click on the link they’ve included in the email. You’ll choose the date and time and click on “confirm.” You’re instantly scheduled for the interview.

This makes scheduling the interview easy, but you still want to respond to their email personally. Include “I confirm that I will attend the interview” within your message.

Look for instructions on how to reply. Some emails allow you to select “reply all,” but others may hide the sender’s address.

If you can’t find the address to reply to, you can check the online interview link, if available. This could include the interviewer’s address. You may also get a second email with further information that you’ll be able to reply to.

Pay attention when scheduling your interview online. The confirmation screen may have a box where you can add more information. This is a great spot to place a thank you note to the hiring manager when you can’t reply through an email.

What to Do if You Don’t Want the Job

When you get an interview email, you could no longer be interested in the position. Maybe you recently got a promotion and no longer want to leave your current company, or you may have already taken another job.

You still need to respond. Start by saying thank you for considering me for the position. Follow this thank you with a brief explanation of why you won’t be scheduling an interview.

Examples of Interview Email Replies

Knowing how to reply to an interview email can make you stand out from the other applicants. By being gracious and replying promptly, you’ll come across as professional and make a great first impression.