Candidate Interview Self-Scheduling

This feature is included in the Core, Pro, and Elite packages.

Is there a way for my candidates to schedule interviews?

Purpose: This guide will walk you through how to set up your account to allow candidates or recruiter to schedule interviews, and teach you how to track and manage those interviews.

Table of Contents

Scheduling an interview can be a time-consuming process as you try to work out a time between two or more schedules. Every second counts when you are trying to secure top talent. Allowing candidates to self-schedule interviews in BambooHR saves time for everyone involved and makes the process smooth and simple.

Interview scheduling settings

There are a few pieces of this feature that you need to set up before you can start scheduling interviews. See below for the details.

Expand or collapse content Calendar & Video Access
Screenshot of the Default Calendar & Video Conferencing settings page. Dropdown menus allow selection of a calendar provider and video conferencing app, with a “Save” button underneath. Below, a section titled Calendar & Video Access explains that synced employees will appear in a list. A greyed-out “Invite Employee” button is shown since no employees have yet been added. An illustration of an empty folder with text “It’s a little quiet here…” reinforces the blank state.

First, navigate to Settings > Hiring > Calendar & Video Access. The Account Owner, Full Admin users, and any custom access level users with access to Hiring under Settings can access these settings. Here, you will choose which calendar and video provider your organization uses. For security, we will ask for access permissions to these apps any time you request a user shares their calendar or video access.

If you choose Google under '"Calendar," select either Google Meet or Zoom as your video conferencing app.

If you choose Microsoft Outlook under "Calendar," select either Microsoft Teams or Zoom as your video conferencing app. Be sure to click Save to confirm your settings.

Important: While you are able to change your calendar and video conferencing settings, you want to be very careful. If you change them, you will see a warning informing you that only interviews scheduled in the future will be synced between BambooHR and your calendars. Also, you will need to send out new invitations for users to sync their calendars.

Screenshot of a modal titled “Request Calendar & Video Access.” The modal asks if the user needs to sync calendars and video apps and allows employees’ names to be entered into a field. Example names are listed, and a green “Request Access” button appears at the bottom next to a blue “Cancel” link.

In Settings > Hiring > Calendar & Video Access, clicking Invite Employee will allow you to type the names of users you would like to invite to sync their calendar and video conferencing apps with BambooHR for interview scheduling. Their availability will sync when scheduling interviews.

Once you have entered all desired users, click Request Access to send the invitation.

Screenshot of the Calendar & Video Access settings page showing employees’ sync statuses. A table lists names along with their calendar and video conferencing providers. Each row displays the status, with some marked as “Granted” in green and others as “Pending” in blue. Next to pending statuses, a “Resend” link allows the invitation to be resent individually, while a “Resend All” button at the top triggers all pending invites. A green “Invite Employee” button is also available above the table.

Once you have sent the invitations, you will see a list of those you have invited, their acceptance status (Pending or Granted), and an option to resend a single invitation or all invitations (Resend All).

Email invitation

Screenshot of a BambooHR-branded email with the subject “Let’s sync up.” The message requests permission to access the recipient’s calendar and video conferencing apps so interviews can be scheduled automatically. It explains that once permission is granted, meetings will appear in their calendar. At the bottom, a green “Grant Permission” button allows the recipient to approve the integration.

Once you send the invitations, the selected users will receive an email where they can click Grant Permission to allow BambooHR to access their calendar and video conferencing app to schedule interviews. It will open a modal where they can choose the account they would like to link.

Please note that they will be able to any Google or Microsoft account, even if it does not match an email address they have connected to their profile in BambooHR.

Screenshot of the Account Settings page displaying integration options for calendar and video tools. The panel shows two connected services: Google Calendar and Zoom, both marked as “All Synced!” with an option to “Remove” each integration. These two integration boxes are outlined in orange for emphasis. At the bottom of the page, buttons include a green “Save Settings” and a blue “Cancel.”

Once they click Grant Permission in the email, they will be taken to the Account Settings page in their BambooHR account, where they will see confirmation that the integration (Google, Microsoft, or Zoom) is synced. They can also click Remove to disconnect their calendar and video conferencing app.

Users can also access this Account Settings page directly (without an email/link) to connect their calendar and video conferencing app.

Expand or collapse content Interview templates
Screenshot of the Interview Templates section under Hiring settings. A left-hand navigation menu highlights “Interview Templates.” The main panel shows options for managing templates, including a green “New Template” button, a clickable existing template titled “First Interview,” and icons to duplicate or delete a template. Orange callouts mark the Hiring menu, Interview Templates link, and action buttons.

The second setting for scheduling interviews in Settings > Hiring is Interview Templates. This allows you to set up a template with pre-set schedules for candidate self-scheduling.

  1. New Template: Create a new template (see below for more details).
  2. [Template Name]: Click on the name of an existing template to edit any of the details.
  3. Duplicate: Duplicate an existing template to quickly create an additional template that just has small differences.
  4. Delete: Delete an existing template to remove it from your list.

