Automated Workflows: Setup + Best Practices

Last updated: October 9, 2026

Before You Start

GOAL: Understand the building blocks so the steps below make sense.

Automated Workflow	A rule that sends a candidate an interview request automatically when they move into a stage in your ATS, so you don't have to go back into GoodTime Hire and click through Request Availability.
Trigger	The event that fires the workflow. Most teams use "When candidate enters stage."
Action	What happens next, typically "Send interview request" using a specific interview template.
Interview Template	Where the interviewers, business hours, interview blocks, and settings live. The workflow pulls everything from here.
Custom Delay	How long to wait after the stage change before sending (e.g. 1 hour).
Drip Campaign	Optional reminder emails if the candidate hasn't submitted availability. Only available in automated workflows.

A workflow is tied to one job + one stage + one interview template. Behind the scenes it schedules exactly like GoodTime Hire: same slot-finding algorithm, time zones, business hours, load balancing, rescheduling, and declined-interviewer handling. The difference is that it saves you the clicks.

Automated workflows vs. Scheduling Links: Scheduling Links are a separate feature that work best for sourcing outreach and recruiter screens. Booking through GoodTime instead of a separate tool keeps all your scheduling data in one place. This guide focuses on automated workflows.

Pre-Launch Checklist

GOAL: Complete these three audits before you build your first workflow.

Review the jobs and stages you'd like to start with. Pick early, repeatable stages where the interviewers are known in advance. (Step 1)
Audit interviewer daily and weekly load limits. Check open calendar space and interview limits on the Team page, and remaining weekly limits on your templates and tags. (Step 2.2)
Audit all interview templates and tags for capacity. Sort the Interview Templates and Tag Manager pages to find your most restricted templates and tags, and fix them before automating. (Step 2.2)

Why this matters: Automated workflows can only offer the times your interviewers actually have. Auditing capacity first is the single best way to make sure candidates always see good options.

At a Glance

The full setup flow on one page. Each step is explained in detail in the sections that follow.

Step 1 — Choose What to Automate

GOAL: Pick a role and stage where automation will save real time without risking the candidate experience.

1.1 Start early in the process

Most teams start with the first or second stage and expand from there. Strong starting points:

Application review → recruiter or hiring manager screen. The candidate isn't waiting on you, so these can send right away.
Hiring manager screen. One interviewer and an easy win.
First assessment or a simple remote panel (two people, for example), for roles with healthy interviewer availability.

1.2 Check that the stage is a good fit

Good fit for automation	Keep it manual (for now)
You know the interviewers in advance (hiring manager variable, a fixed panel, or a tag pool)	You pick interviewers case by case for each candidate
High-volume roles with plenty of interviewer availability	Small pools that are often fully booked
Simple, repeatable stages	Complex panels with interviewers across multiple regions
Standard roles and levels	Executive roles, or any interviewer whose calendar is managed by an EA

Why this matters: Interviewers can't be changed per candidate inside a workflow. If you regularly need to swap in a specific interviewer for a specific candidate, that stage is better scheduled through regular Request Availability on GoodTime Hire.

Checkpoint: You should now have one role and one stage picked out, with interviewers you can name in advance. Move to Step 2.

Step 2 — Audit Your Interview Template

GOAL: Make sure the template the workflow will use is ready to run without a human in the loop.

2.1 Set interviewers at the template level

Open the interview template and go to the Interview Panel.
Add interviewers by name, by tag or interviewer pool, or with a hiring manager variable. Workflows pull these directly; you can't edit interviewers from inside the workflow.
Use "or" logic for pools (e.g. Interviewer A or Interviewer B). There's no priority order: GoodTime picks the best match based on time zone, availability, and load balance. This is intentional, to spread interview load evenly and avoid bias.

2.2 Audit capacity and load limits

GoodTime shows availability and remaining capacity at three levels: interviewers, tags, and interview templates. Check all three for anything you plan to automate.

A — Interviewers (Settings → Team)

Go to Settings → Team and find the Open Calendar Space column. It shows the percentage of each interviewer's calendar that's free within their business hours and time zone.
Click the column header to sort, so the most limited interviewers are at the top. Hover over the column's tooltip to see the time range used.
Review each interviewer's daily and weekly interview limits from the Team page. Limits that are too low cap your capacity even when calendars are open; limits that are too high can overload people.
For a hiring manager variable, find a typical hiring manager and click their open calendar percentage to preview their calendar.

