Self-Schedule Screening Interviews Overview

Use self-scheduling to let candidates book 1:1 screening interviews based on real-time availability. Candidates can select a time with any interviewer, and availability updates automatically. Availability adjusts dynamically based on the interviewer’s calendar, saved preferences, and the candidate’s time zone. 

In this article:
Self-Scheduling Overview
Configure Self-Scheduling
Create a new self-schedule link
Add the link to a candidate's email
Add the link to a text message
Candidate experience
Recruiter Experience
Link rules and behavior
Troubleshooting
F.A.Q.
Additional Resources

Self-Scheduling Overview

When you connect your calendar with ClearCompany, it can generate dynamic 1:1 self-scheduling links. Candidates select an available time, and calendar invitations are automatically sent to both the candidate and interviewer.

Self-scheduling supports:

• Interviewer-specific availability and preferences.
• Flexible link creation for recruiters and hiring managers, or any interviewer.
• Real-time availability calculation.
• Automatic time zone adjustment based on the candidate’s browser.
• You can generate a link from the candidate profile, a requisition, or a text message.

Requirements

To use self-schedule screening interviews:

• Recruiting must be enabled.
• Self-scheduling must be enabled.
• Your calendar must be connected.
• Scheduling preferences must be set.
• For virtual interviews: Connect Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet.

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What changed in 2026.4

ClearCompany is introducing improvements to 1:1 self-scheduling in the 2026.4 release. These updates expand who can be scheduled, add configurable scheduling rules, and introduce a more flexible self-schedule link experience.

The table below summarizes the key differences between the current experience and the enhanced version.

Comparison

Capability	Current	Self-scheduling with 2026.4 enhancements
Who can be scheduled	Only the recruiter assigned to the requisition	Any interviewer with Recruiting access and an integrated calendar, including recruiters, hiring managers, and Subject Matter Experts.
How links are created	Links can be embedded in the application flow or sent by email or text. Links always schedule with the requisition recruiter and use fixed system rules.	Links can be created for any interviewer. The same entry points remain, but links are fully configurable and can use interviewer scheduling preferences.
Scheduling preferences	No configurable preferences. Availability is fixed to Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM in the recruiter’s time zone with a 30-minute meeting duration.	Interviewers can define scheduling preferences such as interview method, meeting duration, availability hours, scheduling window, minimum notice, and meeting buffers.
Interview configuration	Limited configuration. Virtual conferencing only. Scorecards and AI Notetaker are not supported.	Links can include scorecards, configurable scheduling rules, and optional AI Notetaker for video interviews.
Calendar requirements	The recruiter must have a calendar integration enabled.	Each interviewer on the self-schedule link must have a connected calendar integration.
Where candidates schedule	Candidates can schedule at the end of the application flow or through a link sent by the recruiter.	Candidates can schedule in the same places, but links can now be created for any interviewer.
Availability calculation	Availability is based on the recruiter’s calendar and fixed system rules.	Availability is calculated using the interviewer’s calendar and configurable scheduling rules.
Link expiration	Links expire after 72 hours and can be used once.	Links expire after 5 days. A pending interview record is created when the link is sent.
Rescheduling	Interviews must be manually edited or canceled and re-sent.	The same process applies, but ClearCompany recommends canceling and sending a new self-schedule link.

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Configure self-scheduling

When creating or editing a requisition, you can include a self-scheduling link as part of the application or Virtual Recruiter workflow.

1. Open Tools, then select Recruiting.

    

2. Open or create a requisition.

3. In the Apply process section, click Configure Self-Scheduling interviews.

    

4. From the drop-down menu, choose the recruiter or hiring manager. You can also generate a scheduling link for any interviewer.

5. Once the recruiter or hiring manager is selected, the link automatically populates: Interview title, Meeting method, Duration, and Availability preferences.

    

6. If the interviewer has not configured preferences, system defaults apply.
7. Select Edit to update any interview details before inserting the link.

Create a new self-schedule link

Click New Link to create a new link with another interviewer.

Interview details

Before inserting the link, complete:

• Interview title
• Interview name
• Method
• Duration
• Scorecard: Scorecards are specific to each interview and are not controlled by the interviewer's preferences.

• If AI Notetaker is enabled for your organization, the checkbox appears selected by default.

   

Booking preferences

• By default, booking preferences are: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM ET.
• After selecting an interviewer, the link reflects that interviewer’s saved availability. If no preferences are set, the default schedule applies.

• You can update booking preferences at any time before sending the link.

   

Availability preferences

You can configure: 

• Scheduling period: How far into the future does availability appear? Options include 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, 28 days.
• Minimum notice: Required lead time before the earliest available slot. Options include 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, or 8 hours.
• Buffer time: Time added before and after meetings. Options include 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour.

 

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Add the link to a candidate's email

Self-Scheduling Email Guide

1. Open the candidate profile.

2. Select the candidate’s email address or click Actions, and Email Candidate

    

3. Insert the self-schedule link.

    

4. The recruiter and hiring manager appear automatically. You can also select New link to create a link for another interviewer.
5. After inserting the link, you can:
   • View remaining time slots
   • Review interview details
   • Reinsert the link
   • Edit the interview

   • Remove the link: If you remove a link, you are prompted to confirm. The link can be added again later.

      

6. Selecting Details displays a snapshot of the link so you can confirm the correct configuration without previewing the full email.

Add the link to a text message

*ClearText is required.

Text Message

1. Open the candidate profile.
2. Select the candidate’s phone number.

3. Insert the self-schedule link in the message.

    

SMS compliance

Interview links are sent only to candidates who have opted in to receive text updates. 

If texting consent is unknown, candidates can be sent a one-time opt-in request. This can be done by clicking the phone number in the candidate profile. Refer to: 10DLC Texting Compliance Regulation.

