Interview scheduling and candidate communications

Requirements describe capabilities the pattern needs in your environment, not the vendors you must buy. Any system that fills a requirement satisfies it — that’s what makes the catalog portable across the long tail of SMB tooling.

1. candidate_pipeline_source

   REQUIREDREAD + WRITErequest

   Where candidates and their pipeline stages live.

   DATA SHAPE

   Per-candidate: contact details, current stage, role applied to, history of touches, assigned recruiter and hiring manager.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • applicant tracking system
   • structured hiring pipeline in the HR system
   • recruiter's working CRM-style tool
2. interviewer_calendar_access

   REQUIREDREADrequest

   Calendars of interviewers across the firm, so the pattern can find mutually-available slots.

   DATA SHAPE

   Per-person calendar availability with working hours, time zones, recurring blocks.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • primary work calendars (Google, Outlook)
   • structured availability blocks per interviewer
   • team calendar with interview blocks designated
3. candidate_communication_channel

   REQUIREDWRITErequest

   How messages reach candidates. Mostly email; sometimes SMS or portal.

   DATA SHAPE

   Personalized messages with scheduling links, instructions, role context, sent from the recruiter's identity or a designated talent address.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • email send from recruiter's mailbox
   • candidate portal in the ATS
   • transactional email service configured to send under the firm's identity
4. communication_template_library

   REQUIREDREADcorpus

   Approved language for each pipeline stage and outcome. Tone matters in candidate experience; templates encode it.

   DATA SHAPE

   Per-stage templates with variables for role and candidate details, brand voice guidance, optional role-family variations.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • templates maintained by talent leadership
   • library inside the ATS
   • structured library co-authored during the engagement
5. scheduling_state_destination

   REQUIREDWRITEevent

   Where confirmed interview events land: candidate calendar, interviewer calendar, ATS record.

   DATA SHAPE

   Interview event with attendees, time, location/link, prep materials, interviewer focus areas.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • calendar events created on attendee calendars
   • ATS interview record
   • video conferencing link generated and attached
6. interviewer_briefing_destination

   RECOMMENDEDWRITEbatch

   Where interviewers get prep materials: candidate background, role context, focus areas, prior interview feedback in the loop.

   DATA SHAPE

   Per-interview brief: candidate summary, resume link, prior feedback, suggested focus, time and link.
   IF MISSING

   Interviews still happen but interviewers are less prepared. Recommend even minimal briefing for important roles.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • briefing card attached to the calendar event
   • morning-of email to the interviewer
   • ATS interviewer view with prep materials
7. exception_escalation

   REQUIREDWRITEevent

   Cases the pattern can't handle: candidate requests special accommodation, recruiter wants to override standard flow, scheduling conflict can't be resolved.

   DATA SHAPE

   Exception case with context and suggested options for the human to decide.
   COMMONLY FILLED BY

   • alert to the assigned recruiter
   • queue in the ATS for human handling
   • chat notification to talent operations