B — Tags (Settings → Tag Manager)

Open Tag Manager. Each tag shows Calendar Slot Options (free slots across everyone in the tag, at the interview length the tag is most often used for) and Weekly Interview Limits (the combined remaining load balance for the tag).
Sort by either column to find overbooked tags.
For a tight tag, add interviewers to it, or train more people into it with a training path.

C — Interview templates (Settings → Interview Templates)

On the Interview Templates page, review Calendar Slot Options and Weekly Interview Limit for each template. These reflect the template's most restricted event, its "weakest link."
Open a multi-event template to see each event's numbers and find which event is the bottleneck. A template with no interviewers or tags shows 0.
Use the Weekly Interview Limit (remaining load balance) as your realistic number, not just slot options. Slot options show open calendar time; the limit shows how many interviews people can actually take.
Decide whether that's enough for your candidate volume. There's no magic number; for example, roughly 30 per week is comfortable for many single-interviewer stages.

Good to know: Capacity counts only bookable time within each interviewer's business hours. For interviewers using interview block availability, only their interview blocks count. The time window (next business week by default) is set in your company settings, and team, tag, and template numbers refresh about every 8 hours. Template numbers update live while you edit, and the same insights appear in the scheduling drawer.

2.3 Review the scheduling settings

Open the template settings (Ctrl/Cmd + F helps you find each one quickly):

Setting	Recommendation
Require review	Turn off for stages you want to run end to end, so confirmed times don't pile up on your dashboard waiting for approval. Keep it on only where a coordinator truly needs to check each interview.
Candidate self-reschedule	Turn on. A limit of two reschedules is most common. Coordinators get an email whenever a candidate reschedules.
Reschedule cutoff	Usually 12 to 24 hours before the interview. For panels or presentations, many teams use one to two days and allow only one or two reschedules.
Auto-replace declined interviewers	Turn on if the template uses a pool. A 48 to 72 hour window is most common; 24 hours works well for many teams. Windows as short as 12 hours are best reserved for very large interviewer pools.
Business hours	Set them to the region the template serves (e.g. EMEA hours for an EMEA template), so candidates aren't offered times at odd hours.
Interview blocks (GTIB)	If everyone on the template uses blocks, turn "Use Interview Blocks" on at the template level. For a mix, leave the template toggle off and enable blocks per interviewer from Settings → Team.
Video & coding tools	Set Zoom, CoderPad, or similar integrations in the template so their links are created automatically.

Checkpoint: Your template has its interviewers, healthy capacity, the right business hours, and the settings above. Move to Step 3.

Step 3 — Build the Workflow

GOAL: Connect the job, stage, and template, then decide timing and messaging.

3.1 Create the workflow

Open the job in GoodTime and go to the Automation tab.
Click Add new workflow.
Set the trigger to When candidate enters stage and choose the stage (e.g. Hiring Manager Screen).
Set the action to Send interview request and select the interview template from Step 2.

Best practice: Multiple workflows can run on the same stage, and each fires when its trigger occurs. Avoid more than one workflow that sends an interview request on the same stage, so candidates never receive duplicate requests.

3.2 Choose the timing

The custom delay counts from the stage change. For example, with a one-hour delay, moving a candidate at 3:00 PM sends the request at 4:00 PM.

Timing	When to use it
Send ASAP	Application review → first screen. The candidate doesn't know they're being reviewed, so speed only helps.
1 to 2 hours	The most common choice. Gives you a short window and avoids a request landing seconds after a stage move.
1 to 2 days	Later rounds, when a little more breathing room between stages gives a better candidate experience.

Also turn on sending during business hours, which follows your company settings. This keeps candidates from getting requests at 2 AM just because someone moved them late at night.

3.3 Add the message

Use Import template to pull in an existing email template. It doesn't auto-populate from the interview template, because some teams use custom messages for certain stages.
Choose your request availability email, not a confirmation email. This email asks for availability.
Add CCs with variables from the dropdown (e.g. the coordinator's email) instead of typing addresses.
Set the availability window you want to offer (e.g. two weeks) and check the number of interview options shown.

3.4 Decide on reminders (drip campaign)

Most teams use zero to two reminders; one is often enough.
Reminders stop once the candidate submits availability.
Your company-level Request Availability reminder still sends on its own schedule, so account for it to avoid sending too many reminders.

