Key takeaways
- Share the pay, work location and schedule before you ask someone to come in.
- Book a time the candidate agrees to, and send the details in writing.
- Make it easy to confirm, ask a question or reschedule.
- Track where people go quiet. A no-show alone won’t tell you why.
Find out where the process breaks
- Invite. Did the candidate get the invitation?
- Confirm. Did they agree to the time and place?
- Attend. Did the interview happen?
Start with your recent interviews. Separate invitations that never got an answer from appointments the candidate accepted and then missed. Note cancellations and reschedules too. Each one calls for different follow-up.
If people go quiet after hearing the pay or the on-call schedule, look at the job ad. If they agree to come in but ask which address to use, fix the appointment message. If you don’t know why someone went quiet, write down “unknown.”
Check the details before blaming the candidate
Someone may have taken another job, misunderstood the appointment, lost interest, or had trouble getting there. Give them an easy way to tell you.
- Name the opening. Include your company, the role and where they applied. A bare “Are you available Thursday?” leaves them guessing.
- Answer the practical questions. Pay, service area, start time, on-call rotation, and whether the work is seasonal all belong before the interview.
- Explain the meeting. Say who they’ll meet, where to go or how to join, and what to bring.
- Give a contact. An automated invitation still needs a way to ask a question or change the time.
Use the reminder to check in
Ask the candidate to confirm, and offer another time. If they don’t reply, text or call again before you give the slot away.
A reminder you can copy: “Hi [name], checking in about your [role] interview with [interviewer] on [day and time] at [location]. Does that still work? Reply here if you need another time or have a question.”
A follow-up process your team can repeat
Name one person who owns the follow-up, even when software sends the texts. Then work through the same four steps for every candidate:
- After the application. Name the company and role, explain the next step, and ask when the applicant can talk.
- During the first conversation. Cover the job terms and the experience you need. Leave time for the applicant’s questions.
- When booking. Agree on the appointment and send the details, including what to bring, how to get in, and who to contact about changes.
- Before the meeting. Send a reminder and check replies. Tell the hiring manager if the candidate cancels, reschedules or asks a question.
If someone misses the interview, send a short check-in. Offer another time if you’re willing to reschedule, and close the loop if they say no or don’t answer.
Questions about interview no-shows
Should I only offer interviews this week?
Offer the earliest times that work for both of you. A candidate may need to work around a current job or arrange a ride. If the appointment is several days out, confirm the details and give them a way to reach you in the meantime.
When should I call an applicant?
Ask when suits them, and use the contact method they prefer. Your shop may start at 6 a.m., but that doesn’t mean every applicant can take a call then.
What should I track?
Record the invitation, the reply, the agreed appointment, any cancellation or reschedule, and whether they attended. Use the same definitions each time. If you report a no-show rate, count missed accepted appointments against accepted appointments, and leave unanswered invitations out of that number.
Founder & CEO of HireBus. Brandon took over his father's window cleaning business in 2012 and grew it past seventy employees in six seasons. He founded HireBus in Denver in 2021 with Rick Breden, PhD, an industrial and organizational psychologist. Read our story.
