Scheduling Interviews: 8 Best Practices for 2024

Align with your hiring team early

Before you begin scheduling interviews, gather your team to align around key aspects of the hiring process. This includes defining the evaluation criteria, outlining the interview process, determining who will be interviewing candidates, and setting a clear timeline.

• Define evaluation criteria: Ensure that everyone on the hiring team is on the same page regarding what you’re looking for in a candidate. This includes must-have skills, experience levels, cultural fit, and any other specific qualifications relevant to the role. Use this information to build interview scorecards your hiring team can use to rate candidate qualifications.

• Outline the interview process: Agree on the interview process structure, including how many interview rounds you’ll have, what type of interviews they’ll be (i.e. behavioral, technical, cultural fit), how they’ll be conducted (phone, virtual, in-person), and how long they’ll be.

• Determine interviewers: Decide who will be involved in the interview process and what roles they’ll play. This could include hiring managers, team members, and other stakeholders. Assign specific roles to each interviewer, such as focusing on technical skills, cultural fit, or potential for growth.

• Set a timeline: Agree on a timeline for the entire hiring process, from sourcing candidates to final decisions, taking into account things like paid time off, travel schedules, and busy periods at work. A clear timeline helps keep the process on track and ensures that candidates aren’t left waiting too long, which can lead to disengagement.

Aligning on these elements early in the process not only improves the efficiency of your interview scheduling but also enhances the overall quality of your hiring decisions. When your team is unified and clear on the process, candidates will experience a smoother, more professional journey, reflecting positively on your company as a whole.

Minimize time between hiring stages

Nearly four in five recruiting professionals (78%) say they’ve lost a candidate because they couldn’t schedule their interviews quickly enough. Top talent doesn’t stay on the market for long and a slow process can cause you to lose high-quality candidates to competitors.

Scheduling interviews shortly after a candidate applies or completes the previous interview round can help you keep candidates engaged. 

You can minimize time between hiring stages by:

• Prioritizing application reviews: Set up a system where applications are reviewed as soon as possible. Whether it’s a daily review process or assigning dedicated team members to manage this task, the quicker you identify promising candidates, the faster you can move them to the next stage.

• Streamlining decision-making: Avoid unnecessary delays by using clear, pre-defined evaluation criteria and making decisions in a timely manner. 

• Communicating promptly: Once a candidate has been selected for an interview, reach out immediately to schedule it. Even an extra day or two can make a difference in whether a candidate remains interested in your opportunity.

Prioritize clear, frequent communication

Clear communication is the cornerstone of an effective interview scheduling process. Ensure that all details are communicated clearly and concisely from the moment a candidate is invited to interview. 

For example:

• Use clear subject lines in interview scheduling emails and interview confirmation emails so they get your candidates’ attention

• Include all pertinent information in communications to reduce back-and-forth messages and maintain a better candidate experience. 

• Be transparent about your hiring process so candidates understand next steps and timelines

Provide flexible interview options

Flexibility is more important than ever. Offering candidates a range of interview options can enhance the candidate experience and improve your chances of winning top talent for your team.

For example:

• Provide multiple scheduling options: Recognize that candidates may be balancing current job responsibilities or personal commitments. Offering interviews across various days and times allows candidates to choose a slot that works best for them. This flexibility shows respect for their time and can increase the likelihood of a successful interview.

• Offer different interview formats: Whether a candidate prefers a phone interview, a video call, or an in-person meeting, providing options demonstrates your commitment to making the process as convenient and accessible as possible. 

Be mindful of your hiring team’s workload

Recruiting is an important part of your team’s success—but it’s not your interviewers’ only job. Balancing the demands of interviewing with their regular job responsibilities can be challenging, and overloading your team can lead to burnout, rushed decisions, and a poor candidate experience.

Ease the burden on your team by:

• Scheduling interviews with consideration: Consider your team’s existing commitments when coordinating interview times. Avoid scheduling multiple interviews back-to-back or during peak work times when your team is likely to be busiest. 

• Distribute the workload: If your interview process involves multiple stages or interviewers, distribute the workload across your team. This not only prevents any single team member from becoming overwhelmed but also allows for diverse perspectives. 

• Provide adequate preparation time: Ensure that your team has sufficient time to review resumes and align on evaluation criteria before the interview. Rushed preparation can lead to ineffective interviews and inconsistent assessments. By allowing your team the time they need, you increase the likelihood of making well-informed hiring decisions.

• Regularly check in with your team: Keep an open line of communication with your hiring team to gauge their workload and stress levels. If the volume of interviews is too high, consider slowing down the process slightly or redistributing responsibilities to ensure that your team remains effective and engaged.

Being mindful of your hiring team’s workload not only helps maintain their productivity and morale but also ensures that each candidate receives the thoughtful consideration they deserve. This balanced approach ultimately contributes to a more efficient and effective hiring process.

Use interview self-scheduling tools

Interview self-scheduling tools empower candidates to choose their own interview times from a set of available slots. This automation eliminates the need for manual coordination, saving time and reducing the chances of scheduling conflicts.

For example, JobScore customers can send candidates an email with a link to self-schedule their interview based on interviewer availability. Calendar invitations are sent to both the candidate and interviewer with the interview details once the candidate selects a day and time.

Send an interview confirmation email to candidates

Once the interview is scheduled, send an interview confirmation email with a calendar invitation to your candidate that includes all of the essential information:

• Role and job description 

• Interview date, time, and duration

• Interview format, including login details for virtual interviews and location details for in-person interviews

• Interviewer names and roles

• Required materials and preparations

• Dress code expectations

• Recruiter contact information

• Company resources and information

• Accommodations

An interview confirmation email that confirms interview details and helps your candidates prepare can create a smoother interview process for everyone.

Send a detailed calendar invitation to interviewers

While scheduling interviews efficiently is critical for candidates, it’s equally important to ensure that your internal team is well-prepared and informed. Sending a detailed calendar invitation to all interviewers is a simple yet essential step that helps your team stay organized, reduces confusion, and ensures everyone is aligned on the interview plan.

• Include essential information: Make sure your calendar invite includes all relevant details—date, time, and location (whether virtual or in-person). If it’s a virtual interview, provide the necessary links to video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet. If it’s in-person, note the conference room that’s been booked for the interview. This ensures that interviewers don’t have to hunt for information right before the interview.

• Link to the interview template: Lay out the interview structure, interviewer’s assigned role, and criteria they’re responsible for evaluating. For instance, one person may be responsible for evaluating technical skills, while another focuses on cultural fit. Clear role distribution helps streamline the interview and prevents overlap in questioning.

• Share candidate details: Include the candidate’s resume so interviewers can prepare ahead of time, ensuring a more informed and meaningful conversation with the candidate.

By sending a comprehensive calendar invitation, you ensure that your hiring team is fully prepared and aligned, resulting in a more cohesive and effective interview process. This attention to detail can make a big difference in how smoothly interviews run and, ultimately, in the quality of your hiring decisions.