New template

Screenshot of the Add Interview Template setup page showing fields for template name, calendar event title, duration, conferencing location, and a description box. The description field includes example placeholder text suggesting how to describe the meeting. At the bottom, navigation buttons include a green “Next Step” and a blue “Cancel.”

When you click +New Template, the system will open a new page, where you can enter the following details: template name, the title you would like to show on the calendar, the duration of the meeting, the location/method (Google or Zoom), and a description (8,000 character limit).  

Once you have entered this information, click Next Step to move on to the next page.

Screenshot of the Add Interview Template setup page, specifically the interviewer availability step. The top section defines scheduling rules, including how many weeks ahead candidates can book and the minimum notice required. Below, a General Schedule section lists each weekday with editable start and end times for availability. Days such as Saturday and Sunday are marked unavailable. A checkbox option allows time zone adjustments, and a green “Save Template” button appears at the bottom.

On the second page of the interview template setup, you will create the parameters for scheduling interviews.

  1. Select the number of weeks within which a candidate can schedule an interview after receiving the scheduling link.
  2. Select the buffer time you would like to allow between when a candidate schedules the interview and when the interview takes place.
  3. Set your schedule for each day to automatically block any times you will be unavailable for an interview. You can add two availability windows per day.
  4. Configure your daily schedule to automatically block any times when interviewers are unavailable for interviews. 

When you are finished, click Save Template.

Creating an interview self-scheduling invitation

Screenshot of a candidate’s profile page under the “Interviews” tab before any interviews are scheduled. A blank state illustration of a calendar appears in the center with text indicating there are no interviews yet. Below, a green-outlined button labeled “Send a Self-Scheduling Link” is highlighted, allowing the recruiter to initiate an invitation. Orange callouts highlight the Interviews tab in the header and the scheduling link button.

On a candidate's profile, the Account Owner, Full Admin users, and any custom access user with permission to manage job openings will see a tab called "Interviews." Here, you will be able to send and manage interview self-scheduling links. First, click Send a Self-Scheduling Link.

Screenshot of the first step in the “Send Panda a Self-Scheduling Link” process titled “Interview Details.” The form includes dropdowns to select an interview template, calendar event title, interview duration, and location with conferencing options. A text box at the bottom allows the recruiter to add a description of the interview. The navigation buttons at the bottom include a green “Next Step” and a blue “Cancel.”

If you have not created any interview templates, you can fill out the interview details here. If you have created your interview templates, select which template you would like to use, and the system will auto-fill the details. Then, click Next Step.

Screenshot of the “Send [the candidate] a Self-Scheduling Link” page showing step 2: Interviewer Availability. Fields allow the recruiter to assign interviewers and a meeting organizer. The scheduling window is configured with start and end dates, and a minimum notice period. Below, the General Availability section displays editable weekly schedules with available times for each day. Buttons at the bottom include “Next Step,” “Previous Step,” “Cancel,” and “Preview Booking Page.”

The second page will also be auto-populated with details from the template. At the top of the page, select any interviewers who will be attending and who the meeting organizer will be. The meeting organizer has full control of the calendar event. Video conferencing links are connected to their account.

Screenshot of the Interviewers selection section while setting up an interview. Two interviewers are listed, but a warning message in an orange box states “Looks like we don’t have permission to see some calendars.” A link and green “Send Link” button appear below, instructing the user to send access requests to interviewers who need to grant permissions.

If you select a user who has not synced their calendar and video conferencing app as a interviewer, you will see a warning informing you that their app is not synced. You will be able to send them a request by clicking Send Link.

Screenshot of the candidate’s booking page preview in BambooHR. On the left, interview details are shown, including interviewer name, duration, conferencing method, and a description. On the right, a calendar highlights available days in green, with a date selected. A list of time slots appears for that date, including options such as 9:00 am, 9:15 am, and 2:00 pm. At the bottom, a dropdown allows timezone selection. A green “Done” button closes the preview.

In the bottom right corner of the page, click Preview Booking Page to see what the scheduling page will look like to the candidate.

Click Done and then Next Step.

Screenshot of the “Send Panda a Self-Scheduling Link” setup page, specifically the Invitation Email step. The main panel includes fields to select an email template, attach files, enter a subject line, and write a message. A green-outlined “Add Self-Schedule Link” button appears in the formatting toolbar. On the right-hand side, there is a panel titled “Email Placeholders,” listing options such as candidate first name, candidate last name, sender details, and phone number, which can be inserted into the email. At the bottom, navigation buttons include “Send Interview Invitation” in green, “Previous Step,” “Cancel,” and “Preview Email.”

The last step is to set the content for the email that will be sent with your interview scheduling invitation. You can add the details manually or pull from any templates you have created in Settings. To insert the calendar link, click Add Self-Schedule Link, and it will appear in your email like any other placeholder. Click Preview Email if you would like to preview the email before sending.

Once you are ready, click Send Interview Invitation to send the invitation to the candidate.