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Candidate experience

Candidate Experience

• Candidates receive an invitation by email or text, depending on how it was sent. Email uses your standard template. Text messages can use a template or a custom message.

   

• They select the link to choose a time from a mobile-friendly scheduling page that displays available time slots in their time zone. They can change the time zone if needed.
• Candidates see available time slots based on:
  • Interviewer calendar availability
  • Configured scheduling preferences
  • Real-time availability
  • Their browser time zone
  • Only currently available time slots appear, reducing double-booking and conflicts.
• If no time slots are available, the candidate is prompted to contact the recruiter.

• Once a time is selected, a confirmation screen appears with the date, time, and location.

   

• Calendar invites are sent.

Recruiter Experience

Preferences

Note:

You must have a calendar integrated for the interview scheduling preferences to appear. You must also integrate with a conferencing provider to see video conferencing as an option in the interview method field.

To set your self-schedule preferences and availability:

1. Go to Account Details → Accounts.

    

2. Set your preferences.

    

3. Click Save to apply your changes.

    

Interview Screening

After the candidate books:

• The interviewer receives a calendar invitation.
• The conferencing method is included.
• A link to the candidate profile appears in the invite.
• Interviewers can also view the scheduled interview in Candidate → Interviews and on the main Interviews dashboard.
• Opening the interview displays the same details as other interview types, including interview details, candidate summary, interview guide (if included), and the scorecard.
• Canceling: To cancel, select Cancel interview at the bottom-left of the interview view/edit page.

 

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Link rules and behavior

• Links expire after 5 days.
• Links can be edited or deleted before sending.
• Sent links cannot be edited, but can be removed and recreated.
• Multiple links can be generated for the same interviewer across different requisitions.
• Real-time availability always reflects the interviewer’s calendar.
• To reschedule, delete the existing interview and send a new self-schedule link.

Important

Changes must be saved to apply to future links. Updates do not apply to links that were already created or sent.

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Troubleshooting

Why does the link preview show “No available slots” when my calendar has availability?

• This usually occurs when availability is blocked by another calendar connected to the same email account.
• Check your calendar integration settings and confirm which calendars are selected for availability.
• If you have multiple calendars enabled (for example, personal, shared, team, or secondary calendars), events on those calendars may be treated as conflicts.

A candidate says they didn’t receive the link. What should we do?

• Ask them to check Spam/Junk/Promotions folders.
• The recruiter can send a new link or copy the link from the candidate timeline and resend it, if it has not expired (expiration period is 5 days).

Why didn’t the AI Notetaker join a self-scheduled call?

Common reasons include:

• It was not selected for the interview. AI Notetaker is turned on by default for virtual interview types, but it can be unchecked when creating or updating a link.
• Your organization is out of credits. Each transcript uses 1 AI Notetaker credit. You can see remaining credits on the interview under the AI Notetaker flag; replenish credits if needed.
• The notetaker was blocked by meeting permissions. If your meeting uses a lobby or restricted attendee permissions, an interviewer may need to admit the Notetaker.
• Teams on iPhone requires Local Network access. On iOS, enable: Settings → Teams → Local Network.

What are the common reasons self-scheduling does not work as expected?

Common causes include:

• The interviewer’s calendar is not integrated.
• Multiple calendars are selected, creating unintended conflicts.
• Out-of-office time is not set as a “Busy” calendar event (especially in Microsoft Teams).
• The virtual conferencing provider is not connected.
• AI Notetaker credits are depleted.
• The link has expired or has already been used.

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F.A.Q.

What does it mean that self-scheduling supports multiple links?

You can generate self-schedule links as needed, even for the same interviewer across different requisitions. The system always respects the interviewer’s real calendar availability.

For the same candidate, requisition, and interviewer, only one link can be active at a time.

• If a new link is sent while a previous link is still pending, the previous link becomes inactive, and the new link becomes active.
• If a candidate has already booked a time and you send another link later, the new link allows them to book an additional interview without changing the existing one.

Who can create and send a self-scheduling link?

Any user with Recruiting access who can view the relevant requisition or candidate can create and send a self-scheduling link.

You can only create a link for an interviewer whose calendar is integrated.

Do Interview Scheduling Preferences apply to other interview types? 

No, interview scheduling preferences apply only to self-schedule links. They do not apply to Propose 1:1 or Multiple Interviewer Scheduling.

Will changes to my scheduling preferences affect existing self-schedule links?

No, preferences are used to pre-populate settings when a link is created. Once a link is saved and sent, it becomes independent. Preference changes apply only to newly created links.

Can I assign multiple locations to a self-schedule link?

No, only one interview method or location can be assigned per link.

What happens if availability changes after a self-schedule link is sent?

Self-schedule links use real-time calendar availability validation.

If time becomes blocked after the link is sent, those slots no longer appear. If no availability remains, the candidate sees a message to contact the recruiter.

If the recruiter or hiring manager changes on the requisition, will the self-schedule link update automatically?

No, if the recruiter or hiring manager changes, and you want the self-schedule link to reflect that update, you must update the link manually.

Self-schedule links are configured for a specific interviewer. Because links can be created for any interviewer, the system cannot automatically determine whether a requisition-level change should modify an existing link or which interviewer it should switch to.

What happens if the interviewer becomes fully booked?

If all available time slots are booked or blocked:

• The candidate will see a message indicating no available slots.
• The recruiter will need to either:
  • Send a new link after availability opens, or
  • Adjust scheduling preferences or calendar availability.

Can we send self-scheduling links in bulk?

Not at this time.

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Additional Resources

Calendar Integration Overview
Bulk Calendar Connect - Overview
Calendar Integration F.A.Q.