How to Set Up Automated Interview Reminders and Feedback Collection with Make.com and Your Calendar Tool

In the fast-paced world of recruitment, ensuring candidates show up on time and collecting timely, consistent feedback from interviewers are critical yet often time-consuming tasks. Manual processes lead to no-shows, delayed hiring decisions, and an inconsistent candidate experience. This guide will walk you through leveraging Make.com (formerly Integromat) and your preferred calendar tool to automate interview reminders and streamline feedback collection, freeing up your team to focus on strategic hiring initiatives. By integrating these systems, you’ll enhance efficiency, reduce human error, and elevate your recruitment operations.

Step 1: Define Your Automation Objectives and Tools

Before diving into the technical setup, clearly define what you aim to achieve. Are you primarily looking to send reminders to candidates, collect feedback from interviewers, or both? Identify your primary calendar tool (e.g., Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar) and your chosen feedback form tool (e.g., Google Forms, Typeform, SurveyMonkey). Make.com serves as the central orchestration platform, connecting these disparate systems. Understanding your specific goals will help you design an efficient and effective automation workflow. This initial planning phase ensures that the subsequent steps are tailored precisely to your operational needs, delivering maximum ROI for your automation efforts.

Step 2: Connect Your Calendar and Identify Interview Events in Make.com

Begin by creating a new scenario in Make.com and connecting your calendar account. Choose a “Watch Events” module (e.g., Google Calendar > Watch Events or Microsoft 365 Calendar > Watch Events) as your trigger. Configure this module to monitor for new calendar events that signify an interview. You might use specific keywords in the event title (e.g., “Candidate Interview,” “First Round Interview”) or a dedicated calendar for recruitment. This module will act as the starting point for your automation, detecting when an interview is scheduled. Ensure your connection is properly authenticated and that Make.com has the necessary permissions to read your calendar events.

Step 3: Design the Candidate Reminder Flow

Once an interview event is detected, the next step is to configure the reminder sequence for the candidate. Add a “Delay” module after your calendar trigger to schedule reminders (e.g., 24 hours before the interview). Following the delay, introduce an email sending module (e.g., Gmail > Send an Email or Microsoft 365 Mail > Send an Email). Populate the email with dynamic data pulled from the calendar event, such as the candidate’s name, interview date/time, and meeting link. Craft a clear, professional reminder message that includes all essential details to minimize confusion and improve attendance rates. This proactive communication significantly enhances the candidate experience.

Step 4: Implement Interviewer Feedback Form Distribution

To streamline feedback collection, add another “Delay” module set to trigger immediately after the interview concludes (e.g., 10 minutes after the event ends). Following this delay, use an email module to send a feedback form link to the interviewer(s). This form should be pre-created in your chosen tool (e.g., Google Forms, Typeform) and designed to capture specific, actionable insights. You can use Make.com to dynamically insert details like the candidate’s name and position into the form link, pre-populating fields or making it easier for interviewers to identify the correct candidate. Prompt feedback ensures that insights are fresh and contributes to faster, more informed hiring decisions.

Step 5: Add Conditional Logic and Error Handling

Enhance the robustness of your automation with conditional logic and error handling. Use “Filters” between modules to ensure reminders and feedback requests are only sent for specific types of events or to specific participants. For example, you might only send reminders for events explicitly marked as “Interview” or only send feedback forms to internal team members. Additionally, consider adding error handling steps using “Router” modules to manage scenarios where an email fails to send or a calendar event is updated. This advanced configuration ensures your automation runs smoothly, accurately, and without unnecessary interruptions, adapting to real-world operational variations.

Step 6: Test, Monitor, and Iterate Your Automation

Thorough testing is paramount before fully deploying your automation. Run several test scenarios, creating mock interview events and verifying that reminders are sent correctly, feedback forms are delivered to the right individuals, and all dynamic data is populating as expected. Monitor your Make.com scenario’s execution history closely for any errors or unexpected behavior. As your recruitment process evolves, periodically review and iterate on your automation. Adjust timings, update email templates, or refine filters to ensure the system remains optimized and continues to meet your changing operational needs. Continuous improvement will ensure sustained efficiency and accuracy.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Make.com vs. Zapier: The Automated Recruiter’s Blueprint for AI-Powered HR