Interview Scheduling 101: Best Practices and Tools You Can’t Live Without
Scheduling interviews has traditionally been a major time and resource drain for recruiters and hiring managers. Purpose-built technology is changing that reality, offering different ways to not just schedule an interview but collaborate with internal stakeholders (without a bunch of email chains back and forth).
At Willo, we’ve helped recruitment teams eliminate many of these interview scheduling pains by providing an async interview solution. Just ask Endava – their recruiting team saved 100 hours in a single hiring round by making the switch.
So, since this is in our wheelhouse, we thought we’d share some of our best practices for scheduling interviews, as well as a few awesome tools and services that can make the process easier and more efficient.
Let’s get started!
What Is Interview Scheduling?
Everyone involved in the interview process wants it to move quickly. But there are a whole host of (mostly avoidable) roadblocks that make it a nightmare – things like conflicting commitments, miscommunication about availability, and no-shows.
Interview scheduling is the art of managing all moving pieces of an application process in a way that works.
Tools like calendar integrations and automated emails make the process more efficient. Additionally, async interview tools like Willo allow candidates to complete interviews whenever they’d like, meaning individual availability doesn’t have to be a bottleneck.
Whatever method you use, the goal is the same – to make the interview process as smooth and seamless as possible for everyone.
Benefits of Efficient Interview Scheduling
Want to know why taking your interview scheduling more seriously is a must? Let’s look at what you can achieve if you do.
- Accuracy in data collection: A well-crafted interview schedule minimizes human error and streamlines your data collection process. It avoids overbooking and last-minute cancellations while crafting a controlled space for assessments. The result? Data that paints a clearer picture of your candidates.
- Better candidate insights: A well-executed interview schedule isn’t just about asking questions – it’s about having enough time to dig deep. Effective scheduling ensures that each candidate has the time they need to share their story, allowing for meaningful insights you can use to assess their application.
- Improved response rates: People are more likely to engage when it’s convenient for them. A thoughtful interview schedule respects the time of your participants and interviewers. By considering their availability, you’re significantly boosting the likelihood of participation and creating a great candidate experience.
- Inclusion: Rushing and cramming can force recruiters to make snap decisions about a candidate’s fit. But taking the time to create a thoughtfully scheduled interview process helps ensure that each outcome is based on facts – not biased feelings.
Bottom line—scheduling interviews well is a major hurdle recruiting teams need to clear in order to operate effectively. Willo helps in this regard by removing the need to schedule interviews at all through async interviewing.
Case in point, MyTutor achieved a 75% increase in their interviewing capacity after implementing Willo in their hiring process.
Best Practices for Interview Scheduling
Now that we’ve gone through the benefits of effective interview scheduling let’s take a look at some best practices that you can implement to elevate your interview process.
Availability Preferences
To schedule a face-to-face or sync (live) interview, both the candidate and interviewer need to be available. Consider collecting availability preferences from candidates in advance for any elements of your recruiting process that need live interaction. This gives you a better idea of when they can actually attend the interview and facilitates scheduling in a timely manner, without back-and-forth emails or calls.
Using an async interview tool like Willo eliminates the need to ask for preferences at all since candidates are free to answer questions or record videos at any time.
Set the Stage With Clear Guidelines
As with anything, transparency is crucial.
Keeping this in mind, communicate clearly with all involved parties about what they can expect from the interview, including its format (in-house or a remote job interview), duration, and topics to be covered.
Taking an empathetic approach to what can be a nerve-wracking experience for candidates not only improves the experience overall but also builds trust and ensures your hiring process is inclusive.
Leverage Scheduling Software
There’s no doubt about it – scheduling software is a game-changer. Platforms like Willo, Calendly, and Zoho Recruit (which we’ll delve into later) offer automated features that sync with your calendar, send reminders, and even conduct asynchronous interviews.
These tools reduce manual effort, lower the chances of errors, and present analytics for continuous improvement.
Collect Feedback
If you want to improve your interview scheduling, you need data. Asking candidates for feedback helps you identify any areas of improvement as well as uncover any systemic issues in your process.
When collecting feedback, make sure to be clear about what type of information you’re looking for – such as the overall candidate experience, if the questions asked were relevant for the role, how long it took to complete the interview (or their experience with an async video interview), and if they felt informed throughout the process.
Top 5 Interview Scheduling Tools For You
Before we get to our list of the best interview scheduling tools for recruiters, here’s a quick overview:
- Willo: For asynchronous interviewing
- ClearCompany: For interview resources
- Zoho Recruit: For candidate feedback
- Calendly: For team scheduling
- Jobvite: For mobile devices
Curious about why these tools were selected? Continue reading:
1. Willo
Willo is an asynchronous interview scheduling platform that helps recruiters screen candidates at scale. Simply choose from Willo’s suggested questions or craft your own, send out the invitation links to candidates, and review responses collaboratively as they’re submitted by candidates.
