Interview accommodation request email template

A one-way video interview is recorded on your own time with no interviewer on the other end. For a lot of people that format is fine, or even easier than a live call. For some people it is the wrong format. A clock that does not pause, no captions, a hard limit on retakes, or a camera that has to be on can turn a fair question into an unfair test of something the job never asked about.

You are allowed to ask for a change. This page gives you an email to do it, and the thinking behind each part so you can adapt it instead of sending a stranger’s words.

When to use this

Send this when you have a one-way interview link and you already know the format puts a real barrier in your way. The earlier you send it, the easier it is for the employer to act, and the cleaner your record is if you ever need it. If the link has a hard deadline, ask in the same email for that deadline to be paused while they get back to you, so the clock is not running against you while you wait.

You do not need a dramatic reason. “This format makes it hard for me to show my actual ability” is enough. The goal is not to get out of the interview. It is to interview on fair terms.

The email

Subject: Accommodation request for the [Job title] interview

Hi [Name],

Thank you for the invitation to record a video interview for the
[Job title] role. I'm looking forward to it.

To do my best on this, I'd like to request an adjustment to the format.
Specifically, I'd like to [request, see the menu below, e.g. "have
captions and a transcript available for the recorded questions" or
"have an extra 60 seconds per answer"].

This would let me show my ability to do the job on equal footing. I'm
happy to discuss the details, and I'm flexible on how we make it work.

If the current link has a deadline, would you be able to pause it while
we sort this out? I want to give the role a proper effort rather than
rush it.

Thanks very much for considering this. Please let me know who is best
to talk to if it isn't you.

Best,
[Your name]
[Phone number, optional]

That is the whole thing. Short on purpose. You are not pleading and you are not over-explaining. You are a candidate asking a reasonable question, early.

What to ask for

Pick the one or two changes that actually remove the barrier for you. Asking for everything at once reads as a wish list and is harder to grant. Drop your specific ask into the [request] line above.

• Captions or a transcript of the questions, if you process text better than audio or have a hearing difference.
• More time per answer, if a short fixed window does not let you organize a clear response. Name a number, like an extra 60 seconds.
• More retakes, if one or two attempts is not enough to settle in.
• The questions in advance, or in writing, so you can prepare your thinking rather than react cold.
• A live call instead of a recording, if talking to a person is the thing that lets you perform. Some teams offer this as a standard alternative.
• Audio only, camera off, if being on camera is the barrier rather than the speaking. There is a fuller guide on turning your camera off.
• A written version of the interview, if recording yourself is the wrong format entirely and the role is not about being on camera.

You do not have to justify the ask with a medical story. You can name the change without naming a diagnosis. An employer is allowed to ask for confirmation that you have a condition that warrants an adjustment, but your first email does not need to hand over the details.

Why each part is there

• Open with thanks and interest. You want the job. Say so first. It frames the whole message as a candidate trying to do well, not a problem.
• State the change, not the condition. “I’d like captions” is a clear, actionable request. “I have [condition]” invites questions you do not owe answers to yet. Lead with what you need done.
• Tie it to doing the job. “Equal footing” and “show my ability” keep the focus where it belongs: on whether you can do the work, which is the only thing the interview is for.
• Offer to discuss and stay flexible. Accommodations are a conversation. Signaling that you will work with them makes a yes easier and faster.
• Ask to pause the deadline. This is the part people forget. A countdown timer on the link should not run while you wait for a reply. Naming it protects you.
• Ask who to talk to. Your recruiter may not own this. Pointing at the right person, often someone in HR or people ops, keeps it from stalling in an inbox.

After you send it

Most employers treat a clear, early request as routine, because it is. If you do not hear back in a couple of business days, a short, friendly follow-up is fair, and so is re-asking for the deadline to hold.

If a company refuses to discuss any alternative at all, that is worth weighing. Not every “no” to a specific ask is a bad sign, since some tools genuinely cannot do some things. But a flat refusal to engage with the question tells you something about how they treat people, before you have even started. For more on reading that signal, see whether a one-way interview is a red flag.

If the format ends up unchanged and you have to record anyway, the preparation guide and the notes on retakes and the time limit cover how to get the most out of the format you are given.