Use these best practices for scheduling to position yourself for success.
When is the best time to schedule an interview?
Take into consideration the interviewer’s level of focus and energy when choosing the time of day, as these factors can have a big influence on the interview’s outcome.
So, what is the ideal time for an interview, then? The best times to hire are in the middle of the morning, when employees can get settled into their workday and avoid being exhausted after lunch. According to Accountemps, sixty-one percent of CFOs concurred that interviews are best conducted between nine and eleven in the morning.
When is not the best time to make plans? Schedule meetings outside of the last hour of the day, when cognitive function is at its lowest.
The ideal time to schedule interviews
When planning interviews, think about both the time of day and the days of the week. Even if candidates can choose when they want to interview, try to restrict their options. It’s best to avoid Mondays and Fridays and schedule interviews from Tuesday to Thursday instead. This helps everyone get into the swing of the week and perform better during interviews.
How to handle with a no-show
When a candidate doesn’t show up for an interview, it’s important to stay calm and not take it personally. Give them some time to reach out and explain why they missed the interview, usually between 8 to 24 working hours.
If they don’t get in touch, it’s up to you what to do next. You can check in with them to see if everything is okay and offer to reschedule, or you can send them a rejection email and let them know you’re moving forward without them.
If they were a good candidate and you’re disappointed they missed the interview, you can ask if they want you to keep their resume for future opportunities. But if they keep ignoring you, it’s best to focus on other candidates who did show up.
How to postpone a scheduled interview
Since all candidates in a structured process must interview with the same people, rescheduling an interview may be necessary in the case that the interviewer ends up unwell or has other obligations.
In order to keep the candidate interested, mention that something came up—you don’t have to be specific. Describe how they are no longer available for the initial interview time and that, in order to maintain fairness, the same person interviews each candidate.
The rest of the message should focus on rebooking.
How many interviews should be set up in a day?
Hiring managers are prone to overscheduling since they typically handle hiring in addition to their other responsibilities. Moreover, recruiters are infamously overbooked. Overscheduling may keep things moving along, but it can have detrimental effects as well.
So, how many appointments should you make each day? It depends, so there is no definitive answer. Booking a lot of interviews back-to-back is not a good idea, even though there isn’t a set amount to remember (especially if they are conducted by video).
According to Microsoft – study on brain wave activity, consecutive live virtual meetings can cause stress. The remedy? Short breaks.
The best way to tackle this problem is to mandate brief breaks in between meetings.
How to follow up after a scheduled interview?
The best practice is to follow up right away with a brief message. Express gratitude to the candidate for coming, and lay out the next steps (e.g., approximate timeframe for when they will know if they are proceeding). It is possible that the interviewer brought up these details during the meeting, but it never hurts to reiterate them.
Closing the loop and sending a message to each candidate is essential, regardless of your choice.
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