Managing group interviews can quickly become overwhelming, especially when you’re recruiting a large number of part-time employees for seasonal or high-demand roles. Whether you are staffing a summer camp, gymnastics club, or any organization with multiple applicants, coordinating interviews efficiently is crucial to ensuring a smooth hiring process.
In this article, we explore how Activity Messenger’s platform can help refine group interviews by enabling automated SMS reminders and easy internal management. These features are designed to reduce no-shows, simplify scheduling, and improve communication with candidates — all while saving time for your recruitment team.
This article is inspired by insights from Olivier Rousseau, co-founder of Activity Messenger, who brings over twelve years of experience in online registration for kids’ sports programs.
When recruiting part-time or seasonal staff, the volume of applicants often spikes dramatically. Traditional approaches to scheduling group interviews can quickly become chaotic:
These challenges are amplified when your target applicants are younger workers who may not regularly check emails but are very responsive to text messages. Activity Messenger addresses these pain points by offering an automated, SMS-based system that makes scheduling and reminders effortless.
The platform offers a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface designed to help you set up group interview booking forms quickly and efficiently. Here’s how it works:
Building the booking form is straightforward. You can add custom images created with tools like Canva to make the form visually appealing and aligned with your brand. Then, you specify who the applicant is and what information you want to collect, starting with their name.
The form also includes a key component: group interview questions and available dates. You can set up multiple interview sessions, either in-person or via Zoom, with a maximum attendance limit for each session to keep things manageable.
Instead of manually coordinating with each applicant, you list all potential interview dates on the form. Candidates then self-schedule by selecting the date that works best for them after a pre-selection process. This flexibility reduces back-and-forth communication and empowers applicants to pick convenient times.
One of the standout features is the ability to automate SMS reminders to candidates. You can configure personalized messages that will be sent automatically, such as one day before the scheduled interview.
This is especially useful for younger workers who might not check their emails frequently but are more responsive to text messages. The message can include details such as the interview name, date, and time, ensuring candidates are well-informed and less likely to miss their appointment.
Behind the scenes, the platform allows interviewers or administrators to add private notes about each applicant. After candidates fill out the form and book their interview dates, you can record your observations, availability, or hiring decisions without the applicant being able to see this information.
For example, you might note the preferred interview time for a candidate, whether you decided to hire them, and their proposed start date. This centralized information optimizes decision-making and keeps all relevant details in one place.
Once an applicant books their interview, notifications are sent out to both the admin and the candidate. After the interview, you can easily update the applicant’s status and communicate next steps via SMS or email, such as welcoming a new hire and sending onboarding forms.
This seamless transition from interview scheduling to hiring communication helps maintain engagement and professionalism throughout the recruitment process.
Activity Messenger’s approach to group interview scheduling offers several advantages:
Book a demo today to explore how easy it can be to optimize scheduling and improve communication with one simple tool.
Book a demoThis group interview scheduling system is particularly well-suited for organizations that:
Examples include camps hiring counsellors, gymnastics clubs onboarding coaches, and other seasonal or event-based employers.
💡 Pro Tip: Hiring part-time or seasonal staff? Check out our blog “Hiring Process for Part-Time or Seasonal Positions” for step-by-step guidance and helpful resources to support every stage of your hiring journey.
Yes. The platform allows you to specify whether interviews are conducted in-person or via Zoom, giving applicants clear options and instructions.
Absolutely. You can set a maximum attendance for each interview date to ensure sessions don’t exceed your capacity.
SMS messages have higher open and response rates, especially among younger applicants who may not regularly check emails. Automated SMS reminders help reduce no-shows by delivering timely, easily accessible appointment information.
Yes. The admin notes feature allows you to record internal comments and hiring decisions confidentially, accessible only to your team.
Definitely. The drag-and-drop interface and simple setup process are designed for ease of use, requiring no programming skills.
Recruiting large numbers of part-time or seasonal staff can be a logistical challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. By leveraging Activity Messenger’s group interview booking system with automated SMS reminders, you can significantly streamline your hiring process.
Empower candidates to self-schedule interviews, reduce no-shows with timely reminders, and keep your team organized with internal notes and notifications. This integrated approach saves time, enhances communication, and ultimately helps you build your team more quickly and efficiently.
💡 Want to simplify how you manage group interviews? Book a free demo to see how automated booking and SMS reminders can save your team hours of admin work.
