How to Cancel a Job Interview

If you have an interview with a prospective employer scheduled, but you have a time conflict (or an interview with a more attractive employer), you may find yourself in a tough situation. Don't worry, this article proposes a surefire way to cancel your interview without creating future problems with the interviewer. Achieving this smoothly is very important, as you may still want to attend the same or another interview at some point down the road.

Steps

1. Call the interviewer the day before, no earlier or later. Make sure you talk to them live, do not cancel via message.
2. Skipping an interview for a fondue convention? Tell them that you are very interested in the job, but that you have a "conflict" and need to reschedule. Nine out of ten times they won't ask you what the conflict is. This is especially true where you are speaking with an HR person, who would be afraid of getting a personal reason as an answer.
3. If you have to give a specific excuse, be as vague as possible. The more detail you give a lie, the harder it is to remember and the more "lie-ish" it sounds.
4. If you have a conflict because of your current job, explain that a mandatory meeting, training, etc. was scheduled and you are required to attend. As much as you would love to discuss opportunities, you have an obligation to be a professional. Chances are they will appreciate your work ethic and understand the need to reschedule.
5. Unless you have officially accepted another offer, reschedule the interview, hopefully for a week later or more to give yourself time to settle things with the job you want.
6. Once you finalize everything with the job you want, call the interviewer and tell them you got a new gig.

Tips

• A few excuse ideas:
  • A "household incident"--they'll think your sink exploded water all over your floor.
  • A "family crisis"--they'll think something bad happened to a family member. Beware of giving too much info, however; you don't want them to get the impression that you'd be late for a job every other week.
  • A "scheduling conflict"--Be (semi)honest, and tell them you accidentally scheduled something else for that particular time. It doesn't need to be another job interview; let them believe you're taking a sickly aunt to a doctor appointment or coaching your sister through childbirth.
• You don't want to seem as if you have a lot of household or family drama. This may be an indicator of future issues and your work ethic, ie. work comes second. If it is related to your current job, tell them you have a conflict. Explain that your current employer has scheduled a mandatory meeting, training, etc. and that you will be required to attend. As much as you look forward to meeting with the new company for an interview you are a professional and have an obligation to your current company. Most professionals hiring someone will understand and appreciate your commitment.
• You should reschedule as soon as you realize you can't schedule around the conflict. Have your calendar ready in case they are available to reschedule you when you call in.
• Unless is it a true family emergency you should call as soon as possible to reschedule. A death of an immediate family member is about the only reason you should call last minute. AGAIN-don't lie and say someone died who didn't. In addition to it being bad karma it will be the sure way to not get a job should they send flowers or follow up on your story.
• Don't reschedule just because you want to go out of town for the weekend or it will interfere with your social calendar. Only reschedule when it is absolutely necessary.
• Don't schedule an interview without first checking your calendar for conflicts.
• If you have taken another position you should call and explain that you are no longer looking for a job and you have accepted a position with another company. Thank them for their time and consideration and wish them a good day.

Warnings

• If you do reschedule the interview, your interviewer may ask how your sink/sickly aunt/sister is doing. Be prepared to lie, lie, lie.
• One lie creates thousands. Can you really work at a job where they will always believe you have a sister?...Especially if you don't.