Screenshot of a candidate’s profile in BambooHR showing the “Interviews” tab with one upcoming interview listed. The top header displays the candidate name and role, with navigation options for Candidate Info, Notes, Emails, and Interviews. The interview entry includes a label showing its status as “Upcoming,” an option to “Delete Interview,” and a link to resend the invitation. Details include attendee names with profile icons, the meeting host role, and the conferencing tool listed as Google Meet. A description section provides additional details about the interview. Numbered callouts highlight key features such as status, deletion option, resend link, attendees, and location details.

Once you have sent the interview invitation to the candidate, you will be taken back to the Interviews tab on their candidate profile. Here, you will see any interviews that have been scheduled, sorted by descending date. You will see the following details and options for an interview:

  1. Whether the interview is upcoming or completed.
  2. An option to delete the interview.
  3. If the the attendees have not yet selected a time, you will see the option to resend the invite.
  4. A list of the attendees and a question mark if they have not confirmed their attendance or a checkmark if they have.
  5. The location and details of the interview.

The candidate experience

Screenshot of an email titled “Interview Invitation” sent from BambooHR. The body of the email greets the candidate and provides an interview invitation. A highlighted “Choose a time” link is included, directing the candidate to select their preferred time slot.

The candidate will receive the email you created, and from there, they can click on the self-schedule link.

Screenshot of the candidate’s scheduling page in BambooHR, showing the interview details on the left and a confirmation panel on the right. Details include the interviewer’s name, interview duration, conferencing method, and a description field. A calendar is displayed with a date highlighted, and the chosen time slot appears on the right. At the bottom, timezone selection is available, with green “Submit” and blue “Back” buttons for navigation.

Clicking Choose a time will open a new tab in their browser, where they will see the names of the interviewers, duration of the interview, the conferencing selection (Google or Zoom), and the interview description. They can also select the date and time (out of those available) that works best for them.

Screenshot of the confirmation page shown after a candidate submits their interview selection. A large green checkmark appears at the top, followed by the text “You’re all set!” The page explains that the candidate will receive an email invitation to confirm attendance and add the event to their calendar, along with a note to contact their recruiter if they have questions or need to reschedule.

When the candidate clicks Submit, they will see a confirmation that they are all set and letting them know they will receive an email invitation to add to their calendar. BambooHR will send this information to create the event on the organizer's calendar. Your calendaring system will then send the invitations to the other attendees (the candidate and interviewers).

Expand or collapse content Is your candidate having an issue when trying to schedule?

Though rare, here are some potential situations your candidate may encounter when scheduling an interview:

  • If a time slot becomes unavailable before the candidate schedules an interview, the system displays an error informing them the time slot is no longer available and they will need to select a new time.
  • If there are not time slots available, they will see a note to contact their recruiter.
  • If they have already selected a time slot and click on the link in their email again, they can update/reschedule the interview date and time (as long as it is still within the parameters you have set).
  • If the invitation has been deleted in BambooHR, the candidate will see a screen letting them know that no time slots are available.
  • The candidate is not able to cancel an event. Only the meeting organizer can cancel an event.

Editing or deleting an interview

Delete an interview

Screenshot of a candidate profile in BambooHR showing the “Interviews” tab with one scheduled interview. The interview is labeled “Upcoming,” and details include date, time, attendees, conferencing link, and description. Attendee names appear with role labels and icons, and the conferencing method is shown as a clickable link. A blue “Delete Interview” button is highlighted on the right side.

As mentioned earlier, you can delete an upcoming or past interview by going to the Interviews tab on the candidate's profile and clicking Delete Interview.

Screenshot of a confirmation popup titled “Delete Interview.” The message warns that attendees will be notified and the meeting will be removed from calendars. A checkbox option allows sending an email notification to the candidate. At the bottom, two buttons are displayed: a blue “Cancel” and a green “Yes, Delete the Interview.”

Clicking Delete Interview will open a modal, where you can confirm you would like to delete the interview. Please note this action cannot be undone. Check the box next to "Let me send an email to [name]" to send an email to the candidate informing them of the canceled interview.

Screenshot of the “Send an Email to [the candidate]” modal in BambooHR. The page includes fields to select an email template, attach files, enter a subject line, and compose a message. On the right, an “Email Placeholders” panel provides dynamic fields such as candidate first name, last name, and sender details. Action buttons at the bottom include “Send Now,” “Send Later,” and “Cancel.”

This action will allow you to send an email template or create a custom email for the candidate.

The interview will be removed from the organizer's calendar, and your calendaring app will send out cancelation notifications.

If the interview is in the past, we will not remove the interview from any calendars.

Edit an interview

You can only edit interviews that have not already occurred. Editing an interview must be done in your calendaring system by the organizer of the event. The following changes to an event will sync to also reflect in BambooHR:

  • Attendees added or deleted
    • If an attendee is added but their calendar is not synced with your calendar and video conferencing apps of choice, you will see their email address and a blank avatar
  • Attendee status
  • Date and time
  • Title
  • Description
  • Location
  • Event deleted