Interviews

An interview slot is a fixed time and date on which one or more applicants are expected to be interviewed.

This guide will explain how to create an interview slot within the recruitment portal and explore your setting options. We will also review how to invite an applicant to an interview slot and book their time slot.

Follow along with our video guide and the steps below.

Step 1

The first thing you will need to do is to go to Recruitment > Manage positions.

You will then see a list of all the open positions and all the active applicants. Under the applications button, select the active applicants option. Under interview options, you will see the option to add a new interview slot.

When creating a slot, you will be asked for the date and start time of the first slot.

 You will then be asked how many interview slots you want in that single session. For example, you might decide on a session with three separate interviews.

Then, you will need to select the length of each slot and whether you wish to have a gap between slots. These can be useful time blocks to schedule in for note-taking and deliberation, and they also allow for any delays in the interview process if one slot goes over.

You can also set the number of applicants to be interviewed in each slot, allowing you to conduct group or individual interviews.

You can also enter the location of the interview and long-form notes for each slot. The notes will be displayed once the applicant has selected the interview slot.

Once your details are set, the system will automatically create the slots based on the durations and gaps requested. For example, three slots that are 1 hour long, each with a 15-minute gap between them, starting at 9 am will create the following:

9 am - 10 am

10:15 am to 11:15 am

11:30 am to 12:30 pm

If you wish to have a longer break (for lunch, for example), then limit the slots for the morning session and add another new interview slot after lunch.

Then, if you would like to conduct interviews later in the day or another day, select "add another interview session" and repeat the process.

Copying slots

That is how you create an interview slot. You can also copy a session to another day if you want to quickly create the same block of interviews across multiple days. 

This tool can also be used to reschedule your interview sessions, even once they are live, by clicking copy, choosing another day and deleting the initial session.

Blocking time slots

Additionally, Within the interview procedure, you can block an individual time slot within a whole run of interviews that can be set aside for a single break period. So, if, for example, you are running six back-to-back interviews that are 30 minutes each and there is no gap between each interview, you can now block a slot so that that period of time remains empty. 

This can be helpful if you are running back-to-back interviews but want to create a specific period of time for a break. To use it, click the details on your interview session and choose the slot you wish to block.

 Step 2

Inviting Applicants

Now that we have reviewed the ins and outs of creating interview slots, we will review how to invite applicants to interview so they can book a slot. 

You can invite applicants to interview individually or in bulk. The bulk option will send invites to all eligible applicants whose draft status is Suggested Interview (i.e., they have an individual invite button next to their application).

Or you can select an individual applicant and invite them to book their interview.

Once invited, they will receive an email inviting the applicant to select an interview slot. 

You can edit the interview email text under the Portal Settings page. You can also change this when editing or creating a position under the email content section.

Step 3

Booking an interview

To book an interview, applicants must log in to the recruitment portal with their email address and unique applicant code (which they can re-request if they have lost it). 

They will then be shown all the available interview slots and asked to confirm which they can attend.

Once selected, their slot will be shown on your shortlist dashboard.

Alternatively, once an applicant has been invited to interview, a manager can also choose the interview slot. This is shown as ‘Book Interview’ beside the applicant's name.

Once an interview is booked, you can unbook it (so the applicant can book a new slot) or pick a new slot for them. Both of these actions will email the applicant immediately with either the rebooking instructions or the details for the interview.

Step 4 

Re-interviewing candidates

If desired, you can request an applicant's re-interview. Simply go to view an application and select reinterview new interview slots. This will resend the re-interview email to the applicant. 

Then, to manually rebook the interview, click the manual book button shown next to the applicant.

That's everything for your guide on how to set up an interview in StaffSavvy.

If you would like to learn more about our other features at StaffSavvy, check out our other recruitment how-to Videos.