How to create a flexible interview scheduling process that improves candidate experience

4 mins, 20 secs read time

The hiring process can seem labor-intensive from the recruiting – and applicant – perspective. There is so much to process from creating the job application to finally filling the role. Candidates are expecting more from us, and the great thing is that we finally have technology that can help us live up to their expectations.

What Is Candidate Experience and Why Does It Matter?

For the longest time, we've thought about customers and their experience with our brand. We mapped out extensive customer journeys and made sure every consumer touchpoint was explored and considered. This attention to detail proved terrific for building a customer base.

With so many businesses focused on the customer experience, we uncovered a new way of being treated by companies. If all my needs are met as a consumer, why should I be treated any differently as a candidate? Whether you work in a B2B or B2C industry, candidate experience matters.

How you treat your candidates has a significant impact on your reputation as a company. New research has found that people want to share positive experiences, and you have to make sure your positive experiences outweigh negative ones. Sites like Glassdoor empower candidates to share their experiences with brands during the hiring process. If your candidate experience is excellent, Glassdoor can be a powerful tool for attracting the best candidates to your company.

We live in a connected world. Candidate experience spills over into customer experience. How you treat your employees matters, and it can negatively impact your brand if done incorrectly. Employees, candidates and consumers were once seen as different aspects of your business. Now we understand how they influence each other.

Why Flexible Scheduling Helps Create a Wonderful Candidate Experience

When we think about the hiring process, one of the most challenging aspects is the interview. Scheduling an interview with a potential candidate manually can lead to back and forthing, frustration and missed opportunities. It's hard to compare schedules and pick a date and time that works for everyone. It can seem like no matter how many times are on offer, there is always something in the way.

Flexible scheduling empowers your candidates to choose an interview time that works best for them. Instead of laboring over what to say when scheduling an interview, they can schedule the interview around their needs. No explanations necessary.

How to Implement Flexible Scheduling

It may seem like flexible scheduling might be a challenge. The great thing about flexible scheduling is it allows you to share your entire availability. Sharing your availability means you can also hide when you are not available to host interviews.

Greenhouse just launched a fantastic integration with Calendly that will take interview scheduling up a notch. With this integration, you can set up your interview times and processes right in Greenhouse.

You set the times you accept interviews on Calendly. Your candidates will be able to select a time on your calendar that works best for them for your meeting. The time they pick is then blocked out for other candidates while you get a confirmation of when the interview is scheduled.

No more back and forthing – it's as simple as a few clicks of a mouse. The process is faster, you won't lose any interview times in a bottomless email inbox and everyone is happier because they can interview when they want to.

Other Ways to Improve Candidate Experience With Interviews

How you host interviews is even more important than when you host interviews. We live in a global world, and we aren’t confined to local talent anymore. When you are reaching out to talent all across the country, however, creating a flexible interview experience is essential.

Utilizing a combination of phone interviews, video interviews (pre-recorded and live) and in-person interviews will help you succeed as a business. Meeting a candidate in person isn't as crucial as you think, especially if you create an interview experience that puts your candidate first. How can you utilize your interview experience to get to the essence of a candidate?

Try to reduce the number of interviews you need to see a candidate's worth. You may be interviewing candidates who already have full-time jobs, so you want to be respectful of the time you are asking them to take off. Using a variety of interview techniques helps you to be more respectful of their time, but you also want to cut down on interview rounds. While another series of interviews might be helpful when picking your last few candidates, you also have to recognize that more information can lead to more indecision.

Take Action: Stop the Back and Forthing With Interview Scheduling

The interview is an essential part of the candidate search process. Being able to chat one-on-one with applicants helps you understand who they are, their competencies, and how they fit with your company. To get to that interview, though, it needs to be scheduled. Interview scheduling doesn't have to be an arduous process anymore. There are tools like our Calendly integration that will make your candidates’ lives so much easier. It’s time for you – and your candidates! – to say goodbye to the frustration of going back and forth!

Click here to find out how Greenhouse and Calendly can work for you.