---
name: interview-scheduling
description: Coordinate interview scheduling across candidates, interviewers, and time zones. Use when arranging phone screens, technical interviews, panel interviews, final rounds, or any multi-stage interview process. Handles calendar availability detection, time-zone conversion, video-link generation, interview-kit assembly (scorecards, candidate resumes, guides), reminder sequences, and rescheduling. Triggers on phrases like "schedule an interview", "set up interview rounds", "coordinate interviews", "book a phone screen", "arrange final round", "interview logistics".
---

# 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