3.5 Save without activating

Save the workflow but leave it inactive until you've tested it in Step 4.

Step 4 — Test Before You Go Live

GOAL: Confirm the candidate experience end to end before real candidates see it.

Use a test job, or a real job with a test candidate.
Activate the workflow and move one test candidate into the stage in your ATS.
Then move two or three test candidates at the same time to check bulk moves.
Work through the checklist below, then turn the workflow off again if you're not ready to launch.

Check	What good looks like
Request email	Correct template, wording, and CCs
Timing	Sends after your delay and within business hours
Slots offered	Reasonable times in the candidate's time zone
After booking	Candidate receives a calendar invite and a confirmation email with interview details
Reschedule	Candidate can self-reschedule within your limits; coordinator gets an email
Declines	Declined interviewer is auto-replaced, or a conflict appears on your dashboard
Reminders	Drip reminders stop once availability is submitted
Settings	Workflow behavior matches your interview template settings (e.g. require review, auto-replace window)

If something fails: Review the interview template settings and the workflow configuration first. If you still see unexpected behavior, contact GoodTime support with the job, stage, and test candidate so they can help quickly.

Step 5 — Activate & Manage

GOAL: Run the workflow confidently and know how to handle changes.

5.1 Activate

Toggle the workflow to active. It only applies to candidates moved into the stage after it's turned on. It won't send retroactively to candidates moved while it was off.

5.2 Know what you can't undo

Once a candidate is moved in the ATS, the workflow is triggered, even with a delay. Moving them back to their original stage may not stop the request from sending.
Don't manually request availability for a candidate in an automated stage. They'll get two requests.
Only move candidates once the decision is final. If plans change, check for the pending interview request in GoodTime and cancel it before it sends.

5.3 Make changes the right way

If you need to…	Do this
Pause a workflow	Turn it off. Don't delete it: deleting is permanent and can't be undone.
Change interviewers	Update the interview template, then rebuild the workflow.
Set up a new job	Build a new workflow. Workflows can't be duplicated across jobs today.

5.4 Monitor

There's no automatic alert if availability runs out, so recheck capacity on your automated templates regularly.
Watch your dashboard for conflicts (e.g. a declined interviewer that couldn't be replaced).
Review your automated workflows each quarter and retire any that no longer match how you hire.

Step 6 — Set Up Hiring Teams for Success

GOAL: Automation is only as good as interviewer calendars. Help hiring teams help you.

Interviewers don't use automated workflows directly, but their habits decide whether workflows find good times. Share these best practices with hiring managers and interviewers, for example in interviewer training or a one-pager:

Keep calendars accurate. Block focus time, travel, and personal appointments so GoodTime doesn't offer those times.
Keep working hours current, especially when working across time zones.
If you use interview blocks (GTIB), keep blocks covering the next few weeks, and decline them when you're going out of office. Being OOO alone doesn't remove block availability.
Respond to invites quickly. Declining early gives the system time to auto-replace you.
Treat interviewing as a team sport. Load is spread evenly by design, so everyone in the pool contributes.

Quick Reference: FAQ & Troubleshooting

How It Works

Question	Answer
Does it work differently from GoodTime Hire?	No. Slot-finding, time zones, business hours, rescheduling, and declined-interviewer handling all work the same. It just removes the clicks.
Is the delay from the stage change or the previous step?	The delay is for when the stage change occurs. So if I have an automated workflow setup for HM Screen with a 1 hour delay, if I were to move a candidate from Recruiter Screen to HM screen, then it would take 1 hour to send the Request Availability.
Which time zone does "send during business hours" use?	Your company settings.
Can multiple workflows exist for the same stage?	Yes. Multiple workflows can be active, and each runs when its trigger occurs. Avoid duplicate actions, such as two workflows that both send an interview request.
How does GoodTime prioritize multiple workflows on one stage?	There's no single priority winner. Each matching workflow runs based on its trigger; for example, a candidate-enters-stage workflow and a scorecard-complete workflow can both fire, at different times (if delays are setup)

