Interview calendar invite template: the title, location, description and settings that work
On this page
- What goes in each field of an interview invite?
- Titles that are safe on a lock screen
- Seven interview calendar invite templates
- Which calendar settings should you change?
- The notice lines: note taking, recording and accommodations
- How do you change or cancel an invite without confusing the candidate?
- How to use these templates
- Common mistakes
- Questions people ask
An interview calendar invite should carry a neutral title with your company and the role, the date and time with its time zone, the join link, phone number or address in the location field, and a short description naming who the candidate meets, for how long, and who to contact if something goes wrong. Send the candidate their own event, never the interviewers' event, because the internal invite usually holds the resume, the scorecard and notes the candidate should not see. For panels, hide the guest list. The seven templates below cover phone, video, onsite, panel and agency interviews, plus the interviewer invite and the debrief hold.
The invite is not the confirmation. A candidate can accept an invite without reading it, so the written details go in the interview confirmation email as well, and the invite becomes the thing they open on the day. If the time moves, use the interview reschedule email templates alongside the updated event.
What goes in each field of an interview invite?
| Field | Candidate invite | Interviewer invite |
|---|---|---|
| Title | [Company] interview: [Role], with [Interviewer] | Interview: [Candidate full name], [Role], [stage] |
| Time and zone | Set in the candidate's time zone if your calendar allows; state both zones in the description | Interviewer's zone |
| Location | The video link, the phone number, or the full street address | The same, plus the room for onsite |
| Description | Who, length, format, backup plan, contact, notices | Resume, scorecard link, focus area, feedback deadline |
| Guests | The candidate and the person they meet (or the coordinator) | Interviewers and coordinator |
| Attachments | None, or a public document such as an agenda | Resume, interview guide |
| Guest permissions | Guests cannot invite others; guest list hidden for panels | Default |
Titles that are safe on a lock screen
The title is the part of an invite most people actually read, often as a notification on a phone sitting on a desk at their current job. Make it identify your company and the interview, and nothing more.
[Company] interview: [Role], with [Interviewer name]
[Company] phone call: [Role], [Recruiter name] calls you
[Company] onsite: [Role], [Office name]
[Company] interview: [Role], panel (3 sessions)Never put internal shorthand in a candidate-facing title. "Screen: maybe, check gap", "Backup for Sam" or "Final: over range" have all been seen on candidate invites, usually because someone added the candidate to the internal event.
Seven interview calendar invite templates
1. Phone screen
Title: [Company] phone call: [Role], [Recruiter name] calls you
Location: Phone call ([Recruiter name] calls you)
Description:
[Recruiter name], [title], will call you at this time on the number
ending [last 4 digits]. The call will come from [number / a (area
code) number], and lasts about [20–30] minutes.
We'll talk about [your background, the role and your questions].
If the time stops working or the number changes: [your name],
[phone], [email].Say who calls whom, and from which number. A missed phone screen is usually one of two things: both sides waiting for the other to dial, or a candidate declining a number they do not recognize.
2. Video interview
Title: [Company] interview: [Role], with [Interviewer name]
Location: [Video link]
Description:
[Length]-minute video interview for [Role] with [Interviewer name],
[title].
Join: [link]
[Meeting ID and passcode, if any]
If the video won't connect: dial [number] / we'll call you on the
number ending [last 4 digits].
[Time in interviewer's zone] = [time in candidate's zone] for you.
[Notice line, if you use a note taker or record: see below]
Need an adjustment for the interview? Tell [name] at [email].
Questions or need to reschedule: [your name], [phone].The backup line is the one that saves interviews. The longer setup advice (testing the camera, a quiet room) belongs in the video interview instructions email, not the invite.
3. Onsite interview
Title: [Company] onsite: [Role], [Office name]
Location: [Full street address, floor or suite]
Description:
Arrive by [time]. Ask for [name] at [reception / security desk].
Bring: [photo ID for building security / nothing].
Parking or transit: [details].
You'll meet: [names and titles].
You'll finish by: [time].
Running late or lost on the day? Call or text [name] on [mobile].Put the street address in the location field, not "HQ" or a room name, so the candidate's map app can open it. Room numbers belong on the interviewer invite.
4. Panel or interview loop
Title: [Company] interview: [Role], panel ([number] sessions)
Location: [Video link / address]
Description:
Your schedule ([candidate time zone]):
[time] [Name, title]: [topic]
[time] [Name, title]: [topic]
[time] Break, [length]
[time] [Name, title]: [topic]
All sessions use the same [link / room].
If one session runs over, [coordinator name] will text you on the
number ending [last 4 digits] with the new time.
Contact for the day: [coordinator name], [mobile].One candidate event covering the whole block, with the running order in the description, is easier for the candidate than five separate invites. Behind it, each interviewer gets their own internal invite for their own session. The interview schedule template covers building the order and what to send candidates versus interviewers.
5. Agency: client interview held by the recruiter
Title: [Client] interview: [Role], with [Interviewer name]
Location: [Link or address from the client]
Description:
Interview for [Role] at [Client], arranged by [Agency].
With: [Interviewer name, title] [and one line on their role].
Length: [minutes].
Join: [link] / Address: [address, who to ask for].
Call me before if anything changes: [recruiter name], [mobile].
Call me straight after, too. I'll want your view before [Client]
calls me.
