Apology letter for missing an interview – Sample Letters

Modern world revolves around being punctual. No one would care for your professionalism, even if you are the best at what you do if you are not on time. First impressions are built as much on the appearance and behavior of the applicant as on their overall punctuality and keeping of their word. In the eyes of an interviewer (any interviewer, for that matter), the fact that you miss your appointment means that you do not care about the task at hand and hence – about them.

How to avoid being rejected just because the Universe decided to hinder you? We all know there are situations when you just HAVE to miss your interview for one reason or another, here is a quick guide that will take you through some of the most common situations that require apologizing for missing an interview.

Apology letter for missing a job interview:

Things to consider when apologizing for a missed interview:

• Whatever you do, you MUST be polite, if you know the name of the person who is going to interview you, use it and make sure you double check the spelling of their name – no one likes having their name written wrong and that will surely earn you a black point.
• Make sure to mention the date and time the appointment was set, that usually creates a good impression – that you didn’t forget about it, just you couldn’t go. Don’t overdo the apologizing because they may take you for a wimp.
• Also, do not go into details about what exactly happened to you – for example, no interviewer (unless they have an amazing sense of humor) wouldn’t like reading pages and pages about the neighbors next door and their noisy parties or the person who crashed into your car. Just be brief – if the the reason is not that respectable (you overslept because of a party etc.), just don’t mention it. If it is respectable – state it clearly without explaining what the doctor’s exact words were.
• When it comes to family emergency, clearly state that you are both professional and a human being who cares about the ones close to you so that, even though you are professional, you had no options but just rush to your relative’s side.
• Asking for a reschedule of the interview is a two-edged sword – you can either get credit for being persistent or to lose any chance because you intend to lose the interviewer’s time once more. However, if you were ill at the time the interview must have been held, you have the full right to ask for a reschedule (after all, it’s not your fault that you got ill). Don’t dramatize on your condition, just point it as an acceptable reason for not attending.

How to Reschedule an Interview

Contact the interviewer as soon as possible

Your letter may not be effective if it is written on the day of the interview or after the interview has already happened. If the reason why you are missing the interview happens on the exact day of the interview or some few hours before, the best thing would be to call the interviewer. If you do not have the phone number, writing an email will be the next best option.

However, if it is a reason that comes a few days before the interview, you can always write a letter and post it to the interviewer.

Note that the best way to reschedule an interview will be through an email. This will be received faster than the postal letter. Here is a sample email.

Sample Email to Reschedule a Job Interview

Give a good reason

It is good to note that there are reasons that can be accepted and others that are unacceptable. Do not write a letter/ email just to say that you don’t feel like attending the interview or you are afraid of the interview. Give a good reason on why you were unable to attend the interview. This is especially if you want a reschedule of the interview. Some of the genuine reasons that can be pardoned are

• Sickness
• Family emergency
• Lateness for long hours due to traffic among others.

Be Genuine

If you are giving a genuine reason, there will be no need to panic. You may be writing this letter because you changed your mind about the job, you will not necessary state it straight forward that you changed your mind but you can state something like” due to unavoidable circumstances”, in this case, do not suggest a reschedule of the meeting, just express your regret.

Being genuine will keep a good relationship between you and the interviewer and in case you need them in future, the doors will be open for you because you were kind enough.

Suggest a date

It is important to suggest a date especially depending on how soon you think the situation that caused you not to attend will be over. This will help the interviewer to reschedule the interview in a way that will not cause another inconvenience.

Thank the interviewer

Do this in advance in your letter for rescheduling the meeting as well as when you receive a letter of approval about the rescheduled interview. This will prove to them that you are still keen and still have the interest in the position that you had applied.

Why Apology is Important?

• You will look responsible and professional. Real professionals do not hide and face the challenges, Even if you were wrong, overslept etc., you still need to come up with some kind of passable excuse. That way you will show the people who held the interview that even though you had bad luck that day, you may still deserve a chance because of your other assets. All people love professionals because they do their job well but even more love people who are ready to admit they did something wrong and apologize for it. Such people are less likely to be self-centered and are less prone to taking bad decisions.
• You show perseverance. You never know what kind of people are interviewing you so you have no idea what they are looking for. The very fact that you try to reach out may make them reschedule. Just because you didn’t give up.
• You show that you value the interviewer’s time. Time is money, or so the cliché goes. You would like to be treated with respect and so would most other people. Even though you may never see these people again, you should show them that you care.