Phone tag. Email tennis. Calendar ping-pong.
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Yes, we did make that last one up. But scheduling an interview can be a headache, especially when you’re juggling a million things at once. The good news? It doesn’t have to be that way.
The right interview scheduling software can be a game-changer, transforming your hiring process and ensuring a smoother experience for both you and your candidates. If you’re on the hunt for the best tools to streamline your hiring in 2024, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve rounded up the top 8 interview scheduling tools—both free and paid—so you can find the perfect fit without all the hassle of free trials and demos. Let’s dive in.
To select the best solution for your company, take these steps:
Type: Freemium
Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses
Calendly is the go-to tool for simplifying interview scheduling. It integrates effortlessly with Google, Outlook, and iCloud calendars, so you never have to worry about double-booking again.
With customizable booking pages, candidates can pick a time that works for both sides, and automated reminders ensure no one forgets their appointment. It’s easy to set up, looks professional, and works great whether you’re scheduling solo or with a team.
Calendly’s free plan has limited event types and no ATS integration, so larger teams or those needing deep integrations might find it lacking. If your workflow is complex, you might need something more robust.
Type: Paid
Best for: Mid-sized to large companies
Recruitee is a powerful tool for companies that need more than just scheduling. It integrates directly with your ATS, allowing candidates to self-schedule interviews while also providing features like interview scorecards and templated interview schedules for a more structured evaluation process.
It’s designed to streamline the entire hiring workflow, making it a solid choice for larger teams with complex hiring needs.
Recruitee is a paid tool, which might not be ideal for small businesses or startups on a tight budget. Additionally, its range of features may feel overwhelming if you're only looking for basic scheduling options.
Type: Free
Best for: Small businesses and startups
Google Calendar is a simple yet effective tool for scheduling interviews, especially if you’re already using other Google services.
It’s free, easy to set up, and integrates seamlessly with Gmail when you send your request for availability email, making it a no-brainer for small teams who need basic scheduling capabilities without the extra frills.
Google Calendar lacks advanced features like candidate self-scheduling or ATS integration. It’s best for businesses with simple scheduling needs but may not provide the level of automation or sophistication that larger companies require.
Type: Freemium
Best for: Teams and individuals
Doodle is designed to make group scheduling easier, especially when coordinating interviews with multiple people. With its poll-based approach, you can propose several time slots, and everyone involved can select what works best for them.
It’s a simple yet effective tool that helps avoid endless email chains, making it perfect for small teams or individuals managing multiple stakeholders in the interview process.
Doodle’s free plan offers limited features, and for more advanced options like removing ads or setting up automatic reminders, you’ll need a paid plan.
Additionally, while Doodle is excellent for group scheduling, it lacks deeper integration with ATS platforms or interview management features, which larger companies might need. It’s best suited for small teams or individual recruiters managing a lighter interview load.
Type: Paid
Best for: Enterprise-level companies
HireVue is a comprehensive platform designed for large organizations, offering automated scheduling, video interviews, and built-in candidate assessments. It’s an all-in-one solution that handles every stage of the interview process, from scheduling to evaluation, streamlining the workflow for teams managing a high volume of candidates.
HireVue can feel impersonal and overly complex for many candidates, especially those unfamiliar with video-based interviews or working with a large system.
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The pricing can be a significant barrier for smaller companies, and its feature-heavy design may be overkill for organizations that don’t need such a sophisticated platform.
Additionally, some users report that the system can feel a bit rigid, which might hinder a more human and engaging interview experience. If your goal is to build strong relationships with candidates, HireVue may come across as too automated and detached.
Type: Freemium
Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses
Appointlet is a user-friendly scheduling tool designed to simplify the interview booking process. It allows businesses to create customizable booking forms, handle appointments across multiple time zones, and integrate with popular tools like Zoom and Google Calendar.
It’s ideal for smaller teams looking for an affordable solution to manage interviews without the complexity of more advanced software.
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Appointlet’s free plan covers the basics, but as soon as you need features like payment integration or advanced customization, you’ll need to upgrade.
For larger teams or businesses handling high-volume scheduling, Appointlet may lack the advanced automation or ATS integration that other tools provide.
It’s a solid choice for straightforward scheduling, but it doesn’t offer the depth or complexity that growing organizations may require for a more robust hiring workflow.
Type: Freemium
Best for: Service-based businesses
TimeTap is a versatile scheduling tool designed for businesses that handle appointments, including interviews. It offers a customizable online calendar, booking rules, and reporting tools to help manage your scheduling efficiently. Its flexibility makes it ideal for service-based industries that need a robust system for managing high volumes of bookings.
While TimeTap offers great flexibility, its user interface can feel a bit clunky, especially for first-time users. The free version is limited, and many of the more useful features, such as advanced reporting and branding options, are locked behind the paid plans.
TimeTap is powerful for those who can manage its learning curve, but it might be overkill for smaller teams or those with simpler scheduling needs.
Type: Paid
Best for: Businesses of all sizes
x.ai is an AI-powered scheduling assistant that helps automate the process of setting up interviews. By using natural language processing, it interacts with candidates via email to find the best time for everyone involved. It’s ideal for companies looking to reduce the manual effort involved in scheduling interviews and want an intelligent, hands-off solution.
x.ai is great in theory, but it lacks the personal touch many companies value in their candidate interactions.
While it can handle scheduling efficiently, the AI-driven communication can feel robotic and impersonal, which might detract from the overall candidate experience.
Additionally, as a paid service, it might not offer enough value for smaller teams who can manage their scheduling manually or with simpler tools.
When evaluating interview scheduling software, consider the following key features to ensure you’re making the right choice:
Automating your interview scheduling process can lead to several benefits for your team:
Finding the right interview scheduling tool could totally change the game for your hiring process in 2024.
Whether you go with a free option or decide to invest in something more feature-packed, the payoff is huge. Imagine saying goodbye to the scheduling chaos and having a streamlined process that runs like clockwork.
Take a bit of time to explore your options—many tools offer free trials, so you can test them out before committing.
Once you land on the right fit, you'll be amazed at how much time you save, how smooth everything runs, and how professional your candidate experience feels. It’s a win for everyone.
The 5 C's of interviewing include Competency, Character, Communication Skills, Culture Fit, and Career Direction. Competency involves having the necessary technical skills for the task, often assessed through technical evaluations during the interview.
To conduct an effective interview, start by making the applicant comfortable, such as by establishing rapport with a shared topic before diving into more challenging questions. Utilize open-ended questions to encourage detailed responses, listen more than you speak, take notes diligently, and be mindful of legal boundaries in questioning.
When giving an interview, it's advisable to arrive early, prepare a brief summary of your experience relevant to the position, listen attentively to each question, maintain a positive demeanor while avoiding negative remarks about previous employers, and be conscious of your body language and tone.
A good interview should begin with a friendly opening to make the candidate feel at ease, followed by proper introductions. Set clear expectations for the interview, treat it as a conversational exchange to gather essential information, and share your leadership philosophies. Finally, allow the candidate to ask their own questions.
