Feature focus: Interview scheduler

An HR and Recruitment professional like you has likely seen it all: candidates asking to rearrange interviews, showing up to interviews at the wrong time or place, or just not showing up at all.

With such a busy working day, you could probably do without this kind of additional admin.

How can this be solved? In this post, we investigate how an Interview Scheduler tool can help to relieve the administration that goes into interview organisation, and also improve candidate no-show rates.

1. Save time on interview scheduling administration

Plotting out a time, place, how long each interview will last and building in time for rest and food breaks can be an administrative labyrinth.

The Interview Scheduler tool acts as your much-needed map to this maze. Input the start time (let’s say 9:30 am), and either the number of interviews you’d like to have in that day, or the time of day you’d like to finish your interviews by, for example 4:30pm.

Select your location and indicate how long the interviews will last. The Scheduler will then do the rest – filling the day with either your selected number of meetings, or the number that fills your selected time-frame.

You can even set how much time you’d like to leave between interviews so you have time to prepare between each one – so there are no mad dashes to the cafeteria to grab a bite before the next candidate arrives.

2. Save time on interview rescheduling administration

Now that you’ve set your interview schedule, what’s the next step?

Using their candidate portal, a job applicant can simply select their preferred interview date and time from those offered. They click submit, and you receive an email notifying you of their chosen slot.

The real benefit here is that the candidate can change their preferred time if there are still other slots available. They simply log back into their portal, release their chosen slot, and select another available one. No more back and forth emails and/or phone calls, and no more juggling hiring managers’ diaries.

3. Reduce drop-out rates

The advantage of a candidate choosing their own interview slot, and having the opportunity to easily amend their time, is that interview drop-out rates decrease. This can be particularly valuable on assessment days.

“We use the ‘Self-select Interview’ tool, which allows candidates to pick their own interview slots through their candidate portal. Encouraging candidates to pick a time that suits them has helped with no-show rates, and has also really decreased our administration, as we no longer have to go back and forth with candidates over email and the phone.”

– Carol Barker, Recruitment Coordinator at StepChange Debt Charity

Giving candidates the opportunity to be flexible around their own calendars mean that an interview is much easier to attend, and can mean the difference between a day well-spent by interviewing quality candidates, or high no-show rates and an empty meeting room.

4. See the bigger picture

Once candidates have scheduled their time slots, the Interview Scheduler tool will provide you with an overview of when and where each meeting will take place. This allows you, and your fellow interviewers, to view the overall schedule, saving time spent on inputting each slot into Excel or into multiple calendars.

The Interview Scheduler won’t just make the path through your interview administration clearer, it can save you some much-needed time, which ultimately translates into money back for your organisation.   

StepChange’s Carol estimates that using the Interview Scheduler tool has saved the charity 30 minutes/application, translating as approx. £20,000 per annum. To read the full case study, click here.

If you do wish to find out more about Interview Scheduler, or any of the other tools available in Hireserve ATS, the Hireserve team will be more than happy to have a chat with you. No pushy sales tactics, no obligations.