Overview
Gem admins can configure a range of account-level scheduling defaults, which will automatically apply any time someone sets up a new interview stage. These default settings provide a standard starting point for scheduling so that every interview stage starts with a consistent set of pre-configured values, saving setup time and helping to ensure consistency. Settings can still be customized per-interview, if needed. This article covers which options can be configured as defaults, and how to set them up.
Requirements
- Your team must use Gem Scheduling.
- You must be a Gem admin.
Scheduling defaults
Most of the options available when configuring an interview stage (for more details, refer to Gem Scheduling: Configure a job for scheduling) are also available in the Scheduling defaults section of your Admin settings.
The exceptions are:
- Stage automation: The ability to automatically send an availability request or self-scheduling request when a candidate enters the stage.
- Default scheduling calendar: The calendar that all scheduled events will be booked on.
- Automated follow-ups: Follow-up emails sent automatically if candidates don’t submit availability or self-schedule within a given timeframe.
Follow these steps to get to the Scheduling defaults section.
- Select your account at the bottom of the main sidebar, then select the Admin settings option in the dropdown.
- Select the Scheduling header.
- Select the Scheduling defaults tab.
The Scheduling defaults section is split up into four parts:
- Scheduling preferences: Defaults that apply whenever scheduling is enabled for a job stage.
- Calendar event defaults: Default templates, video conferencing, rooms, and privacy.
- Request availability defaults: Default rules for how candidates provide availability.
- Self-scheduling defaults: Default rules for how candidates book directly on interviewers' calendars.
After making a change anywhere on this page, select the Save button to confirm your change.
Scheduling preferences
The Scheduling preferences section contains options which affect your organization’s overall scheduling workflow.
Default scheduling workflow
Select the default scheduling workflow that new interview stages will start with.
The three possible workflows are:
- Request availability: Invite candidates to provide blocks of available time that match your interviewers’ availability windows. Most suited for use with multiple-interview stages, or when an interviewer doesn’t have good calendar hygiene.
- Self-schedule: Allow candidates to book time directly with interviewers, requiring no confirmation from the team and automatically populating calendar meetings. Most suited for use early in the interview process with a single-interview stage, and where an interviewer has good calendar hygiene.
- Schedule: Enables manual scheduling, which offers no automation. This will be the least likely setting for you to use - most suited when an interview requires hands-on coordination.
Hiring team channel
With this option selected, if you have enabled the Slack integration then when an interview is scheduled Gem will automatically create a private Slack channel specific to that candidate. This channel is for internal discussions between the members of your hiring team, and will not include the candidate.
Scheduling confirmation email
Configure the default email that will be sent to candidates when their interviews are scheduled.
Whatever you set here will be saved as a template called Default Schedule Confirmation, which you can edit/rename on the Templates page (under the Emails tab) if needed.
Refer to Gem Scheduling: Email templates for more details of how email templates work, and what fields can be included.
The scheduling confirmation email is optional, but it can provide an extra candidate touchpoint to send them attachments, the agenda, or any other prep materials. As you schedule an individual candidate, you can customize the email further or disable sending it entirely.
Scheduling windows
Define the working hours during which you want to schedule interviews. For example, you might set the window as 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday, ensuring you select the relevant time zone too.
By filling out the scheduling window here, you save a step when scheduling a candidate, as the system will pre-fill the scheduling windows with the defaults you provide here. This way, you can ensure that candidates can only request time slots which are within your team’s normal working hours. If need be, you can still modify the scheduling windows for individual candidates and/or individual interview stages.
There may be other reasons you might want to set scheduling windows. For example, if there are certain stages you always schedule in the mornings, you can use the scheduling windows to reflect that.
Calendar event defaults
The Calendar event defaults section allows you to configure defaults and templates for calendar events generated via scheduling.
Note that the option to select a scheduling calendar selector is not shown on the defaults page; it only appears at the per-stage level.
Video conferencing & locations
Choose which (if any) video conferencing tool you want to be the default, then set the meeting host for your video conferencing, including potential alternates if your first default is not possible.
For in-person interviews, if your team has a room dedicated to interviews you can set that as the default room. You can either choose a specific room, or use a room tag - in which case, when you come to schedule an interview, the system will choose from the pool of rooms which have the chosen tag.
Candidate-facing and Interviewer-facing calendar events
Configure the default template for the calendar events that will be sent to each candidate, and to each interviewer. As you schedule each candidate, you can then customize the event message further.
Whatever you set here will be saved as a template called either Default Candidate Calendar Event or Default Interviewer Calendar Event, which you can edit/rename on the Templates page (under the Interviews & scheduling tab, then the Calendar events header) if needed.
