Interview

Interview documents schedule and track candidate conversations. Smooth HR uses Interview Type and Interview Round masters to define sequences (Phone Screen, Technical, HR, Final). Each interview links to a Job Applicant and interviewers.

Help URL: https://smoothhiring.com/help/hrms/recruitment/interview

Table of contents

1. Overview
2. Interview rounds setup
3. Desk paths
4. Scheduling workflow
5. Feedback and reminders
6. Who uses interviews
7. Common mistakes
8. Troubleshooting

Overview

Smooth HR runs on Frappe v16. Module sidebars (People, Recruitment, Expenses, Performance, Tenure, NextAI) appear after login. DocType lists use /app/{slug}; workspace homes use /desk/{module}.

Interview rounds setup

1. Recruitment → Setup → Interview Round — create rounds (e.g. Round 1 Phone, Round 2 Panel).
2. Define Interview Type if needed for reporting.
3. When scheduling, pick round so analytics show funnel drop-off.

flowchart LR
  R1[Phone Screen] --> R2[Technical]
  R2 --> R3[Final Panel]
  R3 --> Offer[Job Offer]

Desk paths

Scheduling workflow

1. Open Job Applicant → create Interview or add from Interview list.
2. Set Scheduled On, Interviewers, Interview Round.
3. Save and submit if workflow requires.
4. After completion, record Status (Cleared, Rejected) and Feedback.

Feedback and reminders

HR Settings hiring section:

Who uses interviews

Interviewers need read access to Job Applicant and write on Interview feedback. Hiring managers often receive feedback reminders.

Common mistakes

Troubleshooting

Panel interviews

Add multiple interviewers on one Interview record. Each may receive feedback reminders. Consolidate decision on Job Applicant status before Job Offer.

Frequently asked questions

Can applicants reschedule?

HR edits Scheduled On; optional calendar integration via email.

Link to Job Offer?

Offer references same applicant; no hard link from Interview to Offer required.

Related guides

• Job Applicant
• Recruitment overview
• Job Offer

Additional operational detail

Smooth HR v16 organizes HR into module workspaces accessible from the desktop app switcher. Each module sidebar mirrors production fixtures in the HRMS app: People at /desk/people, Recruitment at /desk/recruitment, Expenses at /desk/expenses, Performance at /desk/performance, Tenure at /desk/tenure, and NextAI at /desk/nextai. DocType routes follow /app/{slug} where slug is the lowercased DocType with spaces replaced by hyphens.

HR Managers configure masters and approvals; HR Users run daily transactions; Employees interact through self-service when User records link to Employee and roles permit; System Managers own site configuration including NextAI API credentials. Before go-live, validate Role Permissions Manager entries for each DocType mentioned in this guide.

When migrating from spreadsheets, import Company and Department before Employee, then recruitment and expense histories. Use Data Import templates and fix validation errors row-by-row rather than bulk-deleting partial loads. Clear desk cache after fixture updates so sidebars reflect the latest Smooth HR layout.

For payroll-adjacent HR data, keep Employee company and department aligned with cost centers. For recruitment, remember Job Applicant documents use email as the primary key. For expenses, settle Employee Advance balances on Expense Claim submission. For performance, run Appraisal Cycle to batch-create Appraisal records. For tenure, complete Employee Separation projects before deactivating employees. For NextAI, store Gemini or OpenAI keys only in NextAI Settings and review usage logs before retention cleanup runs.

Additional operational detail

Smooth HR v16 organizes HR into module workspaces accessible from the desktop app switcher. Each module sidebar mirrors production fixtures in the HRMS app: People at /desk/people, Recruitment at /desk/recruitment, Expenses at /desk/expenses, Performance at /desk/performance, Tenure at /desk/tenure, and NextAI at /desk/nextai. DocType routes follow /app/{slug} where slug is the lowercased DocType with spaces replaced by hyphens.

HR Managers configure masters and approvals; HR Users run daily transactions; Employees interact through self-service when User records link to Employee and roles permit; System Managers own site configuration including NextAI API credentials. Before go-live, validate Role Permissions Manager entries for each DocType mentioned in this guide.

When migrating from spreadsheets, import Company and Department before Employee, then recruitment and expense histories. Use Data Import templates and fix validation errors row-by-row rather than bulk-deleting partial loads. Clear desk cache after fixture updates so sidebars reflect the latest Smooth HR layout.

For payroll-adjacent HR data, keep Employee company and department aligned with cost centers. For recruitment, remember Job Applicant documents use email as the primary key. For expenses, settle Employee Advance balances on Expense Claim submission. For performance, run Appraisal Cycle to batch-create Appraisal records. For tenure, complete Employee Separation projects before deactivating employees. For NextAI, store Gemini or OpenAI keys only in NextAI Settings and review usage logs before retention cleanup runs.

Last updated: May 2026

Additional operational detail

Smooth HR v16 organizes HR into module workspaces accessible from the desktop app switcher. Each module sidebar mirrors production fixtures in the HRMS app: People at /desk/people, Recruitment at /desk/recruitment, Expenses at /desk/expenses, Performance at /desk/performance, Tenure at /desk/tenure, and NextAI at /desk/nextai. DocType routes follow /app/{slug} where slug is the lowercased DocType with spaces replaced by hyphens.

HR Managers configure masters and approvals; HR Users run daily transactions; Employees interact through self-service when User records link to Employee and roles permit; System Managers own site configuration including NextAI API credentials. Before go-live, validate Role Permissions Manager entries for each DocType mentioned in this guide.

When migrating from spreadsheets, import Company and Department before Employee, then recruitment and expense histories. Use Data Import templates and fix validation errors row-by-row rather than bulk-deleting partial loads. Clear desk cache after fixture updates so sidebars reflect the latest Smooth HR layout.

For payroll-adjacent HR data, keep Employee company and department aligned with cost centers. For recruitment, remember Job Applicant documents use email as the primary key. For expenses, settle Employee Advance balances on Expense Claim submission. For performance, run Appraisal Cycle to batch-create Appraisal records. For tenure, complete Employee Separation projects before deactivating employees. For NextAI, store Gemini or OpenAI keys only in NextAI Settings and review usage logs before retention cleanup runs.