An interview can change format after it has already been discussed or booked. A meeting planned in person may move online, a video stage may become a telephone conversation, or the hiring team may alter the structure of the session. If the change is recorded in only one message, candidates and interviewers can end up preparing for different arrangements.
An interview-format handover gives the revised arrangement one current operational record and closes the obsolete instructions around it.
Identify the interview stage and existing arrangement
Start with the candidate, vacancy, interview stage, date and format currently recorded. This makes it clear which booking the new instruction is changing.
If several interviews are planned, avoid applying the change to every stage unless the hiring team has actually requested that.
Capture the authorised new format
Record the revised arrangement from the appropriate hiring-team instruction. Keep confirmed information separate from options still being considered.
Do not tell a candidate that the format has changed while the hiring team is still deciding between alternatives.
Check whether the date or duration also changes
A format change may affect timing, joining arrangements or the expected length of the interview. Review those details explicitly rather than assuming everything except the format remains identical.
Any unresolved point should have a clear owner before the candidate receives final instructions.
Replace obsolete practical instructions
Remove old joining links, venue directions or other superseded practical information from the active interview workflow where the system allows. Preserve necessary history according to the organisation's controls.
The candidate-facing record should make the current arrangement easy to identify.
Update the panel and candidate from the same source
Use the confirmed interview record to inform both sides of the change so that panel invitations and candidate instructions remain aligned. Avoid parallel manual edits that can introduce different dates or formats.
Where the platform supports controlled calendar updates, follow the team's established process.
Reconfirm any changed preparation requirements
If the new format alters practical preparation, communicate only the requirements confirmed for that interview. Do not assume that an online or in-person format automatically carries a standard set of tasks.
Candidate preparation should reflect the actual hiring instruction.
Verify the current booking after the update
Check that the active candidate record, panel schedule and candidate-facing confirmation all point to the same interview format. Close obsolete reminders or instructions that could trigger confusion later.
A controlled format-change handover turns a late interview adjustment into one coherent update. It prevents candidates and hiring teams from carrying different versions of the same appointment into the interview day.
Supporting evidence: interview-format changes should preserve equal treatment and clear access
Acas says online interviews should be run in the same fair way as in-person interviews. Employers should check that candidates have the right technology, have a backup plan for connectivity problems and ask candidates whether they need reasonable adjustments to attend an interview.
That supports treating a late switch between in-person, video or telephone interviewing as a controlled change rather than a casual calendar edit. The candidate and panel should receive the same current date, format and joining instructions, and any changed preparation or adjustment requirement should be made explicit.
The evidence does not require one interview format to be preferred over another. The relevant control is consistency and clarity once the format has been confirmed.
Evidence boundary: Acas gives recruitment good practice and legal-context guidance for Great Britain. It does not prescribe one universal interview-booking system.