To enable interview scheduling for a job, it must include at least one Schedule stage. A job can have zero, one, or multiple Schedule stages.
Each Schedule stage includes both a campaign and interview settings. The campaign contains a fixed Schedule module, which is always the final module in the stage. You can add additional content modules before the Schedule module.
If your job doesn’t yet have a Schedule stage, add one by clicking "Add Stage" > "Schedule" stage. Learn more about job stages here.
If your job already includes a Schedule stage, configure its interview settings by clicking the "Edit" button in the Interview Settings section.
Configuring interview settings
There are three steps to configuring a 'Schedule' stage's interview settings: Interview Details, Interviewer, and Availability.
Step 1: Interview details
This is where you configure the Interview Type, the Interview Duration, and the Interview Location.
Interview Type
Mercu supports two types of interviews: 1-on-1 Interviews (one interviewer, one candidate) and Group Interviews (one interviewer, multiple candidates). Depending on the selected type, certain features may be unavailable—e.g., calendar syncing is not supported for Group Interviews.
Interview duration
This is the duration of the interview. You can either choose one of our pre-set durations from the dropdown or create a custom interview duration.
Location
This setting defines the type of interview location. You can choose from Phone, Virtual, or Location.
Phone
The interviewer calls the candidate using the candidate’s phone number. The candidate is informed of this during the scheduling process. This option is only available for 1-on-1 interviews.
Virtual
A virtual interview link (Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom) is automatically generated based on your connected calendar. The link is shared with the candidate during scheduling. This option is only available for 1-on-1 interviews with a connected calendar.
Location
The candidate is asked to attend the interview at a specified physical location. You can manage these locations in Account Settings. Learn more here.
Step 2: Interviewer
This is where you configure the calendar options and the interviewer.
Calendar options
Mercu supports three calendar options: Connected Calendar, Virtual Calendar, and Auto-Match.
Connected Calendar
This option allows you to link the interviewer’s digital calendar (Google, Apple, Outlook) to Mercu. Once connected, Mercu returns only available time slots within the defined availability window. When a candidate books an interview, Mercu automatically creates a calendar event. This option is available only for 1-on-1 interviews. Learn how to connect your calendar here.
Best used when the interviewer keeps their digital calendar updated.
Virtual calendar
Virtual calendar acts as a virtual calendar and allows candidates to book any slot within the set availability (see below).
Best used for group interviews with changing interviewers and specific dates.
Auto-Match
Auto-match automates scheduling 'ping-pong' between recruiters, candidates, and hiring managers. If auto-match is enabled, we run the following process after you move a candidate into the respective 'Schedule' stage:
We send a message to the nominated interviewer via their preferred communication channel and ask them to submit their availability (NOTE: we check every 30 mins whether there are pending candidates; hence, the message to the interviewer may not be immediate).
Once the interviewer submits their availability, we invite the candidate to book an interview by choosing on of the provided slots.
Once the candidate books a slot, we send both the candidate and the interviewer a confirmation message.
Additionally, we send reminders 24h and 2h before the interview to both the interviewer and the candidate.
This option is only available for 1-on-1 interviews. You can find a quick demo video of the candidate and interviewer experience here.
Interviewer
This is where you select the interviewer who will run this interview. It can either be a portal user OR you can select 'Manager on Duty' for virtual calendar interviews.
Step 3: Availability
This is where you configure interview availability - either as recurring weekly availability or as specific time slots. Regardless of the method, Mercu ensures that any busy times on your connected or virtual calendar are excluded, preventing double-bookings.
This section is not required when using auto-matching.
Weekly
Weekly means you set up weekly recurring time-blocks during which the candidate can book an interview.
Specific slots
Specific slots means you set up specific slots (e.g. Saturday, 3rd of October 2028).
Editing interview settings
Once you configured your interview settings, you can edit them at any time.
To view or edit interview settings for a specific job stage, please follow these steps:
Open the relevant job
Click on "Edit job"
Click on the "Stages" tab
Click on the relevant schedule stage
Click on the "Edit" button next to Interview Settings