What scheduling rules control
When you configure interview scheduling rules in your ATS, you control what candidates see on the booking link. In ATS Mako, candidates self-schedule against your real availability. Every booked interview lands on a synced, shared calendar. Confirmations and reminders go out automatically. If candidates see the wrong times, book on top of other meetings, or pile into one interviewer's day, the rules behind the link need adjusting.
This article covers how to connect interviewer calendars, shape availability, spread interviews across a team, keep daily load sensible and automate reminder and reschedule messages. For the full feature overview, see how interview scheduling and calendars work in ATS Mako.
Likely causes of scheduling problems
- An interviewer's calendar is not synced, so meetings booked elsewhere still show as open.
- Default start times and preset durations were never set, or were set for one role and reused for another.
- Interviewers are not assigned to the interview, so availability only reflects one calendar.
- Too many open slots are published on the same day, so one person gets back-to-back interviews.
- Reminder and confirmation rules are off or tied to the wrong status, so candidates forget or do not know how to rebook.
The fix: set up your scheduling rules step by step
- 1 Connect interviewer calendars Make sure every interviewer's calendar is synced. Calendar sync keeps availability accurate in both directions, so a slot booked elsewhere does not stay open for a candidate to double-book. Booked interviews then appear on one shared calendar that recruiters, hiring managers and candidates all work from.
- 2 Set availability windows Define your open slots, default start times and preset durations. Candidates can only book inside the slots you open. Keep durations matched to the real length of each interview stage, such as a first or second interview.
- 3 Build in buffers between interviews Leave gaps between the start times you open so interviewers have time to write notes and reset. Spacing your open slots is the simplest way to keep automated scheduling buffers and limits under your control. If you need a buffer rule that your open slots cannot express, contact support to check what is available on your account.
- 4 Spread interviews across interviewers or locations Assign interviewers and hiring leaders to each interview. Availability and booking work across every recruiter or interviewer on a requisition, not just a single calendar. For multi-location hiring, assign the interviewers who cover each site so candidates book with the right team.
- 5 Limit slots per day Control daily load by how many slots you open on each day. Fewer open slots means fewer interviews per person. Review the shared calendar weekly and trim days that are filling up.
- 6 Turn on reminder and reschedule messages Use automated engagement workflows so confirmations and reminders fire on interview events, and status-based email or SMS fires when a candidate moves stages. Candidates who need to reschedule can rebook directly against updated availability, the same way they booked originally.
Sample reschedule message
Hi [Candidate name], your interview for [Role] is confirmed for [Date and time]. If that time no longer works, use your booking link to pick a new slot. No need to call or reply. See you soon, [Hiring manager name]
Adjust the wording to fit your brand. ATS Mako is white-label, so messages carry your company name and branding.
Troubleshooting double bookings
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate books a time the interviewer already has a meeting | Interviewer calendar not synced | Reconnect calendar sync and recheck open slots |
| Candidates only see one person's times | Other interviewers not assigned | Assign all interviewers on the requisition |
| Interviewer has back-to-back interviews | No gaps between open slots | Space out start times and open fewer slots that day |
| Candidate missed the interview | Reminder rule off or misconfigured | Turn on interview event reminders in your workflows |
For deeper fixes, see fixing double booking and calendar sync issues and what to check when Google Calendar sync stops working.
How to confirm it worked
- Open your booking link as a candidate would and check that only the intended slots appear.
- Book a test interview and confirm it lands on the shared calendar and the interviewer's own calendar.
- Block a time on an interviewer's calendar outside ATS Mako and confirm that slot disappears from the booking link.
- Check that the confirmation message arrives and that a reminder is scheduled.
- Rebook the test interview from the link and confirm the old slot reopens.
When to contact support
Contact support if a synced calendar still shows booked time as open after reconnecting, if test bookings do not appear on the shared calendar, or if confirmations and reminders do not fire after you have turned the rules on. Include the interviewer, the requisition and the time of the test booking so the issue can be traced quickly. If you are setting up candidate booking for the first time, start with setting up candidate self-scheduling.
See scheduling rules in action
Book a demo to walk through calendar sync, interviewer assignment and automated reminders on your own hiring setup.