Phenom Hiring Manager Application: How to Use Phenom Scheduling

Overview

Phenom Scheduling allows hiring teams to coordinate interviews directly within the Hiring Manager application. It automatically manages email/SMS communications and proposes time slots based on interviewer availability. While optional, using the tool is highly encouraged—it reduces manual work, improves collaboration, keeps recruiters informed, and scales scheduling for multi‑person interview panels.

 

Scheduling Set‑Up Requirements

Before sending interview invitations from Phenom, complete these two steps:

Requirement 1: Set Outlook Calendar Sharing Permissions

Your Outlook calendar must allow at least Free/Busy visibility.

Windows 10 (Outlook desktop):

  1. Go to Calendar and right‑click your primary calendar (left pane).
  2. Select Properties.
    1. Calendar menu showing Properties button in Outlook on Windows 10
  3. Set permissions to "Can view when I’m busy" (not None).
  4. Click Apply.
    1. Calendar Properties showing "Can view when I'm busy" selection on Windows Outlook 10

Windows 11 (Outlook desktop):

  1. Go to Calendar and click the three dots next to your primary calendar.
  2. Choose Sharing and Permissions.
    1. Calendar menu showing Sharing and permissions button on Windows 11 Outlook
  3. Ensure it’s not Not Shared. Set to "Can view when I’m busy."
  4. Verify the confirmation text at the top reflects "Can view when I’m busy."
    1. Sharing and Permissions showing "Can view when I'm busy" on Windows 11 Outlook

If Phenom’s calendar doesn’t reflect your Outlook free/busy correctly, re‑check these permissions first.

Requirement 2: Set Interview Availability in Phenom

By default, Phenom offers candidates interview times Mon–Fri, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. CT. Busy times on your Outlook calendar are excluded.

To customize your availability:

  1. Click the Calendar icon in the top‑right of the Hiring Manager app.
    1. Phenom Calendar Default Schedule edit mode
      1. Tan = Busy (Outlook)
      2. White = Free
      3. Light purple = Interviews scheduled via Phenom.
  2. On the left, hover over Default Schedule and click the pencil icon.
  3. In Interview Availability, adjust your days/hours.
  4. Leave the Override other meetings toggle off to avoid conflicts.
  5. Click Update.

Important: Do not click the green Create button to add additional sets of availability. Interview invitations always use your Default Schedule.

Create button with x through it to show this button does not have utility

 

Schedule an Interview

  1. On the candidate profile, click the three‑dot menu → Invite to Interview.
  2. Choose Interview Type: In‑person, Video Call, or Phone Call.
  3. Complete the form (fields vary by type).
  4. Click Invite to send.

Interview Type Details

In‑Person

  • Interviewers: Select required interviewers (Only employees with Hospital appointments are selectable; courtesy appointments excluded). Only include interviewers who are required to attend. The scheduling tool checks all selected interviewers’ calendars for availability, so adding more interviewers makes it harder to find common open times. As a best practice, once a candidate schedules the interview, the invite can be forwarded to optional interviewers if needed in Outlook.
  • Duration: 15‑minute increments (15 min to 4 hours).
  • Location: Enter street address only. Follow up by SMS/email with specific building/room and directions.
  • Evaluation Form / Template version: Do not change defaults.
  • Communicate via: Email and/or SMS (both selected by default).

Video Call

  • Interviewers: Select required interviewers (Only employees with Hospital appointments are selectable; courtesy appointments excluded). Only include interviewers who are required to attend. The scheduling tool checks all selected interviewers’ calendars for availability, so adding more interviewers makes it harder to find common open times. As a best practice, once a candidate schedules the interview, the invite can be forwarded to optional interviewers if needed in Outlook.
  • Duration: 15 min to 4 hours.
  • Channel: Microsoft Teams (only option).
  • Do not record Teams interviews (recordings aren’t accessible).
  • Evaluation Form / Template version: Leave defaults.
  • Communicate via: Email and/or SMS (both selected by default)

Phone Call

  • Interviewers: Select required interviewers (Only employees with Hospital appointments are selectable; courtesy appointments excluded). Only include interviewers who are required to attend. The scheduling tool checks all selected interviewers’ calendars for availability, so adding more interviewers makes it harder to find common open times. As a best practice, once a candidate schedules the interview, the invite can be forwarded to optional interviewers if needed in Outlook.
  • Duration: 15 min to 4 hours.
  • Evaluation Form / Template version: Leave defaults.
  • Communicate via: Email and/or SMS (both selected by default)

 

Candidate Experience (What Happens After Invite is Sent)

  • Candidate receives an Email and/or SMS invitation with interview details and a link to choose a time based on the interview team’s availability.
    • Candidate email invitation example
  • Available times display in 15‑minute increments. Example: If the interviewer is free 1:00–2:00 p.m. and a 30‑minute interview is requested, candidates may see 1:00–1:30, 1:15–1:45, or 1:30–2:00.
    • Candidate time‑slot selection page (15‑minute increments)
  • After the candidate selects a time, they see a confirmation page and receive a calendar invite.
    • Candidate confirmation page
  • Interviewers simultaneously receive the calendar invitation with: time/date, candidate name, job/requisition title, interviewer list, location (if in‑person), and a link to the candidate profile.
  • Interviewers should accept the Outlook invitation; no additional “confirm” step is required.

Reschedule an Interview

Candidate‑Initiated

What the candidate does:

  1. Opens their Interview Confirmation email and clicks the scheduling link.
  2. On the scheduling page, chooses Reschedule.
  3. If alternative times are available, selects new time and submits.

