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1. Interview Slots Template
2. Printable Time Slot Sheet
3. Time Slot Sign Up Sheet
4. Interview Time Slot Template Printable

On Friday afternoon I received an email telling me I’ve been invited to interview for a programme which I’m hoping might actually change my life! Perhaps it’s ironic that somebody who spends his life giving interview and recruitment advice to others should be a little apprehensive about such a daunting prospect, but then being nervous will ensure that I take it seriously, and plan and research accordingly.

Browse Sample Sheets. Check out these sample sheets. View them and edit them, even clone them to jump start your own sheet. ENG220 Office Hours End of Year Team Banquet Classroom Helpers Meet With Benefits Counselor Fundraising Fair Dinner Party. Combining a schedule with time slots and a to-do list if you prefer to only schedule out your actual appointments and work on your to-dos in the blank space around those appointments. Next up is the “Day Schedule, To-Do List and Notes”: Again, we have the daily schedule with time slots and to-do list combo, but there is also a notes section. Doodle is a free online appointment scheduler that can be used to book meetings and other events with friends, colleagues and anyone else. Email threads trying to book a large number of appointments can quickly become confusing and trying to mark off available and booked time slots on a piece of paper is not conducive for amendments and changes of plans.

The thing that concerns me most is not the interview itself, simply that I will be sent my interview time and date, and I won’t have a chance to pick the time which suits me best. Indeed, when it comes to scheduling interviews, we don’t always get much of a choice. Even if we’re given a blank calendar, modern life intervenes, and we might have limited availability, but should you have the luxury of choice, what time should you pick? if you’re actually asked when you’d like to interview, here are some things for you to consider…

Plan to your strengths.

If like me, you’re a lark, then an early slot will suit you best. I’ve often been accused of having too much energy in the mornings, but that would work to my advantage in an interview situation, since if I’m fully prepared, my positive energy would demonstrate how much I want the role.

Similarly, if you’re a night owl, and not even a treble expresso can get the synapses firing until the early afternoon, try to pick a time when you know you’ll be at your best. Avoid the slot immediately after lunch, unless you happen to be particularly dynamic, because the body takes a while to digest the food, and most interviewers dread going back into interviews immediately after lunch. There’s a similar school of thought to avoiding the last slot immediately before lunch, since interviewers might be desperate to get away, and interviews can often be cut short – but I’m not convinced (more later…)

Avoid certain times.

Even if you’re a lark, don’t aim for first thing on a Monday morning (and remember that for some interviewers, ‘first thing’ could well stretch past 11 am), and similarly, don’t aim for last thing on a Friday, since you’ll end up being the candidate who prevents the interview panel from getting away for the weekend!

Interviewers are people too (I know that’s hard to believe sometimes, when you’re sitting nervously on the other side of the table…) and they may also be owls rather than larks, so even if you’re an early riser, you might find that you’re playing to an unsympathetic audience at 9 am. You can try to find out the interviewers’ routines by asking what hours they usually work; an innocent-sounding question which should demonstrate your willingness to fit in with the panel – but it also gives you all the information you need to choose the optimum interview time!

What order should you go in?

There has been so much research on the ‘perfect’ interview time, and none of it is definitive! Most research agrees that there are key slots which should be avoided but part of the reason why most experts disagree about time slots is because there probably isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to interview times. If the panel are larks, then they’ll be ready at the crack of dawn, but if your interview panel is a mix of larks and owls, or mostly owls, the chances are that they’ll take a little longer to get into the stride of things.

Another consideration is the number of interviews which are taking place. If you are one of two interviewees, then I don’t think that going first or second is likely to make much of a difference. You’ll either set the standard for the second candidate by going first, or be able to eclipse the first candidate if you go last! If you’re one of three candidates, again, the above more or less applies, with slightly less certain odds!

However, things start to get a little more interesting with 5 or 6 (or more!) candidates. This is when you have to get more strategic, and work out how many candidates they’re seeing in the morning and the afternoon. You need to try to choose the slot which works best for you whilst also weakening the competition – all’s fair in love and war, and this is most certainly war!

There is still no definitive ‘optimal’ interview time, but the following will give you an insight into the mind of a devious interviewee (aka yours truly!), to show you which interview slot I would plump for, given a choice of six slots throughout a whole day’s interviews:

09.00 NO – too early. Let the panel warm up on someone else. (6 choice)

10.00 Not my first choice. I’m likely to be forgotten by the end of the day. (4 choice)

11.00 Maybe. Let the panel remember me as they go for lunch! (Joint 2 choice)

Lunch

13.00 Never. The panel just want to sleep off their lunch. (5 choice)

14.00 Definitely! The panel are awake again, and likely to remember me. (1 choice)

15.00 Yes if it’s an early enough finish, and I bring energy to the table. (Joint 2 choice)

In reality, I’d prefer the 5 interview slot, but I’d be happy as long as I didn’t get either the first slot of the day or the first slot after lunch…

Coping with the ‘wrong’ interview time.

