Interview Scheduling for Efficient Hiring - ApplicantStack

Manual interview scheduling is a headache. It is also a bottleneck in the hiring process for many companies because there are so many moving parts. There’s the applicant’s availability and each member of the interviewing team has schedule constraints.

With Poor Interview Scheduling, You Can Lose Your Top Candidates

The best talent is on the market only 10 days! If your process breaks down at this juncture, a competing employer may lure them away.

In addition, efficient scheduling creates a better candidate experience. Remember that evaluation works both ways. Not only are you evaluating the applicant—they are judging your company at the same time. Therefore, a modern scheduling process strengthens your employer brand.

Moreover, a good scheduling process saves the hiring team time and frustration. Successful companies create efficient systems and that includes scheduling.

The Challenges of Interview Scheduling

As mentioned, job interview scheduling by phone can be confusing and time-consuming. Manual emails are error-prone as well. You have probably noticed, for example, that listing the wrong time is easy to do when you’re sending dozens of emails. When an applicant needs to reschedule, the chaos starts all over again.

That leads us to the question: How do you get all of your managers and applicants scheduled without all the back-and-forth of emails and schedule alignment?

How to Schedule an Interview

The best practice for scheduling interviews is to use a shared calendar or scheduling software. Google Calendar, for instance, is free. Plus, there are plenty of low-cost apps designed specifically for interview scheduling.

This is how it works:

1. 1.All members of the interview team mark their availability on the shared calendar (before sending the link to the candidates)
2. 2.The hiring manager clears time slots where everyone is available
3. 3.Email or text the candidate the link to the shared calendar or a list of the available slots
4. 4.The interviewee chooses one of the pre-cleared slots
5. 5.Once confirmed, the hiring manager sends a confirmation email or text
   1. 1.If it’s an in-person interview, include the address and any parking or building access instructions
   2. 2.If it’s a video interview, send the link to the meeting and instructions for logging in

ApplicantStack Job Interview Scheduling

ApplicantStack applicant tracking system makes scheduling interviews a breeze, because you let interviewees select a date and time that is mutually available. It eliminates the back-and-forth emails, texts or phone calls.

How ApplicantStack Automates Interview Scheduling

ApplicantStack integrates with Google Calendar and Office 365. You have two ways to schedule: you can choose a time or allow the applicant to select an interview time from pre-cleared calendar slots.

With applicant self-scheduling, the software emails the interviewee a link to your calendar. Then, when they follow the link, they will see your interview calendar. Because you’ve pre-cleared slots, they can only schedule when your team is available.

Let’s review the benefits of automated scheduling in ApplicantStack:

• ​Improves the applicant experience by allowing self-scheduling from any mobile device
• ​Decreases time-to-hire by eliminating back-and-forth calls and emails
• ​Reduces abandoned applications due to schedule confusion
• ​Allows your hiring team to focus on top candidates instead of manually scheduling interviews

Automated Interview Scheduling Improves the Applicant Journey

It’s getting tougher to find quality employees in today’s labor market. To be competitive, you need to provide an exceptional applicant journey. Confusing interview scheduling, in contrast, downgrades the applicant journey quickly. Efficient scheduling strengthens your company brand. Indeed, you are less likely to lose an applicant due to a clunky interview scheduling process.