Teams or Outlook Down Before Your Interview? Here’s What to Do

If Microsoft Teams or Outlook goes down before your interview, contact the recruiter right away from another email account or by phone, explain the outage in one or two sentences, and offer two backup options: a phone call or a different video platform. Big outages are public and widely reported, so employers understand. What they’ll remember is how calmly and quickly you handled it.

What happened with the Microsoft outage?

A major Microsoft outage started around 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 12, and stretched into Friday, affecting Outlook, Teams, Copilot, OneDrive, SharePoint, and other Microsoft 365 services. Microsoft said it didn’t detect any malicious activity and pointed to a traffic surge in part of its infrastructure. By Friday morning, the company reported services were gradually recovering.

If you had an interview, an application deadline, or your first week at an internship scheduled on Microsoft tools, you weren’t alone. Outages like this happen a few times a year, and job seekers say the same thing every time: I’m going to miss my interview.

Here’s what to do instead.

Teams won’t load and your interview starts soon. What do you do?

Work through this in order. It takes about five minutes.

1. Confirm it’s not just you. Check Microsoft’s service status page or an outage tracker. If thousands of people are reporting problems, it’s not your Wi-Fi.
2. Try another way in. Open Teams in a web browser instead of the app, or try the mobile app on your phone. Partial outages sometimes affect one version but not another.
3. Contact the recruiter now, not after the start time. Use a personal email account or call the number in your interview confirmation. Don’t wait until you’re 10 minutes late.
4. Offer two backups. A phone call at the scheduled time, or a link on another video platform.
5. Take a screenshot of any error message, just in case.

What should you say to the recruiter?

Keep it short and calm. Something like:

Hi [Name], I’m scheduled to interview for the [Role] position at [time]. Teams isn’t loading for me because of the Microsoft outage today. I’m happy to do the interview by phone at [your number] at the same time, or join from a different video link if that’s easier. I’m also glad to reschedule. Thanks for your flexibility!

If your work email runs on Outlook and it’s down, send this from your personal email. Mention the role and time so they can find you quickly.

What if you already missed an interview because of the outage?

Reach out as soon as you can. Don’t wait for them to contact you.

Hi [Name], I’m so sorry I missed our [day/time] interview for the [Role] position. The Microsoft outage prevented me from accessing Teams and email. I’m still very interested in the role and would love to reschedule at a time that works for you.

Most employers were hit by the same outage, and some interviewers couldn’t join either. A quick, professional follow-up usually solves it.

What if you were waiting on an important email?

Outages can delay email, not just block it. Once service is back:

• Check your spam and junk folders for interview invites or offer updates.
• Confirm anything time-sensitive. If you submitted an application or assignment during the outage, email to confirm it went through.
• Resend if needed. A short “Resending in case this was affected by the outage” note is completely normal.

How do you prepare for tech problems before any virtual interview?

You can’t control outages, but you can be ready for them:

• Save the recruiter’s phone number and email somewhere outside your calendar app, like a note on your phone.
• Write down the meeting link and dial-in number if one is included.
• Test the platform the day before on both your laptop and phone.
• Join 10 minutes early so you have time to troubleshoot.
• Keep a backup device charged and logged in.

Our guide to what to do in the 24 hours before a virtual interview walks through the full checklist.

What if you’re an intern and your work tools are down?

Don’t panic, and don’t go silent. Check whether your team has a backup channel, like text or a personal email, and let your manager know you’re available. Use the downtime for work that doesn’t need those tools, like reading, planning, or organizing notes. Showing you stayed productive during an outage is a quiet way to stand out.

FAQ

Will a recruiter hold it against me if an outage made me late? Usually not, especially during a widely reported outage. Communicating quickly and professionally is what matters.

Should I ask to reschedule or try a phone call? Offer both and let the recruiter choose. Flexibility makes their job easier.

How do I know if Teams or Outlook is down for everyone? Check Microsoft’s service status page or an outage tracking site. Widespread reports mean it’s not your connection.

Can I use a personal email to contact a recruiter? Yes. In an outage, any professional-looking email works. Include the role and interview time so they can find your application.

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