Interview call message and call letter format: 12 copy-ready templates for HR teams and candidates

Short messages are for confirming a slot already discussed on a call, or for a volume drive where email open rates are low. Keep them under 500 characters, use the candidate's name, and always include a callback number. Do not send a first-contact interview call only on WhatsApp from a personal number; call first or send the email, then the WhatsApp as a reminder. Fill the fields in brackets before sending.

The invitation email is the record. It must come from the company's own domain, have a specific subject line with the role and the date, and contain everything in the table above. Attach the job description or link to it, and put the recruiter's signature with designation and official number at the bottom. Never send it from a free email address, which is the single biggest marker of a fake call.

Template 4: Interview invitation email. Subject: Interview invitation, (Role title), (Company name), (Day, Date). Dear (Candidate name), thank you for applying for the (Role title) position in our (Department) team at (Location). We would like to invite you for an interview as per the details below. Date: (Day, Date). Reporting time: (Time); your slot is at (Slot time) and the process may take about (Duration). Venue: (Company name), (Full address, floor, landmark); please ask for (Coordinator name) at the reception. Rounds: (Round 1 name) with (Interviewer designation), followed by (Round 2 name) and an HR discussion. Please carry: a printed copy of your updated CV, one government photo ID, two passport-size photographs, copies of your degree and final-year marksheets, and your latest offer or relieving letter and three payslips if currently employed. Kindly confirm your availability by replying to this email or calling (Official number) by (Date). If you need a different slot, let us know by the same date and we will try to accommodate it. (Company name) never charges any fee, deposit or processing charge from candidates at any stage. Warm regards, (Recruiter name), (Designation), Talent Acquisition, (Company name), (Official email), (Official phone).

Template 5: Virtual-interview link email. Subject: Video interview link, (Role title), (Day, Date, Time). Dear (Candidate name), your interview for the (Role title) position is scheduled as a video call on (Day, Date) at (Time) India Standard Time, for about (Duration). Join link: (Meeting link). Meeting ID and passcode, if needed: (ID), (Passcode). Please join from a laptop with a working camera and microphone, in a quiet place with a stable connection, and join five minutes early; the interviewer, (Interviewer name, designation), will admit you from the waiting room. Keep a photo ID ready to show on camera, and keep your CV open. If the link fails, call or message (Coordinator name) on (Official number) and we will share a dial-in or reschedule. We will not ask you to download any software other than (Platform name) or to make any payment. Regards, (Recruiter name), (Designation), (Company name).

A formal call letter is used by larger companies, PSUs, hospitals, schools and government-adjacent employers, and by anyone whose process requires a document the candidate shows at the gate. It goes on letterhead as a PDF, with a reference number and date, and is signed or carries an authorised digital signature. Banks and government bodies issue it as an admit-card style document downloaded from their portal; the structure is the same.

Template 7: Formal interview call letter. On letterhead. Ref: (Reference number). Date: (Date). To (Candidate name), (Address or email). Subject: Call letter for interview, post of (Post name), advertisement or requisition no. (Number). Dear (Candidate name), with reference to your application for the above post, you are invited to appear for a personal interview as per the following details. Date of interview: (Day, Date). Reporting time: (Time). Venue: (Full address with floor and landmark). Interview panel: (Designation of chair and members, or 'a panel of three members'). Candidates are required to bring this letter, one original government photo ID, original certificates of educational qualifications and experience with one set of self-attested copies, two recent passport photographs, and the duly filled application form, if applicable. Travelling allowance: (State whether TA is payable and the class, or that no TA is payable). Please note that this call letter does not constitute an offer of employment, and that selection will be based on performance in the interview and verification of documents. (Company name) does not charge any fee or deposit at any stage of recruitment. Please confirm your participation to (Email or number) by (Date). Yours sincerely, (Name), (Designation), (Department), (Company name), (Official contact).

Template 8: Walk-in drive notice (for job boards, notice boards and social media). Walk-in interview, (Company name). Positions: (Role 1, number of openings), (Role 2, number of openings). Experience: (Range) years; freshers (are or are not) eligible. Qualification: (Degree or diploma). Location of job: (City). Date and time of walk-in: (Day, Date), registration from (Start time) to (End time); candidates registering after (End time) will not be interviewed. Venue: (Company name), (Full address with landmark and floor). Contact person: (Name), (Official number). Please carry your updated CV, a photo ID, two photographs and copies of your certificates. Process: registration, short written or practical test, interview with the hiring manager and HR; selected candidates will be informed within (number) working days. (Company name) does not charge any registration or processing fee; please report anyone asking for money in our name to (Official email).

Template 9: Campus drive notice (from a placement cell to students). Placement drive notice, (College name), Training and Placement Cell. Company: (Company name). Date: (Day, Date). Eligible branches and batch: (List), minimum (percentage or CGPA) with (number) active backlogs permitted. Roles and package: (Role), (CTC as communicated by the company; say 'as per company communication' if not shared). Process: pre-placement talk at (Time) in (Hall), followed by online assessment at (Time) in (Lab), with technical and HR interviews on (Date or same day) for shortlisted students. Registration: fill the form at (Portal or link) by (Date, Time); students who register and do not attend will be marked as per placement policy. Dress code: formal. Carry: college ID, three copies of your resume, photographs and marksheets. Coordinators: (Student coordinator name and number), (Faculty coordinator name and number). The company and the placement cell do not collect any fee for participation.