Refer to Gem Scheduling: Available tokens for details of which tokens are available for use in calendar events.
For each calendar event you can also choose a location, and set required or optional attendees.
Privacy
If you have interviews that are sensitive in nature, either for your team or the candidate, you can choose to make calendar events - for candidates, interviewers, or both - private.
Request availability defaults
The Request availability defaults section allows you to configure settings for sending availability request emails, and preferences for when candidates submit their availability.
Availability request email
Configure the default email that will be sent to candidates when you send them a request for availability. As you schedule each candidate, you can customize the email further.
Whatever you set here will be saved as a template called Default Availability Request, which you can edit/rename on the Templates page (under the Emails tab) if needed.
If you haven’t created any email templates yet, we recommend reading our Gem Scheduling: Email templates article first to better understand how email templates work, and what fields can be included.
Note that the option to enable automated follow-up emails is not shown on the defaults page; it only appears at the per-stage level.
Availability selection preferences
Configure a range of settings which help you define the availability windows and durations for an interview stage, to ensure your interviews are scheduled in a timely manner, and that the Scheduling system has enough time available in the candidate-defined blocks to arrange the interview(s).
The available settings are:
- Default selection window: This can be set to the next 7, 14, 21, or 30 days. We recommend you select either 7 or 14 days to ensure your interview plans progress in a timely manner.
- Minimum duration: The minimum length of time a candidate can submit in a block to ensure there is enough time to accommodate the interview.
- Minimum total availability: The smallest amount of time in total that candidates will have to submit. For interview stages with multiple interviews, such as panel interviews, you want to set this as the sum total of time you need for the interviews to be scheduled in sequence.
- Advanced notice: The minimum amount of notice (in hours) that candidates will have to provide, so that you have time to confirm the interview slots, and your teams have time to prepare for the scheduled interviews. We recommend setting this to 24 hours.
Self-scheduling defaults
The Self-scheduling defaults section allows you to configure settings for sending self-scheduling request emails, and preferences for when candidates self-schedule interviews.
Self-scheduling request email
Configure the default email that will be sent to candidates when you send them a self-scheduling request. As you send out self-scheduling requests to individual candidates, you can customize the email further.
This email is optional; when you create a self-scheduling request, you can choose to send the candidate their self-scheduling link some other way, like through text message, WhatsApp, etc.
The email template that you set here must include the SelfSchedulingRequest.Link token.
Whatever you set here will be saved as a template called Default Self-Scheduling Request, which you can edit/rename on the Templates page (under the Emails tab) if needed.
If you haven’t created any email templates yet, we recommend reading our Gem Scheduling: Email templates article first to better understand how email templates work, and what fields can be included.
Note that the option to enable automated follow-up emails is not shown on the defaults page; it only appears at the per-stage level.
Booking preferences
Configure a range of settings which help you define the availability windows and durations for this interview stage to ensure your interviews are scheduled in a timely manner and that the Scheduling system has enough time available in the candidate-defined blocks to arrange the interview or interviews.
The available settings are:
- Advance notice: How much notice is required between an interview being scheduled and when it takes place. We recommend setting this to 24 hours so that candidates can’t schedule interviews the day they take place, while still allowing for plenty of flexibility.
- Booking options interval: The interval between time slots that candidates can book. We recommend setting this to 30 minutes so that time slots are on the hour or half-hour.
- Allow candidates to reschedule/cancel: The minimum amount of notice candidates need to give between rescheduling or canceling an interview and when it was originally due to take place. We recommend setting this at 0 hours to allow for rescheduling or canceling with no restrictions.
Additional resources
To learn more about Gem Scheduling, check out the following resources.
- Gem Scheduling: Initial setup
- Gem Scheduling: Configure a job for scheduling:
- Gem Scheduling: Schedule an interview
- Gem Scheduling: The request availability workflow
- Gem Scheduling: The self-scheduling workflow
Have any issues or questions on this topic? Please feel free to contact your dedicated Gem Customer Success Manager directly or our Support team at support@gem.com.
- Overview
- Requirements
- Scheduling defaults
- Scheduling preferences
- Default scheduling workflow
- Hiring team channel
- Scheduling confirmation email
- Scheduling windows
- Calendar event defaults
- Video conferencing & locations
- Candidate-facing and Interviewer-facing calendar events
- Privacy
- Request availability defaults
- Availability request email
- Availability selection preferences
- Self-scheduling defaults
- Self-scheduling request email
- Booking preferences
- Additional resources