[Recruiter name], [Agency]If the client sends its own invite, do not send a second event for the same slot. Check the client's invite has the right link and time zone, tell the candidate to accept that one, and keep your own hold as a private event on your calendar.
6. Internal: the interviewer invite
Title: Interview: [Candidate full name], [Role], [stage]
Location: [Link / room]
Description:
Candidate: [name], [current title] at [company].
Resume: [link] Interview guide: [link]
Your focus: [competencies or questions you own].
Scorecard: [link]. Please submit by [time, date], before the debrief
on [date]. Write your scores before you read anyone else's.
The candidate has their own invite. Please don't forward this one.This is the invite that must never reach the candidate. It is also where the scorecard deadline is easiest to set, before the interview rather than in a chasing email afterwards.
7. Internal: the debrief hold
Title: Debrief: [Candidate full name], [Role]
Location: [Link / room]
Description:
[30]-minute debrief for [candidate name].
Scorecards due by [time, date], at least [2] hours before this.
Agenda and decision record: [link]
Decision owner: [hiring manager name].Book the debrief at the same moment you book the loop, within a day of the last interview. A debrief that has to be scheduled after the fact is the most common reason a decision drifts by a week. The interview debrief template has the agenda.
Which calendar settings should you change?
Three settings matter for interviews. All are as described in each vendor's help center as of October 2026.
- Hide the guest list on panel invites. In Google Calendar, the "See guest list" permission is on by default; clearing it means "invited guests won't see other guests on the invite" (Google Calendar Help). In Outlook, choose Response options, then Hide attendee list; Microsoft says this works in new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web and "isn't available in classic Outlook for Windows" (Microsoft Support). If your calendar cannot hide guests, send the candidate a separate event instead.
- Stop guests inviting others. Google Calendar's help says to edit the event and, under "Guests can", uncheck "invite others" (Google Calendar Help). This keeps a forwarded candidate invite from growing a guest list.
- Mark internal holds private on shared calendars. If colleagues can see your calendar, a title with a candidate's full name is visible to all of them. Google Calendar's Private setting shows other viewers a "Busy" block instead of the details, though Google notes that start time, end time and creator can still be seen when you invite guests (Google Calendar Help).
The notice lines: note taking, recording and accommodations
If anything will transcribe, record or take notes on the interview, tell the candidate before the call, in writing, and again at the start. The invite description is a sensible second place for the written notice:
So the interviewer can listen rather than type, this interview will be
[transcribed / recorded] to help with notes. If you'd prefer it isn't,
tell [name] before the call; it won't affect how you're assessed.The accommodations line is one sentence ("Need an adjustment for the interview? Tell [name] at [email]") and belongs on every candidate invite. Whether you need consent, and from whom, depends on where each person is; our interview recording consent script covers the spoken version. This is general information, not legal advice.
How do you change or cancel an invite without confusing the candidate?
- Edit the existing event, do not send a new one. A second event leaves the old time sitting on the candidate's calendar, and they may turn up for the wrong one.
- Send a short email with the update, because calendar update notifications are easy to miss. The email states the old time, the new time and the reason in one line.
- Update the internal invites at the same time, including the debrief hold if it moves.
- Cancel with a message. A cancellation with no note reads as a rejection. Say whether the interview is being rescheduled or the process has changed.
How to use these templates
- Create the candidate event from the matching template and fill every [bracket].
- Set the guest permissions: guests cannot invite others, and hide the guest list for panels.
- Create the internal interviewer invite (template 6) and the debrief hold (template 7) as separate events.
- Send the confirmation email with the same details in plain text.
- Open the candidate invite from a test account or ask a colleague to check it on a phone: title, time zone, link.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What goes wrong | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate added to the interviewer event | Resume, scorecard and private notes exposed | Two separate events, always |
| Link only in the description | Candidate hunts for it on the day | Link in the location field too |
| No time zone in the description | Candidate trusts a wrong automatic conversion | Write both zones in plain text |
| Two candidates on one event | Each sees the other's name and email | One candidate per event |
| New event for a new time | Old slot stays on the calendar | Edit the existing event |
| Invite sent with no email | Accepted without being read | Invite plus confirmation email |
Questions people ask
What should an interview calendar invite include?
A neutral title with the company and role, the date and time with its time zone, the video link, phone number or address in the location field, and a short description naming who the candidate meets, how long it lasts and who to contact if something goes wrong. Anything internal, such as the resume or the scorecard link, belongs on a separate invite for interviewers.
Should the candidate be on the same calendar invite as the interviewers?
No. Send the candidate their own event and keep the interviewers on a separate one. The internal invite usually carries the resume, the scorecard link and notes the candidate should never see, and a shared event also exposes every interviewer's email address.
How do I hide other guests on an interview calendar invite?
In Google Calendar, edit the event and clear the See guest list box under guest permissions, which stops invited guests seeing each other. In new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web, choose Response options and then Hide attendee list; Microsoft says that option is not available in classic Outlook for Windows, as of October 2026.
Is a calendar invite enough to confirm an interview?
No. The invite holds the time on the candidate's calendar, but it is easy to accept without reading. Send a confirmation email as well, with the details in plain text, and use the invite as the thing the candidate opens on the day.
What should the title of an interview calendar invite be?
Something like "[Company] interview: [Role], with [Interviewer name]". It should make sense on a phone lock screen, identify your company, and contain nothing you would not want the candidate or their current employer to read over their shoulder.