1. Access the Itinerary Wizard
Select the Interviews tab
Select Itinerary Wizard
The Welcome to the Itinerary Wizard information page will display. This page will provide additional information about the Itinerary Wizard, as well as a link to the help center.
Select +Create Itinerary to begin a new Itinerary Wizard
Note: Once you begin an Itinerary Wizard, this page will no longer be visible. If you have already begun drafting an Itinerary Wizard, the Itinerary List page will display instead.
2. Set the default video software
Navigate to the Program Settings page
Select and activate any integrated third-party video software
Select the default video software: Thalamus Video, Zoom, Webex, or Teams
Note: If you are integrating with Zoom, Webex, or Teams, additional setup is required in each platform's dedicated integration guide.
3. Navigate back to the Itinerary List
Once an Itinerary Wizard has been started, you can navigate away from it and the draft will be saved. All drafts started and completed by you will be stored in the Itinerary List. View the Navigating & Managing the Itinerary List user guide for additional information.
Select Back to Itinerary List in the upper right-hand corner of the Itinerary Wizard
You can edit and return to any Itinerary Wizard that has been drafted or completed.
4. Step 1: Event settings
Select your event date from the drop-down box
Scroll down to the Default Location field
Choose one of the following location types:Virtual Interview (Thalamus): will generate links for the Thalamus Virtual Interview platform
Virtual Interview (Manual): use this option if you plan to use a virtual platform other than Thalamus and enter links manually, or if you are hosting an in-person event
Virtual Interview (Zoom/Teams/Webex): use this option to connect a third-party API to Thalamus
Select the Ignore Faculty Availability checkbox if you want faculty to be scheduled even when they have marked themselves unavailable
Select Create New Schedule if this is the first time you are using the Itinerary Wizard
5. Step 2: Applicant groups (optional)
Applicants can only be added to one group at a time, but you can schedule multiple groups into one interview session.
Enter a name in the Group Name field
Select applicants for the group from the Applicants drop-down box
Select the + icon to add another group
Select the red x icon to delete a group
To auto-assign applicants to a group:
Create your group names
Select Auto Assign before choosing any applicants
In the auto-assign window, exclude any applicants who should not be assigned to a group
Select Assign
Select Save or Save and Continue to save this step. Select Skip this Step to skip it.
6. Step 3: Interviewer groups (optional)
Interviewer Groups can be assigned so you can easily schedule bulk interviewers to specific events, such as tours, lunches, and breaks. Interviewers can only be added to one group at a time, but you can schedule multiple groups into one interview session.
Enter a name in the Group Name field
Select interviewers for the group from the Interviewers drop-down box
Select the + icon to add another group
Select the red x icon to delete a group
To auto-assign interviewers to a group:
Create your group names
Select Auto Assign before choosing any interviewers
In the auto-assign window, exclude any interviewers who should not be assigned to a group
Select Assign
Select Save or Save and Continue to save this step. Select Skip this Step to skip it.
7. Step 4: Group events (optional)
Group Events let you designate group activities, such as tours, lunches, or breaks, that occur during a set time on the itinerary day.
Enter an Event Name, or select one from the drop-down list of existing event names
Enter the event Start Time and End Time
Select the applicant groups for the event, or select all applicant groups
Select the faculty for the event, either individually or by group
Note: Assigning faculty to a group event will affect their availability to be scheduled for interviews during that time.
Enter the Virtual Knock time. This field will only be enabled if you are using Thalamus Video
Select the + icon to add another event
Select the red x icon to delete an event
Select Save or Save and Continue to save this step. Select Skip this Step to skip it.
8. Step 5: Interviews
Create interview slots by interview type, how many each applicant and interviewer should have, the length of the interview, the time between interviews, and how many minutes before the end of the session an automatic virtual knock reminder will be sent.
Important: The total of the How Many fields across all interview types will be the total number of sessions each applicant is assigned. For example, one Chair Interview, one Program Director Interview, and four standard interviews will assign each applicant a total of six individual interview sessions.
Select an Interview Type from the drop-down menu, or add a new type
Select the number of interviews of that type per applicant and per interviewer in the How Many drop-down box
Select the interview length in minutes from the Length drop-down box
Select the amount of time between interviews from the Time Between drop-down box
Enter the Virtual Knock time. This field will only be enabled if you are using Thalamus Video Chat
Select the + icon to add another interview slot
Select the red x icon to delete an interview slot
Note: Interviewers are assigned to each session in the next step.
Select Save or Save and Continue to save this step. Select Skip this Step to skip it.
9. Step 6: Interviewer types
Assign interviewers to the interview type you want them to be assigned to. For example, your Program Director can be assigned to your program director interview.
Add the desired faculty to each interview type from the drop-down box. You can also add groups of interviewers
Select Auto Assign to automatically assign faculty to each interview type
Select Save or Save and Continue to save this step. Select Skip this Step to skip it.
10. Step 7: Preferences (optional)
Interview preferences let you identify preferences in faculty and applicant pairings.
Select an applicant from the drop-down list
Select a rule:
Avoid: prevents the applicant and faculty member from being paired
Prefer: prioritizes the pairing of the applicant and faculty member
Force: forces the applicant and faculty member to be paired
Select the faculty member
Select the + icon to add another preference
Select the red x icon to delete a preference
Select Save or Save and Continue to save this step. Select Skip this Step to skip it.
11. Step 8: Finalize
Selecting Step 8 will begin calculating your itinerary. The Itinerary Wizard may take up to ten minutes to finalize a solution.
Important: If the itinerary takes longer than 30 seconds to build, a pop-up window will display and offer two options.
Terminate will stop the Itinerary Wizard from completing the itinerary. Terminated itineraries will not be discarded and will remain available in the Itinerary List, where they can be edited, completed, or discarded at any time.
Select Terminate to stop the schedule
Select Confirm
Continue in Background will allow the Itinerary Wizard to keep running while you continue other work or start a new itinerary for a different event. Selecting this option will navigate you to the Itinerary List page immediately.
Once the itinerary loads, the built schedule will display. You will be able to review details about any missing interviews in the Missing Interviews field. You can return to previous steps to adjust your itinerary and address any missing interviews. For example, you may need to adjust the amount of time per interview or the number of interviews per applicant.
At the bottom of the screen, you will have three options:
Create & Publish Itineraries: creates the itineraries, publishes them as viewable for applicants and interviewers, and allows you to notify participants that the itinerary has been published
Create Itineraries: creates the itineraries but does not publish them as viewable
Save as Template: saves a template of your interview date for use on other dates
To create and publish itineraries:
Select Create & Publish Itineraries to make your itinerary visible to applicants and interviewers
Toggle Notify Participants to Yes in the Publish Confirmation window if you want to notify participants of the published status
Select the checkboxes on the left to choose which participants to notify
Select Preview Email to view the message. Select Close Preview to collapse the preview
Select Confirm to send the notification to the selected participants
You will receive a confirmation screen that allows you to continue with additional wizards or view the itineraries in the Itinerary Builder. You can also access built itineraries by selecting the Interviews tab and then Itinerary Builder.
For additional questions or support, please contact our team by emailing customercare@thalamusgme.com.