If you end up with an early interview but you’re not a lark, then part of your planning should be around a temporary change in your body clock. If it takes a couple of hours to get you going in the morning, don’t try to wake up fifteen minutes earlier on the day itself, start several days ahead. Set the alarm for an hour earlier, and try to go to bed earlier, so that your whole body clock shifts forwards. After a few days, your body really won’t mind, and your 10 am interview will actually feel like it is taking place at a more ‘respectable’ 11 am!

After all, if you do end up securing the job, you may have to change your routine permanently, especially if you’ll be working a different pattern, or travelling further to get to the office…but as an owl, you need to think carefully about whether or not you’re willing to make a permanent change to your established routines!

Finally, if you’ve secured an interview through a recruitment agency, talk to them about the best possible slot for you, and see if they can rearrange the interviews to suit you. Whenever I have to arrange several interviews, I ask my candidates for their first and second preferences to try my best to accommodate as many of them as possible; it might take longer, but I want my candidates to perform at their best…

If you're struggling to get to the interview stage, you may be interested in our upcoming event, 'How to get a job you love: book launch & evening seminar with leading careers author, John Lees!' The evening will include insider secrets from John’s new book and every delegate attending will receive a free signed copy. The new, 2015/16 edition includes many new features which John will be sharing in his ideas-packed presentation: for more information, click here.

Nothing beats the feeling of getting an interview invitation (except maybe receiving a job offer!)… but don’t rush to respond just yet.

You need to make sure you respond correctly to secure the interview. So in this article, I’m going to walk you through how to respond to an interview request from a recruiter or hiring manager… while avoiding the mistakes many job seekers make.

Then we’ll look at examples to help you respond to your invitation to interview even faster. You can use these templates for emails, but also phone calls and voicemails.

Let’s get started…

How to Respond to an Interview Request by Email or Phone

The best way to respond to an interview request is to thank the employer, confirm your interest in having an interview, and provide your availability. Do this whether or not they specifically asked for availability. This will help avoid additional back-and-forth emails and demonstrate to the employer that you’re someone who takes initiative and has strong communication skills.

This is how you accept an interview professionally.

Note: The advice in this article is appropriate for emails or phone calls/voicemails! Choose whatever you’re most comfortable with and play to your strengths! I do better with email, so that’s what I typically do myself!

If you would prefer to respond to the interview request by phone, or if they asked you to call them, then do that instead. And all of the sample email templates that I’m about to share will work whether calling or emailing.

How to Accept an Interview: Email Templates

How to respond to a recruiter email if interested – sample

If you’re contacted by a recruiter who you’ve never spoken with, then you can use the sample email to respond and express interest. Just reply to the same email address that they contacted you from.

Hello NAME,

Thank you for contacting me about this role. It sounds interesting. I’d love to hear more about the position.

Here is my availability to talk on the phone this week:

The best number to reach me:

Thanks, and I look forward to talking with you.

Best regards,

Your name

Note: Try to include multiple days/times in terms of availability. And if they don’t already have your contact info, then include that, too.

Also, make sure you have a professional-sounding voicemail recording! You don’t want employers and recruiters calling you and hearing an unprofessional voicemail that you recorded when you were in high school and forgot about!

How to respond to an email for a phone interview

If you’ve applied for a job and the hiring manager or HR department has responded to your job application and invited you for a phone interview, here’s a sample template you can use to respond.

Hi NAME,

Thank you for getting back to me. I’d love to have a phone interview to learn more about the position.

My availability is:

The best number to reach me is:

Please let me know which day/time works best so I can mark my calendar. Also, if you’re able to tell me who will be calling, that’d be a big help. I always like to research and prepare ahead of time!

Best regards,

Your name

This is a great way of responding to an interview request because you’re avoiding back-and-forth emails for the scheduling, and you’re also finding out the person you’ll be talking to so you can prepare ahead of time!

How to respond to a face-to-face interview request

Next, if you’ve been invited to meet in-person, you can use this template to set up a day and finalize everything!

Hello NAME,

Thank you for getting back to me. I’d love to come in and have the interview. Is this a full-day interview? Or how many hours should I set aside?

