The first shortlisting hurdle has been cleared. Promising candidates who have sparked your interest now need to be invited to an interview. A job interview is important for getting to know candidates better and, in turn, making a better assessment of them.

If you want to impress the candidate, you should edit this email with the most important information. This will avoid long and convoluted channels of communication. However, you should also take care not to swamp candidates with information, so only write the most important details in your email.

Three tips for successful invitations to interview

1. List of important information: The line between too little information and information overload can be very a fine line indeed. Make sure, therefore, that you really only include the most important details in your email such as the date, time, location, and names of those taking part, as well as a phone number in case of queries. This will allow you to avoid convoluted channels of communication.
2. Come across as competent: The number of qualified candidates can vary considerably depending on the position being advertised. Given the skills shortage, it is therefore important you exude the same competence as you are expecting from applicants.
3. Allow enough time: Give candidates sufficient time between receiving their invitation and the proposed interview date. It can be hard for applicants to come at short notice for a variety of reasons.

Template for inviting candidates to an interview

Dear Ms. Doe,

Thank you for your patience. We have studied your application documents in great detail and would be pleased to invite you for an interview.

We are sending you an initial proposal for a date and time with this message and would be grateful if you could confirm it. Equally, if you are unable to make the proposed timing for your interview, please let us know promptly.

The aim of the interview is for us to get to know each other better in a relaxed setting and to clarify basic expectations. There will not be any kind of test for which you have to make any special preparations.

Title: [Invitation to interview] Date: [date] Time: [time] Location: [location] Contact: [name and phone number of contact]

We are already very much looking forward to finding out more about you on a more personal level.

Sincerely,
[Your name]