Interviewers & Templates

Question	Answer
Can I set interviewer priority (A first, then B)?	No. Pools use "or" logic, and GoodTime picks the best match to spread the load evenly.
Can I use tag or interviewer pools?	Yes. The workflow draws from the interview template's panel.
Can I edit interviewers inside the workflow?	Not currently. The recommended workflow: make the change in the interview template, then rebuild the workflow.
Are interview blocks (GTIB) respected?	Yes, at the template level for all interviewers (if toggled on) or per interviewer (if the template toggle is off).
Do Zoom and CoderPad links work?	Yes, when set up in the interview template.
What happens if an interviewer becomes unavailable after the candidate receives a scheduling request from the automated workflow?	GoodTime scheduling uses interviewer calendar availability when matching candidate availability. Similar to GoodTime Legacy Hire, it can also handle automated interviewer replacement if an interviewer becomes unavailable, depending on configuration (e.g. if another interviewer(s) in the pool are available). So availability should be evaluated based on current calendar availability at scheduling time, but replacement behavior depends on whether interviewer replacement automation is enabled. If there is only a single interviewer available, the candidate will see no availability on the RA link and be asked to reach out to their RC.
What happens if there are interviewer or panel changes after the automated workflow is triggered?	Just like in GoodTime Hire, the automated workflow can identify replacements based on interviewer pools, availability, workload, and interview requirements, and can either notify for review or auto-replace if enabled. If the change is to the interview template/panel after an outreach has already gone out, the pending request does not automatically re-build itself without manual intervention.

Emails & Reminders

Question	Answer
Can I use existing email templates and CC variables?	Yes, both are in the dropdowns.
Are drip campaigns available outside workflows?	No, only in automated workflows.

Canceling & Mid-Process Changes

Question	Answer
Can a workflow be stopped once it starts?	If the interview is still in ‘pending candidate response’ then you can go ahead and cancel this interview and select ‘send cancellation to candidate.’
If a candidate is rejected/withdrawn while automation is pending, are emails or scheduling requests automatically canceled?	Not within automated workflows. You would need to manually cancel these interviews. In the Job Pipeline functionality, you can reject directly there and it will cancel the interview and send a rejection email to the candidate.
If I move a candidate back to their original stage during the delay, is the request canceled?	Not automatically. The request may still send, because the workflow was already triggered when the candidate entered the stage. If you don't want outreach to go out, check for the pending interview request and cancel it manually.
What happens if a coordinator manually schedules a candidate while an automated workflow for that same candidate is still active?	For request availability flows, candidates sit in Pending Candidate Response until they respond; if Require Review is off, GoodTime can auto-schedule after the candidate shares availability, and if Require Review is on, the candidate moves to Pending Review for coordinator action. At this time, the automated workflow won’t auto-cancel the same candidate if they are manually scheduled through regular Request Availability. We recommend manually canceling/closing the outstanding request if a coordinator schedules outside that flow.

Managing Workflows

Question	Answer
If I turn a workflow off, move candidates, then turn it back on, will they get requests?	No. It only applies to moves made while it's active.
Can I recover a deleted workflow?	No. Turn workflows off instead of deleting them.
Can I duplicate a workflow for a new job?	Not today. Build a new one for each job.

Monitoring & Reporting

Question	Answer
Can users see pending/completed/failed automations and intervene?	There is visibility through the dashboard statuses like Pending Candidate Response, Pending Review, and Confirmed for scheduling flows, plus Insights reporting for automation adoption across request availability, scheduling, rescheduling, and interviewer replacement. You can see the status both on GoodTime Dashboard as well as by going to the automation tab and going to Job View.
Who gets credit for scheduling the interview? Does it depend on who moves the candidate from stage-to-stage?	Recruiting Leaderboard credit goes to whoever is listed as the coordinator on the interview. If scheduling is fully automated through request availability on an automated workflow, credit is automatically assigned to the coordinator once the candidate confirms. If Require Review is on, the coordinator can be changed before confirming to reassign credit.
How current is the capacity data?	Team, tag, and template capacity refreshes about every 8 hours. Template numbers update live while you edit a template or schedule from it.
Is there an alert when availability runs out?	No. Monitor capacity on the template and watch for candidates reporting no available times.

Troubleshooting

Issue	What to check
Workflow isn't appearing for a job	The job may not be in the relevant hiring team, or may not have fully synced from the ATS. Confirm the job exists in the ATS, refresh the job sync, and check hiring team and user filters.
ATS stages aren't showing in Automated Workflows	Usually a sync or job-mapping issue. Re-sync the job and confirm the stages are visible in GoodTime settings before troubleshooting the workflow itself.