How to set up candidate self scheduling for interviews in ATS Mako

What self-scheduling does

If you want to know how to set up candidate self scheduling, start here. Self-scheduling replaces the email and text back-and-forth of booking interviews. You share a booking link tied to your open slots, default start times and preset durations. The candidate picks a time that works for them. The event lands on your synced calendar right away, and automated reminders take it from there. No coordinator required.

It is part of interview scheduling and calendar in ATS Mako. Because ATS Mako is fully white-label, booking pages, the calendar and reminders carry your logo, colors and domain. For a plain-language definition, see what applicant self-scheduling means.

Signs your scheduling setup needs attention

Most scheduling problems trace back to availability, calendar sync or reminders. Common symptoms and their likely causes:

How to set up candidate self-scheduling

1. 1 Set default start times and durations Define your default start times and preset durations once. These shape the slots candidates see when they open the booking link.
2. 2 Connect your calendar Connect the calendars your team already uses. Calendar sync keeps availability accurate in both directions, so a slot booked elsewhere does not stay open for a candidate to double-book.
3. 3 Assign interviewers and hiring leaders 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, and everyone knows their slot, candidate and role before the call.
4. 4 Share the booking link Send candidates the link so they can book their own slot against your real availability. They pick, you interview.
5. 5 Confirm reminders are on Interview confirmations and reminders go out automatically to both the candidate and the interviewer. Self-scheduling solves booking friction, but a candidate can still forget an interview booked days earlier, so keep reminders running.
6. 6 Track interview stages Use interview stages and live status to follow first interviews, second interviews and every round, so you know where each candidate stands.

Availability and reminders

Candidates only see time that is actually open. If availability looks wrong, check calendar sync first. Reminders and confirmations fire on their own once an interview is booked, so recruiters do not need to follow up manually on every booking. To extend follow-up beyond the interview itself, see automated engagement workflows.

Rescheduling

When a candidate needs a new time, they rebook directly against updated availability, the same way they booked the first time. There is no need to call or text a recruiter to move the appointment.

When your side changes, such as an interviewer out for the day, use bulk event updates. You can reschedule, retime or shift a whole batch of interviews in one move instead of editing each event by hand.

Team calendars

Every booked interview syncs to one shared, color-coded calendar. Recruiters, hiring managers and candidates work from the same source of truth. For multi-location or high-volume hiring, this keeps every interviewer on a requisition visible in one place. For more on running this across many roles, read the guide to self-scheduling interviews at scale.

How to confirm it worked

• Open the booking link yourself and check that the slots match your default start times and durations.
• Block time on a connected calendar and confirm that slot no longer appears to candidates.
• Book a test interview and check that it lands on the shared calendar with the right interviewer assigned.
• Confirm that both sides receive the automated confirmation.
• Rebook the test interview from the candidate side and check that the calendar updates.

When to contact support

Contact ATS Mako support if busy time keeps showing as open after you have connected your calendar, if confirmations or reminders do not go out after a test booking, or if assigned interviewers do not appear on the booking link. Note which requisition and interview are affected so the issue can be traced quickly.