I’m available at the following days/times:

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Your name

This is a basic structure for responding to the company, but you can also add other details/questions as needed. For example, if you want to ask for the names of the people you’ll be meeting with, or the number of people you’ll be meeting, that’s a good idea. If you need help finding the company location for a face-to-face interview, you can ask if they have instructions for arriving, too.

However, I like to get the scheduling sorted out first, and then ask other questions. That’s why I kept the email template above dead-simple. Take it one step at a time, and you’ll avoid confusion and complicated emails.

So I’d recommend using the sample email above, and then ask further questions once a day and time is set!

How to confirm an interview by email (after it’s scheduled)

Finally, if you have an interview scheduled and just want to confirm the time or make sure that it’s still happening, you can use the following template (send it to the same email address you’ve been communicating back-and-forth with for prior scheduling):

Hello NAME,

I just wanted to confirm that we’re still having the interview on ___ (day) at ___ (time).

Thank you, and I look forward to talking with you!

Best regards,

Your name

Responding if You’re Not Interested

Interview Slots Template

If you’re not interested in having an interview, you can simply send a brief email saying, “I appreciate you thinking of me for the opportunity, but I’m not interested.”

You can also offer to stay connected in the future if you’d like (if it’s a recruiter or hiring manager you think you’ll want to speak with down the road).

And if you’d like to offer a reason for declining, that’s fine. But you’re not obligated.

You can also offer to refer a friend or colleague for the opportunity if you know someone who is qualified.

Questions to Ask When Responding to Interview Requests

Next, here are a couple of questions to consider asking in your email or message when using the templates above. Just put your questions at the end if you’re unsure of any of these topics:

If you’re unsure of the format of the interview for the job (phone, video, in-person, etc.), ask this when you reply.

If you don’t know who you’ll be speaking to or meeting with, check this as well. Don’t worry – the templates I’m going to share coming up in the next section will help with this.

And if you’re not sure of the exact opportunity you’re being considered for, ask this as well. The easiest way to do this is to simply ask for a copy of the job description. Include this line in your reply: “Is it possible for you to send me a copy of the job description ahead of time? I always like to research and prepare.”

Mistakes to Avoid When You Accept an Interview

If you read the tips above, you should know how to respond to an interview request to get an interview quickly and make a great impression at the same time.

However, there are some BIG mistakes you need to avoid while doing this, so I want to make sure you know those, too…

First, don’t let your interview invitation sit for too long. You should try to respond within 24-48 hours if possible. You don’t need to be checking email constantly, but don’t leave the company waiting for a week, either.

Also, don’t respond without taking the time to indicate at least one day or time that would work for an interview. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate that you take initiative and are a great communicator. So I’d recommend providing multiple days/times to help them schedule the interview.

Next, always proofread your email! Having a typo or mistake in your email probably won’t cost you the interview (unless it’s a REALLY bad mistake), but it does make a poor impression.

So always check your email for mistakes before sending! Proofread from top-to-bottom, and bottom-to-top. That’s a good trick that will help you catch more errors!

And finally – the biggest mistake of all – going into the interview without preparing! It takes a lot of effort to find a good position to apply to, submit your resume and paperwork, schedule an interview, etc. Right?

So don’t throw away your hard work and waste the opportunity by letting other job seekers out-prepare you! In the next section, I’ll share my best tips and resources so you can beat the competition!

What to do After You Schedule an Interview

After you’ve set up a time to go on your interview, here are steps to help you prepare:

Printable Time Slot Sheet

First, research the company.

Practice the common questions that employers ask, too.

Also, work on your body language. It’s not just about what you say in the interview; it’s about how you look and sound while saying it. This can set you apart from other job seekers!

You can also use the time before the interview to ask any further questions you have – about finding the company’s office, who you’ll be talking to (recruiter or hiring manager, etc.)

And finally… Monitor your email address in the days/hours leading up to the interview in case they contact you about any changes.

Changes in schedule happen… don’t panic

Time Slot Sign Up Sheet

It’s not necessarily a bad sign if the company changes the timing of their invitation to interview. Hiring managers and recruiters have busy schedules and sometimes mini-emergencies happen.

So if they do request a change, just do your best to find a new time that’ll work.

Interview Time Slot Template Printable

However, don’t be afraid to say what works for YOU, too. It’s completely fine to say, “Thanks for letting me know about the scheduling conflict today. That’s no problem. Unfortunately, the new time you suggested for Monday won’t work for me. Could we do something from 3 pm – 5 pm Monday, or 12 pm – 5 pm Tuesday?” If a certain day or time doesn’t work for you, don’t be afraid to say so.