## Why It Matters

Most hiring tools force you to bolt on Calendly, SavvyCal, or another booking tool. That means managing separate logins, paying extra per-seat fees, and context-switching between systems. Kit includes interview scheduling as a first-class feature — candidates book directly through their magic link portal, your calendar stays up-to-date, and your AI assistant can check availability and schedule interviews for you.

## How It Works

Kit's scheduling system has three layers:

1. **Personal availability** — Define your weekly hours, date overrides, and daily meeting limits
2. **Calendar integration** — Connect Google Calendar to automatically block out conflicts
3. **Team coordination** — Combine multiple interviewers' availability using intersection, union, or round-robin modes

When a candidate reaches an interview stage, they see only the time slots where everyone is free. They pick a slot, confirm, and everyone gets a calendar invite. No back-and-forth emails.

## Key Concepts

### Availability Schedules

Each team member creates one or more availability schedules that define when they're open for interviews. A schedule includes:

- **Weekly hours** — Your regular working hours by day of week
- **Date overrides** — Block out specific dates (vacations, holidays) or add custom hours for one-off availability
- **Meeting limits** — Cap the number of interviews per day to prevent burnout
- **Buffers** — Add padding before/after meetings for travel or prep time
- **Scheduling windows** — Limit how far in advance candidates can book

You can create multiple schedules (e.g., "Standard Hours" and "Extended Hours") and switch between them on different accounts.

### Team Modes

When multiple interviewers are required for a stage, Kit combines their availability using one of three modes:

| Mode | Behavior | Use Case |
|------|----------|----------|
| **Intersection** | Only show slots where **all** team members are free | Panel interviews, group discussions |
| **Union** | Show slots where **any** team member is free | First-round screens where any interviewer can handle it |
| **Round Robin** | Show slots from the least-loaded interviewers | Distribute interview load evenly across the team |

The stage configuration controls which mode is used. See [Interview Scheduling](/docs/interview-scheduling) for setup details.

### Conflict Detection

When you connect Google Calendar, Kit reads your events (titles hidden — only start/end times) and automatically removes conflicting slots from the candidate's booking page. If you add a new meeting to your calendar, that time becomes unavailable instantly.

Kit checks for conflicts across all calendars you've enabled in your [Availability Settings](/account/availability/schedules). Personal calendars, work calendars, shared calendars — as long as they're connected, Kit accounts for them.

## What Makes It Different

Unlike standalone booking tools, Kit's scheduling is integrated into the hiring workflow:

- **Candidate portal integration** — Candidates book through the same magic link they use for applications and submissions. No separate account required.
- **AI assistant access** — Claude or other MCP clients can check your availability and schedule interviews on your behalf. No copy-pasting calendar links.
- **Stage-specific configuration** — Different interview stages can use different team modes, durations, and interviewer pools.
- **Automatic notifications** — Slack notifications, email reminders, and calendar invites are generated automatically when interviews are scheduled, confirmed, or cancelled.
- **No per-seat fees** — Scheduling is included with your Kit subscription. Unlimited interviews, unlimited interviewers.

## Common Workflows

### Solo Interviewer

1. Create your availability schedule with weekly hours
2. Connect Google Calendar to prevent double-booking
3. Configure your interview stage with yourself as the only interviewer
4. Candidate sees your available slots and books directly

### Panel Interview

1. All interviewers create their availability schedules
2. Configure the interview stage with multiple interviewers
3. Set team mode to **Intersection**
4. Candidates only see slots where everyone is free

### Round Robin Distribution

1. Build a pool of interviewers who handle first-round screens
2. Configure the interview stage with the full pool
3. Set team mode to **Round Robin**
4. Kit shows slots from the least-loaded interviewers to balance workload

## Quick Checklist

- [ ] Read [Managing Your Availability](/docs/managing-your-availability) to set up your schedule
- [ ] Connect [Google Calendar](/docs/calendar-integration) to prevent conflicts
- [ ] Configure interview stages with [team modes](/docs/interview-scheduling) that match your workflow
- [ ] Test the candidate experience by viewing a staging or published job