Once an interviewee completes an interview, Willo prompts them to submit their availability for a follow-up interview.
Key Features
- Any time accessibility: Willo's async interviews allow candidates to respond at their convenience, making it easier to schedule interviews across time zones.
- Device compatibility: Willo is browser-based, so no downloads or app installations are required. This allows candidates to easily record their responses using practically any device.
- Showcase™: This feature enables secure sharing of candidate interviews, allowing internal stakeholders to review, rate, and provide feedback.
- Mass invitations: Whether you want to invite candidates individually, upload a CSV, or share the link on a job board, Willo makes it easy to send out interview invitations at scale.
- Digital ID checks: Easily integrate digital identity and right-to-work checks into the interview process. Digital ID checks add an extra layer of trust to your hiring process.
Pricing
Willo offers a range of plans to fit various needs. The “Starter” plan at $56.25/month allows for up to 200 candidate responses per month. For larger needs, the “Growth” plan at $225/month offers up to 2,000 responses.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Asynchronous interviews
- Multi-device support
- Secure and easy sharing
- Scalability
- Over 5,000 integrations
Cons
- Its free plan is limited to ten responses
Pros and cons data collected from users on Capterra.
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2. ClearCompany
ClearCompany offers user-friendly recruiting software that empowers hiring teams to find the best candidates by enabling the management of every hiring stage – from sourcing and screening to interview scheduling and onboarding.
Key Features
- Real-time notifications: Get instant updates on interview confirmations, cancellations, and reschedules.
- Calendar integration: Helps keep all interview participants on the same page.
- Interview packets: Generate comprehensive interview packets for interviewers – complete with candidate information and evaluation forms.
- Automated reminders: Set reminders for candidates and interviewers, ensuring everyone is prepared and on time.
Pricing
ClearCompany’s pricing is available on request.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Effective communication
- Accessible dashboard
- Automated workflows
Cons
- Pricing isn’t transparent
- No free trial
Pros and cons data collected from users on Capterra.
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3. Zoho Recruit
Zoho Recruit is a recruitment solution that aims to simplify the interview scheduling workflow. The software oversees every phase of the recruiting process and features a live dashboard that displays the status of upcoming interviews.
Key Features
- Dynamic calendar: Allows recruiters to mark their available slots, enabling candidates to select a suitable time.
- Interview stage tracking: Keeps track of interviewees and their interview stage, helping teams manage their time and resources effectively.
- Candidate feedback surveys: Post-interview surveys are sent automatically to gather feedback on the interview experience.
Pricing
Four affordable pricing plans are available including a “Forever Free” plan.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Candidate experience
- Efficiency
- Affordable pricing
Cons
- Integration challenges
- Mobile app lacks features
Pros and cons data collected from users on Capterra.
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4. Calendly
With Calendly, you can oversee your meeting calendar and general availability. The software ensures you avoid double bookings by synchronizing all your schedules. Further, built-in automated notifications on Calendly premium plans keep you updated about any meeting cancellations or reschedules.
Key Features
- Unified team scheduling: Display scheduling options on a single page, allowing invitees to choose meetings based on availability.
- Multi-calendar sync: Automates your scheduling by integrating with up to six personal calendars, ensuring you’re always available for meetings when you’re actually free.
- Quick polling for meetings: Easily send out meeting time polls, identify the most favored slots, and then schedule your meeting accordingly.
Pricing
Affordable pricing ranges from free to $16 per month.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Team scheduling
- Affordable
- User-friendly
Cons
- Basic version has limitations
- Limited onboarding & implementation support
Pros and cons data collected from users on Capterra.
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5. Jobvite
Jobvite serves as both an applicant tracking system (ATS) and an interview scheduling platform, enhancing the automation and efficiency of your hiring process. It also offers a Mobile Hiring Team App to speed up recruitment activities.
Key Features
- Smart self-scheduling: Allows interviewers to send a list of available time slots to candidates. Interviews get automatically scheduled when candidates select times.
- Mobile Hiring Team App: The app is designed to help hiring teams execute time-sensitive tasks swiftly. It comes with in-app messaging and mobile evaluation forms.
- Candidate feedback: Evaluation forms can be customized to capture relevant applicant information.
Pricing
Jobvite has no standardized pricing, it varies per company. However, annual plans can start from $4,500 (1-50 employees) and grow to $110,000 or more (2,501 - 5,000 employees).
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Self-scheduling
- Mobile-friendly
- Candidate feedback
Cons
- Some users report complicated set-up
- Some users report poor support
- Potential for high pricing
Pros and cons data collected from users on G2.
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Which Software is the Best Choice for Your Organization?
Ultimately, the best software should streamline your operations and enhance the candidate experience. If you need a solution that combines efficiency and user-friendliness, Willo is the perfect fit.
Book a demo with Willo and see for yourself!
