So you’ve narrowed down your applicants and made some decisions on who you would like to interview but we sometimes get stumped with how to invite these candidates to your first round of interviews. You want to build that excitement but not sound overly eager! So what exactly should you be including when you send that initial interview invite email? In today’s post I am going to break it down for you so you know each component and why it’s important.
There are definitely many different examples out there and a lot of ways you can go but most I have found to be a bit stuffy and corporate and that’s just not our jam as creatives. I want to add an element of fun and excitement as you want your candidates to be super excited about the possibility of working for your company or brand. You want this email to be informative and too the point, nothing too lengthly but ensuring it provides your applicants with all necessary information.
Related: How to Write a Job Description
Email Subject Line
Let’s start things off with a killer entrance! Your email subject line…..you still want to remain professional here but try to incorporate a fun twist that makes them want to open that email (aside from the fact that they’ve probably been eagerly waiting for it)
The Position
From there you want to reiterate the position they applied for or that you are interviewing for – we would hope that they would know this but it’s always best to make sure it’s clear and to over-communicate so there is no confusion.
The Date, Time and Location
You can determine how to go about this portion in two different ways. You can decide upfront the date and time that you want to interview them and present it as really the only option or you can set up a scheduling link and open up some options based on your availability and have them self select. Either option is fine but I do feel using a scheduling link in something like Calendly or Acuity works best when you are interviewing a number of candidates in a first round interview. This will save a lot of time and back and forth emails trying to get things scheduled. If you have a small candidate pool it’s totally fine to present them with the date and time you wish to interview them. If they want the position bad enough they will make it work.
Also make sure to include where the interview will be taking place. If you are doing this virtually over a Zoom call or Skype make sure to provide the call link or username so they can find you. If you are hiring local and in person make sure you provide the address and any instructions about where to go or what to do when they arrive.
Who Will Be Doing the Interview
It’s always nice to let people know what to expect and in this case knowing who will be interviewing them is a nice touch so they aren’t caught off guard or extra nervous. In some cases you may have someone (like myself) performing the first round of interviews to narrow things down and then you as the CEO can come in and do the second interview. Make sure to include the name(s) of who will be conducting the interview for them.
Any Additional Information
If you want them to bring any additional things with them like references or examples of their work make sure to include that in the email as well so they can ensure they are prepared.
Contact Information
Make sure to include the best way to get in touch should they have any questions or if anything changes at the last minute, things happen so always make sure they can reach you if necessary.
Fun Sign Off
Leave things off with a nice/casual message like “Looking forward to meeting you” or “Can’t wait to get to know you”
Related: How to Build a Team Culture
