What to Do After a Candidate Misses an Interview

A missed interview leaves the recruiter with a small but awkward decision: wait, reschedule, or close the file. Write the rule before the calendar gets busy. Record the scheduled time, timezone, meeting link, invitation status, reminder delivery, and interviewer attendance in the recruiting system.

Send one approved follow-up through the candidate's agreed channel. State that the interview was missed, offer the available next step, and give a clear reply deadline. Do not guess why the person was absent or add a judgmental note to the record.

The coordinator can check delivery, offer approved time slots, and update the status. The hiring owner decides whether to extend a deadline, make an exception, or end the process. Accommodation requests and sensitive explanations go to the authorized HR contact.

Before rescheduling, confirm the interviewer and candidate in the same timezone. Replace the old invitation instead of leaving two live meetings on the calendar. A short internal note should explain which appointment is current.

Close the follow-up only after the candidate replies, the approved deadline passes, or the hiring owner gives a decision. Keep the factual event record. Leave speculation out of it.