Template 12 (a): Rejection after interview. Subject: Update on your application, (Role title), (Company name). Dear (Candidate name), thank you for taking the time to interview with us for the (Role title) position on (Date). After careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with other candidates whose experience more closely matches the current requirement. This was a competitive process, and the decision does not reflect a lack of ability on your part. We will keep your profile in our database and reach out if a suitable position opens in the next (period). We wish you every success in your search. Regards, (Recruiter name), (Designation), (Company name). Template 12 (b): Offer-stage message. Subject: Next steps, (Role title), (Company name). Dear (Candidate name), we are pleased to inform you that you have been selected for the (Role title) position following your interviews on (Dates). Our team will share the formal offer letter from (Official email) within (number) working days, with the compensation, location, joining date and the documents required for background verification. Please do not resign from your current role until you have received and accepted the written offer. If you have questions in the meantime, call me on (Official number). Congratulations, and welcome. (Recruiter name), (Designation), (Company name).

• Send the first call by phone or email, not only by WhatsApp from a personal number. Candidates are rightly suspicious of a job offer that arrives only as a chat message.
• Give at least two working days' notice for an in-person interview and one for a video call, unless the candidate agrees to less on a call.
• Send messages between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Scheduling a WhatsApp at 11 p.m. is read as disorganised, and bulk messages at odd hours are a scam signal.
• Use the candidate's name and the exact role title from the job posting. Mass messages that say 'Dear Candidate' for a 'suitable position' are the format scammers copy.
• Always include a callback number on the company's official line and an email on the company domain. Never ask candidates to reply to a free email address.
• State clearly that no fee, deposit or processing charge is payable. Repeat it in the footer of every message.
• Do not ask for Aadhaar, PAN, bank details or passport copies before an offer is made and accepted; identity verification at the gate needs a photo ID, not a copy on WhatsApp.
• Close the loop. A candidate who interviewed deserves a decision message within the time you promised; silence after an interview is the most common complaint on job sites.
• Respect the candidate's current employer: do not call during working hours without a prior appointment, and do not pressure anyone to resign before a written offer.
• Keep the reschedule rate low and apologise when it happens. Moving a slot twice tells the candidate how the company treats people.

Placement cells have two additional rules: publish the company's eligibility and package exactly as communicated, without rounding up, and keep a single registration channel so that students are not approached by anyone claiming to represent the company outside the cell. If you are an HR professional preparing for your own interview, the questions you will be asked about this process are in HR interview questions with answers.

Fake interview calls are now one of the largest categories of online fraud in India, and they target exactly the people reading this page: freshers, job changers and people applying through job boards. The pattern is consistent. A message arrives claiming to be from a well-known company, often copying a real job posting; it offers an interview or a 'direct selection'; and at some point it asks for money, described as a registration fee, a refundable security deposit, a laptop or ID card charge, a document-verification fee or a visa or travel cost. No genuine employer in India charges a candidate for an interview, a call letter, an offer letter, training or onboarding. Naukri's own security page says the same: no legitimate company will ever ask you to pay for the job.

1. 1

   Verify before you reply

   Search the company's official careers page for the job and for the recruiter's name. Call the switchboard number on the website, not the number in the message, and ask whether the drive is real. Most large companies, including TCS and Infosys, publish fraud alerts on their careers sites.

2. 2

   Never pay, and never share an OTP

   Any request for money ends the conversation, whatever the reason given. The same applies to OTPs, card details, bank login details, or a request to install an app that is not a standard meeting platform.

3. 3

   Report it

   Report fake job calls on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in or call the 1930 helpline. If the message came through a job portal, report it there too; Naukri, for example, asks for reports to its compliance email. Tell your college placement cell if the scam used a campus drive format.

4. 4

   If you have already paid

   Call 1930 immediately; early reporting improves the chance of the transaction being held. File the portal complaint with screenshots of the messages and the payment, and inform your bank. Do not pay any 'refund processing' charge; that is the second stage of the same scam.

Once the call checks out, confirm with Template 3 above, then prepare for what the call letter describes. For the opening, see self introduction for interview and tell me about yourself; for the questions, see most common interview questions and, for first-job candidates, interview questions and answers for freshers. If the notice mentions a group discussion, prepare with group discussion topics for interview, and have two questions ready from questions to ask at the end of an interview.

HR and recruitment professionals interviewing for their own next role are asked about exactly this process: how you would write a call letter, handle a reschedule, close the loop with a rejected candidate, and protect candidates from fraud in the company's name. The ExamPilot HR and admin interview mock runs those scenario questions with an AI hiring manager, follows up on your answers and scores process knowledge, candidate empathy and communication, with a transcript. The HR Scenario Questions for HR Roles course drills the individual answers first.