Interview Scheduling

Interview Scheduling

Eliminate scheduling friction across candidates, interview panels, and time zones.

Workflow

1. Determine interview stage and format: phone screen (30 min), technical (60 min), panel (90 min), or final round (half-day).
2. Identify the interview panel: required roles (hiring manager, peer, cross-functional stakeholder, executive for senior roles).
3. Query calendars for all participants; find overlapping available slots within the candidate's acceptable window.
4. Handle time-zone conversions automatically — display times in each participant's local timezone.
5. Send calendar invitations with: video conferencing link, candidate resume, role description, interview guide, and scoring rubric attached.
6. Set automated reminders: 24h before (all participants), 1h before (interviewers only), 15 min before (all).
7. Handle rescheduling requests: auto-propose 3 alternative slots, update all calendars, re-send materials.
8. Track no-shows and cancellations; flag patterns for process improvement.

Interview Round Templates

| Stage | Duration | Participants | Format | Prep Materials | |-------|----------|-------------|--------|---------------| | Recruiter Screen | 20–30 min | Recruiter + Candidate | Phone/Video | Candidate resume, role brief | | Hiring Manager | 45 min | Manager + Candidate | Video | Resume, scorecard, behavioral guide | | Technical / Skills | 60 min | Peer + Candidate | Video + shared screen | Technical guide, problem set | | Cross-Functional | 45 min | Stakeholder + Candidate | Video | Collaboration scenarios, scorecard | | Culture Add | 30 min | Team member + Candidate | Video/Coffee | Values checklist, behavioral prompts | | Executive Final | 30–45 min | Director/VP + Candidate | Video | Strategic questions, org context | | Panel | 90 min | 3–4 interviewers + Candidate | Video | Full interview kit, rotation schedule |

Scheduling Rules

• Maximum interviews per day per interviewer: 3 (prevents interview fatigue and biased scoring)
• Gap between interviews: Minimum 30 min for interviewer debrief and scorecard completion
• Candidate experience: No more than 2 interview rounds per day; prefer spreading across 2–3 days
• Final round: Full half-day, max 4 interviews with lunch break between blocks
• Timezone courtesy: No interviews before 8am or after 6pm in any participant's local time
• Weekend scheduling: Never schedule on weekends unless candidate explicitly requests it

Time-Zone Handling

When a candidate is in timezone A and interviewers are in timezone B:

1. Find overlapping "business hours" (8am–5pm in both zones)
2. If no overlap exists, extend to 7am–7pm in the zone that benefits the candidate
3. Always display: "This is 2pm your time / 11am PST / 6pm CET"
4. For async options: offer recorded intro or written assessment as alternative

Common timezone pairings to pre-configure:

• US East ↔ US West (3h difference)
• US ↔ Europe (6–9h difference)
• US ↔ India (9.5–12.5h difference)
• US ↔ Asia Pacific (13–17h difference)

Interview Kit Assembly

Each calendar invite includes:

INTERVIEW KIT — [Candidate Name] — [Role] — [Date/Time]

📋 Pre-Read (15 min before interview):
  - Candidate resume (PDF)
  - Application notes from recruiter
  - Assessment scorecard results (if completed)

📝 Your Role:
  - [e.g., "Technical Interview — Focus on system design"]
  - Suggested questions (from guide below)
  - Scoring rubric to complete post-interview

⏱ Time Allocation:
  - 5 min: Candidate intro and background
  - 35 min: Technical discussion / problem-solving
  - 10 min: Candidate questions to you
  - 10 min: Next steps and closing

🔗 Video Link: [auto-generated]
📍 Location: [if in-person: building, floor, room, parking info]

Reminder Sequence

| Timing | Recipient | Channel | Content | |--------|-----------|---------|---------| | T-48h | Candidate | Email | Confirmation with details, prep tips, who they'll meet | | T-24h | All | Calendar notification | Standard reminder with link | | T-1h | Interviewers | Slack/Teams | "Interview in 1h — please review kit" | | T-15min | All | SMS (if opted-in) | Quick ping with link | | T+0 | If no-show | Recruiter | Alert to attempt call; log incident | | T+24h | Interviewers | Email | Scorecard submission reminder |

Rescheduling Protocol

When a reschedule request comes in:

1. Determine who needs to reschedule (candidate vs. interviewer)
2. Query updated availability for all affected parties
3. Propose exactly 3 alternative time slots — don't open-ended ask
4. Upon confirmation, update all calendars and re-send interview kits
5. Log reschedule reason for analytics (candidate conflict, interviewer emergency, timezone error, etc.)
6. If rescheduled > 2 times, flag for recruiter review — candidate may be disengaging

No-Show Handling

Immediate (within 15 min):
  → Attempt phone call to candidate
  → If unreachable, send SMS/email: "We missed you — are you okay? Reply to reschedule."

Within 1 hour:
  → If no response, log as no-show
  → Notify hiring manager
  → Offer one free reschedule with no penalty

Second no-show:
  → Auto-withdraw application
  → Note in candidate record for future reference

Output

Generate a scheduling confirmation:

INTERVIEW SCHEDULED ✓
Candidate: Jane Doe
Role: Senior Product Designer
Round: Technical Interview (Round 2)

📅 Thursday, Jan 23, 2025
⏰ 2:00–3:00 PM EST / 11:00–12:00 PM PST

People:
  👤 Jane Doe (Candidate)
  👤 Alex Chen (Senior Designer — Interviewer)
  👤 Sarah Park (Design Manager — Observer)

🔗 Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/xxxxxxxx
📎 Interview kit attached to calendar invite

Next round (if advanced): Culture Add — Jan 24

Integration Points

• Calendar systems: Google Calendar, Outlook, Microsoft 365
• Video platforms: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
• ATS: Pull candidate data, push scheduling status back
• Slack/Teams: Reminder notifications
• SMS gateways: Twilio, Vonage for text reminders

Edge Cases

• Executive interviews: Require 48h notice minimum; buffer 30 min before and after on exec calendar
• International candidates: Offer async video intro (via HireVue) as first round to avoid extreme timezone calls
• Emergency cancellations (interviewer sick): Auto-assign backup interviewer from same team; notify candidate within 2h
• Mass final rounds (multiple candidates same day): Stagger by 90-min blocks; pre-brief all interviewers morning-of

Disclaimer: All rights reserved by Circulos AI. These skills are specifically designed for Claude Code, Claude Cowork, Codex, and OpenClaw. When using or referencing any skill, please provide proper attribution to Circulos AI.