Understanding the Scheduling Process
One of the most common reasons users feel a scheduling platform is complicated is simply because they can't see what happens behind the scenes.
Understanding the workflow will help you know what to expect, what other users are responsible for, and what should happen next at each stage of the process.
Scheduling follows a straightforward workflow that connects recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates.
The TA Starts the Process
Everything begins with the Talent Acquisition team.
Recruiters create jobs, define interview stages, assign hiring managers, and configure how scheduling should work for each stage of the hiring process.
At this point, nothing is visible to candidates yet. The goal is simply to prepare the workflow so the right people are involved at the right time.
When setting up interview stages, recruiters select a Host for each stage. This Host is typically the Hiring Manager and serves as the person responsible for approving availability.
Candidates Move Into a Scheduling Stage
Once a candidate is ready for an interview, the recruiter moves the candidate into the appropriate scheduling stage.
This is often the point where users expect candidates to immediately receive an invitation.
However, Scheduling intentionally introduces an approval step before candidate invitations are sent.
This helps ensure candidates only see times that have been reviewed and approved by the hiring team.
Hiring Managers Approve Availability
When candidates enter a scheduling stage, the assigned Host receives a notification requesting availability approval.
The Hiring Manager selects interview times, reviews participants, and confirms availability.
This approval process provides an important checkpoint before candidates are given access to available interview slots.
Candidates Schedule Their Interview
Once availability has been approved, candidates receive an invitation to schedule their interview.
Candidates are shown the approved times and select the option that works best for them.
Because the schedule is based on approved interviewer availability, the likelihood of conflicts and rescheduling is significantly reduced.
Calendar Invitations Are Automatically Created
After the candidate selects a time, Scheduling automatically handles the coordination.
Calendar invitations are generated, interview participants are notified, and the meeting becomes visible within the Meetings area of the platform.
At this point, the interview is fully scheduled.
When Things Change
Scheduling also handles common exceptions.
If a candidate reschedules, a Hiring Manager changes availability, or an interview needs to be reassigned to a different Host, the platform automatically updates affected users and maintains visibility into interview status.
Most scheduling issues can be quickly understood by identifying where the interview currently sits within the workflow.
Important Note: Once interviews are scheduled, all interview changes should be managed through Scheduling. Do not cancel or reschedule interviews directly from Outlook or Microsoft Teams Calendar. Changes made outside of Scheduling may not sync back to the platform and can create inconsistencies between interview participants, availability requests, and scheduling records. Always use Scheduling to make interview changes.
Understanding Expected Behavior
It's important to remember that many questions reported as "issues" are actually examples of expected system behavior.
For example:
- Candidates will not receive invitations until availability has been approved.
- Hiring Managers must be assigned as Hosts before automation can function properly.
- Availability is based on both working hours and calendar availability.
- Meeting status changes throughout the scheduling lifecycle.
Understanding these expectations makes it much easier to identify real issues versus expected workflow behavior.
Learn more about What Screening and Scheduling Bot Does Automatically