What happens next:

  • All interviewers receive an Outlook cancellation for the original time and a new Outlook invitation for the updated time.
  • The candidate receives an updated confirmation.

If no alternative times are available for the candidate to select:

  • Phenom sends the Hiring Manager who initiated the interview an Action Required escalation email asking for additional availability.
  • If you (as the interview requestor) receive an Action Required email, forward it to your recruiter to take the necessary action. See Scheduling Escalation Scenarios section below for details.

Hiring Manager‑Initiated

  1. Locate the Upcoming Interviews section on the Hiring Manager home page or a Job page.
  2. Click the interview you need to reschedule to open the Interview details pop-up window.
  3. Click Reschedule button (calendar with small clock icon).
    1. Scheduling details, reschedule button

What happens next:

  • All interviewers assigned to the interview in Phenom receive an Outlook cancellation for the original time.
  • The candidate receives an email/text with a link to choose a new time based on current availability.
  • After the candidate selects a new time, all interviewers receive a new Outlook invitation for the updated time.

If no alternative times are available for the candidate to select:

  • Phenom sends the Hiring Manager who initiated the interview an escalation email asking for additional availability.
  • If you (as the interview requestor) receive an Action Required email, forward it to your recruiter to take the necessary action. See Scheduling Escalation Scenarios section below for details.

Interviewer‑Initiated

If an employee in the role of Interviewer on your Hiring Team in Phenom needs to reschedule, direct them to:

  • Locate the interview from My Interviews on the home page or from the Job page.
  • Click the interview to open the Interview Details pop‑up.
  • Click Decline.
    • Scheduling, interview initiated interview invite decline
  • When the Interviewer declines:
    • the Interviewer and Candidate receive a cancellation notice for the original interview time.
    • the Candidate receives an email with a link to reschedule for another time.
    • You (as the Hiring Manager) receive an email letting you know that the Interviewer declined the interview and that new times have been sent to the candidate.
    • Note: If the Interviewer does not have any other times available, you may receive an Action Required escalation email. See the Scheduling Escalation Scenarios section of this article below for what to do in this instance.
  • When the candidate selects a new interview time, the Interviewer receives a meeting invitation for the new interview time. The candidate also receives a confirmation for the new time.

 

Cancel an Interview

Candidate‑Initiated

  1. Candidate opens the Interview Confirmation email and clicks the link.
  2. Choose Cancel and provide a reason (picklist or free‑text).
  3. Candidate sees a cancellation confirmation page.
  4. Interviewers receive an Outlook cancellation and a separate email with the candidate’s reason.

Hiring Manager‑Initiated

  1. From the Home Page → My Interviews panel, click the interview.
  2. In the pop‑up, click the Cancel icon (a circle with a slash through it).
    1. Scheduling, hiring manager initiated cancel interview button
  3. In the next pop‑up, select Delete Interview to initiate cancellation emails to all employees assigned to the interview and the candidate.

Note: An Interviewer cannot cancel an interview, only a Hiring Manager can. Hiring Managers are responsible for cancelling interviews as needed.

 

Marking an Interview as Not Completed

For various reasons, a scheduled interview may not occur. For example, an interview may not occur because the candidate did not show up or there was a technical issue. If this happens, mark the interview as "Not Completed" in Phenom. Hiring Managers and Interviewers both have access to mark an interview as "Not Completed." To do this:

  1. Click on the Interview (accessible from the Home Page, Job Page or Candidate Profile). This opens the interview details side panel.
  2.  Click the "Not Completed" icon (a calendar with an "x" in the middle).
    1. The "Not Completed" icon will appear starting at the interview start time.
    2. Scheduling, interview not completed button
  3. Complete the questions in the Not Completed pop-up window (please check "Add comment to candidate profile notes" if you leave a comment) and click Change status.
  4. Now the interview status "Not completed" will show on the interview.
    2. Hover over the red "Not completed" status to see the reason the interview was not completed and the interviewer comment if one exists.
    3. Your recruiter will also see the "Not Completed" status in the Phenom CRM.

 

Interview Activity

To view all scheduling interactions, open the interview and click the Activity tab of the interview side panel:

Scheduling side-panel, activity tab

 

Click "Preview Conversation" under the Activity tab to see all email and SMS communication that has occured related to this interview:

Scheduling details side panel, activity, preview conversation

scheduling details side panel, activity, preview conversation

 

Scheduling Escalation Scenarios

A scheduling escalation scenario occurs when the scheduling tool needs assistance to handle a scheduling interaction. Phenom triggers escalation emails to interview requestors in situations such as:

  • The candidate replies to the scheduling email with questions.
  • A multi‑interviewer panel has a decline from one interviewer.
  • The requestor does not respond to a request for more availability.
  • No time slots are available within the 14‑day scheduling window.

The subject of escalation emails starts with “Action Required" and contains a reason for why you are receiving the escalation email. An example of an escalation email is below. If you receive an "Action Required" email, forward it to your recruiter. Only your recruiter has access to the Phenom system needed to resolve the escalation scenario.

Example “Action Required” escalation email

Tips & Best Practices

  • Keep interview panels lean: Add only required interviewers to maximize availability.
  • Use Phenom Scheduling to utilize automatic evaluation reminders for interviewers.
  • Confirm logistics for in‑person interviews with candidate via follow‑up SMS/email (building, check‑in, parking).

 

Links to Other Resources

Recruitment Process Training Content

Helpful Links

 

Need Phenom Support?

Submit an AskHR ticket.

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