Overview

Interviewer tags let you group interviewers by what they can interview for — a skill, a language, a round, a location — and then schedule against the group instead of one named person. Add a tag to an interview slot and Eightfold checks the real-time calendars of the interviewers in that tag, shows their combined availability, and assigns an available interviewer for you once a time is picked. Tags work the same way whether you pick the time recruiter-led scheduling and candidate self-scheduling.

Why it matters

• More bookable times show up, because the slots come from a whole group's calendars instead of one person's.
• Nobody has to be chosen up front — pick a time that works and Eightfold fills in an available interviewer at confirmation.
• Interviews spread across the group rather than landing on the same few people, once your admin turns on load-balanced assignment.

How it works

1. Create tags and assign them to interviewers. In the Scheduling Center, open the Interviewer tags panel and select Add tags. On the Add interviewer tags page, choose the interviewers, type each tag into the Add tags field (A user with appropriate permissions can manage tags), then select Save. New tags are added without removing anyone's existing tags, and you can tag up to 20 interviewers at a time.
2. Review or change someone's tags at any time. From the Interviewer tags list, select Edit Tags on an interviewer's row to open Edit interviewer tags, adjust the tags under User added tags, then select Save. Tags listed under System tags come from your applicant tracking system and can't be edited here.
3. Add a tag while scheduling instead of a specific person. In the scheduling wizard's Interviewers section, select + Add, choose Interviewer tags, and pick the tags for that slot. The section notes that tags are auto-assigned while scheduling.
4. Pick a time from the group's combined availability. Eightfold checks the calendars of 10 interviewers from each tag and shows the merged result, with each slot labelled panels available so you can see how many people are free. Slots also note that they reflect the availability of the interviewers checked so far.
5. Widen the search if nothing fits. Select Show more slots to check 10 more interviewers from each tag, repeating up to 80 interviewers per tag. Once every member has been checked, Showing all available slots appears.
6. Send the invitation. Eightfold picks an available, eligible interviewer from each tag at confirmation, re-checks that they're still free to avoid a double booking, and replaces the tag with that person on the slot.
7. Let the candidate choose the time instead, if you prefer. Candidates see the same combined availability on their scheduling page and can select Show more slots the same way. Eightfold assigns the interviewer once the candidate confirms a time. Candidates don't see the panel counts.
8. Adjust an interview after it's booked. In the Scheduling Wizard, select the More options (⋮) menu next to the interviewer, select Replace interviewer to swap in someone specific, Edit tags to change which tags apply, or Revert to tags to clear the assigned person and have Eightfold assign again from the tag.
9. If an assigned interviewer declines the interview, Eightfold uses the configured Interviewer Replacement Mode to either automatically assign another eligible interviewer from the tag or suggest eligible replacements for the recruiter or scheduler to review.

FAQs

Does Eightfold always pick the least-busy interviewer?

Only when your admin has set the assignment strategy to load-balanced. Out of the box the strategy is random, so Eightfold picks any available, eligible interviewer from the tag. Ask your Eightfold administrator which strategy your organization uses.

What happens if the assigned interviewer declines?

Depending on your organization’s Interviewer Replacement Mode, Eightfold can automatically assign another eligible interviewer from the tag or suggest a replacement.

Can I still choose the interviewer myself?

Yes. You can add a specific interviewer instead of a tag, or select Replace interviewer from the More options (⋮) menu next to the assigned interviewer after scheduling.

Why is an interviewer in the tag missing from the availability?

Only tagged interviewers with an active calendar connection are included. Eightfold also skips anyone already assigned to another round for the same candidate, and anyone who can't access a confidential candidate.

What happens if two people book the same slot at once?

Eightfold re-checks availability at the moment of confirmation. The first booking gets the interviewer; the second is assigned the next available person from the tag.

Can I use more than one tag on a slot?

Yes. With several required tags, Eightfold only shows times where at least one interviewer from every tag is free, and assigns one person per tag. Tags marked optional skip the availability check and are assigned at confirmation.

Can I add specific interviewers and interviewer tags to the same interview?

Yes. You can add one or more specific interviewers, one or more interviewer tags, or a combination of both to the same interview. Eightfold shows only the times when all required participants are available. For tags, it checks the common availability across the selected interviewer pools; when specific interviewers and tags are combined, it shows times that work for both the selected interviewers and at least one eligible interviewer from each required tag.