Recruiters know the pain of trying to schedule an interview. From determining availability to communicating with candidates, coordinating even one interview can be a time-consuming process. In fact, it can take up a significant amount of a recruiter’s time and prevent them from focusing on other parts of their job. And with hiring timelines increasing by 15% since 2009, scheduling problems can make an already long process even longer.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Taking a strategic approach to scheduling interviews can help you streamline your hiring process and overcome your biggest hurdles. Here are some common scheduling woes — and how to overcome them.
Difficulty coordinating schedules
We’ve all been there: You ask a candidate to share their availability only to find out that none of the times they’ve requested work for the hiring manager. Pretty frustrating, right? The ensuing back and forth emails not only slow down the interview process, they put you at risk of losing out on a talented candidate.
The Fix: Before you ask a candidate to share their availability, loop in the hiring team and have them give you access to their calendars. Then, ask candidates to give you at least three time windows that work for them. This should significantly cut down on the back-and-forth required to schedule the interview and ensure that you’re able to find a time that works for everyone.
Too many email exchanges
Staying on top of our inboxes is always a struggle, and that struggle gets even worse when you’re coordinating interviews for multiple candidates at once. What’s more, the constant stream of emails can be distracting and make it hard to remember the details you need to share with each candidate. This can leave candidates feeling unprepared for their interviews and unable to put their best foot forward.
The Fix: Adopting an automated solution like a candidate experience platform can help you significantly cut down on the number of emails you send while providing candidates with all the necessary information, including when to arrive and how to prepare. And because this type of solution makes it easy to keep track of emails and texts, you can stay on top of candidate communication without extra effort. The icing on the cake: 93% of employers who have automated at least part of their talent acquisition process say it has increased their efficiency and saved them time.
Having to coordinate multiple interviews
Have you ever spent hours scheduling an interview only to have a key member of the hiring team reschedule at the last minute? We have too. This often necessitates additional interview scheduling and coordination for the same candidate, delaying the time it takes to get to the offer stage.
The Fix: While we can’t always control last-minute issues like emergencies, scheduling interviews during less busy times of the week and double-checking that all members of the hiring team are available to meet with candidates can keep the number of interviews to a minimum and ensure that all parties have enough information to make the right decision. It can also help to have a back-up team member available to help conduct any last minute interview cancelations on your end.
Coordinating interviews can be one of the most challenging parts of a recruiter’s job, but it’s an easily solvable problem. By asking for increased cooperation from the hiring team, streamlining communication with candidates and cutting down on the number of interviews you conduct for each candidate, you can overcome your biggest pain points while getting the right talent in the door.
Want to improve your recruiting strategy? Learn how salary transparency can help you attract top talent and three questions to ask when assessing culture fit.
