Interviewing candidates is an integral part of hiring. Once someone has applied, the clock is ticking to move them through the hiring process. Our interview scheduling tool provides a means to schedule and track interviews in a repeatable manner.
In this article, we will cover:
- Before you start
- Configuring Your Availability
- Scheduling an Interview
- Bulk Interview Requests
- Bulk Interview Requests via SMS
- Interview Confirmation
- Time Zones
- Related Topics
Before you start
- Move the candidate to the In Progress stage. Learn how to change a candidate’s status.
- To send a scheduling link, sync the Interview Owner’s calendar. Learn how to sync a calendar.
For a video interview, sync a calendar and connect Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet. Both are required for manual and link-based scheduling.
- To schedule a panel interview, at least one user must be assigned to the job’s hiring team.
Configuring Your Availability
Sync your calendar
Open your personal settings and select Calendar Sync.
Select Connect Calendar and follow the instructions.
You can connect more than one calendar. Choose which calendars Hireology checks when it shows available times. Supported calendars include Apple/iCloud, Google, Office 365, Exchange, and Outlook.
Connect video conferencing
Make sure to sync at least one calendar.
Open your calendar settings and connect Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet. Follow the instructions to finish setup.
Hireology adds a meeting link to video interview invitations. To change providers, disconnect the current provider and connect another one.
Set your availability
In your profile settings:
Set the days and hours candidates can book.
Set how much notice candidates need and how far ahead they can book.
Set buffer time before or after interviews.
Block any times you do not want to offer. Green times are available; white times are unavailable. Hover over a time and click or drag to block it. You can also configure availability blocks by toggling on the feature.
Check your time zone and select Save Availability.
These settings apply when you send a scheduling link.
Your scheduling availability is built around settings you configure in your profile. These apply automatically every time you send an interview request — individually or in bulk. Calendar sync is required to send a scheduling link. You can schedule manually without syncing a calendar. For manual scheduling, Hireology does not check availability in your external calendar. If a calendar is connected, Hireology adds the interview to it after the interview is scheduled.
Scheduling an Interview
Open the candidate pipeline and select In Progress. Select the candidate.
Choose One-on-One or Panel.
Choose Send a Scheduling Link or Schedule Manually.
Set the interview details: Choose a duration: 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes; 1.5 hours; or 2 hours. Choose Phone, In Person, or Video.
Select the Interview Owner. For a panel, select the other interviewers.
The Interview Owner is the primary interviewer. For panel interviews, mark each additional interviewer as:
- Required: Their availability is checked with the Interview Owner’s.
- Optional: They receive the calendar invitation, but their availability is not checked.
Send a scheduling link
Choose Use default availability or Set custom availability.
- Use default availability: Use the Interview Owner’s profile settings.
- Set custom availability: Choose dates and times for this request.
Review Candidate Notification. Choose from the options shown, or leave them unselected if you do not want to notify the candidate.
To edit an email, select a template and update the subject or message.
Select Send Scheduling Link.
The candidate gets a unique link and chooses an available time. The link expires after 14 days. Availability updates after you send the link. If a new calendar event blocks a time, that time is no longer offered. If you send links to multiple candidates, times are booked first come, first served.
Schedule manually
Choose one option:
- Send a confirmed time: Select a date and time you have already agreed on with the candidate.
- Send several times: Select dates and times for the candidate to choose from. The interview is confirmed when the candidate picks a time.
Hireology hides times that conflict with interviews already scheduled in Hireology. To see those times, select Show all times, including conflicts. For panel interviews, Hireology checks the Interview Owner and Required Interviewers. It does not check Optional Interviewers.
Manual scheduling does not check availability in external calendars. If an interviewer has a connected calendar, Hireology adds the interview to it after the interview is scheduled.
Before you send, review Candidate Notification and choose from the options shown. To edit an email, select a template and update the subject or message. Select "Send Scheduling Link" to send the interview request to the candidate.
Bulk Interview Requests
Open the job’s In Progress tab. Select the candidates. All candidates must be in the same hiring step.
Choose Request Interviews from the bulk actions menu.
Choose One-on-One or Panel. Set the interview details, select the interviewer or interviewers, and choose default or custom availability.
Review Candidate Notification. The bulk request options listed in this article are email, text message, or both. Choose a template and edit the message if needed.
Select Send Interview Requests.
Each candidate gets a separate scheduling link. Candidates choose their own times. Times are booked first come, first served. A booked time is no longer offered to other candidates.
Bulk Interview Requests via SMS
Send interview requests to multiple candidates at once via SMS. Each candidate gets a text with their own personal scheduling link, so everyone can pick a time without you coordinating each request individually.
From a job's In Progress tab, check the box next to each candidate you want to invite. Choose Request Interviews from the action menu, then Send.
In the Send Scheduling Link window, choose SMS at the top.
Set Duration, Interview Type, and Interviewer. Once you pick an interviewer, you'll see their buffer time, minimum notice, booking window, and available hours.
Under SMS Configuration, confirm recipients, choose a template, and review the message before sending.
Adding the Request Interview Link to a template
Every recipient gets the same message, but every Request Interview Link is unique. It identifies the candidate automatically, shows only their available times, and confirms the booking once they pick a slot. Without a unique link per candidate, there'd be no way to tell who booked what.
In the left navigation, go to Management > Templates > Text Templates
Open the template you want to use. SMS Interview Scheduled/Confirmation is the default; edit it or use as is.
Add [Request Interview Link] via the Insert a Dynamic Field dropdown (or type it in directly, brackets included). Save your changes.
Keep in mind:
- [Request Interview Link] must stay in the message, or candidates can't book.
- Available times depend on the interviewer's buffer, notice period, and hours.
- Default templates can be edited but not archived; Custom templates can be edited or archived freely.
Interview Confirmation
When a candidate selects a time from a scheduling link or a list of offered times, Hireology sends an email confirming that the interview is scheduled to the interviewer or interviewers.
Time zones
- While you schedule: Times show in the Interview Owner’s time zone.
- After confirmation in Hireology: Times show in your local time zone, based on your browser.
- In a scheduling link or several-time offer: Candidates see times in their local time zone.
- In the candidate’s confirmation email after they choose a time: The time shows in the candidate’s local time zone.
In the candidate’s confirmation email for a manually scheduled interview: The time shows in the local time zone of the user who scheduled the interview.
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