Queues: Scheduling Use Cases
Last updated: August 11, 2026
Queues in candidate.fyi are shared inboxes for interview scheduling requests. Instead of routing every request to one person, you can send work to a team of schedulers and let candidate.fyi assign it automatically—or leave it unassigned until someone picks it up.
This article walks through common ways recruiting coordinators use queues. For step-by-step setup, see the related articles at the end.
Before you choose a queue setup
Every queue needs at least one scheduler with a connected calendar. Only admins and editors can create or edit queues under Settings > Scheduling, on the Schedule settings page, Queues tab.
Day to day, coordinators usually work from Scheduling in the sidebar. If you belong to a queue, you will see Scheduling > Queues > [Queue name]. That page shows requests routed to that queue.
Once a request is assigned to a queue, the queue cannot be changed. The same is true after any interview on the request has been scheduled.
Use case 1: Shared scheduling team inbox
Best for: A central scheduling team that handles requests for many jobs or regions.
How it works:
An admin creates a queue (for example, “US Scheduling”) and adds the coordinators on that team.
When creating a request, choose the queue in the Assign to field instead of a single person.
Set the queue’s Assignment Strategy to Intelligent assignment or Least workload assignment so candidate.fyi picks a coordinator automatically.
Team members open Scheduling > Queues > [Queue name] to see their queue’s requests, or filter any request list by queue using Advanced Filters.
Why teams choose this: Recruiters do not need to know who is available. Work lands in one place and is distributed fairly across the team.
Use case 2: Manual triage before assignment
Best for: Teams that want a shared holding area but prefer a person to claim each request.
How it works:
Create a queue with Assignment Strategy set to Leave unassigned.
New requests appear in the queue with no scheduler until someone assigns them.
Coordinators use Assign Request on a request row to take ownership, or work from Scheduling > Unassigned and filter by queue.
Admins can turn on Unassigned Scheduling Request Alert Users under Settings > Scheduling > General to notify specific people when a request is still unassigned.
Why teams choose this: Useful when requests need a quick review before someone starts scheduling, or when coverage varies by time of day.
Good to know: Self-schedule request types cannot use a queue set to Leave unassigned. Auto-send on stage entry is also turned off for these queues.
Use case 3: Automatic routing when a candidate enters a stage
Best for: High-volume pipelines where scheduling should start as soon as a candidate moves stages in your ATS.
How it works:
On a job’s interview setup (Hiring > Jobs > [Job] > Setup > Interviews), set Scheduling Mode to Automation.
Under Assign To, choose Queue and select the target queue.
When a candidate enters that stage, candidate.fyi creates a scheduling request and routes it to the queue using the queue’s assignment strategy.
Optionally turn on Auto Send on Stage Entry to email the candidate automatically (available when the queue auto-assigns, not when it leaves requests unassigned).
Why teams choose this: Removes manual handoffs from recruiters to schedulers at every stage change.
Use case 4: Standard routing through interview plans
Best for: Organizations that reuse the same interview structure across many jobs.
How it works:
On an interview plan (Templates & Libraries > Scheduling > Interview Plans), configure each stage with Assign To > Queue and pick the queue.
Jobs that use that plan inherit the same routing for mapped stages.
Use Set Defaults instead of Automation if you only want the queue preselected when someone starts scheduling manually.
Why teams choose this: One template keeps routing consistent without reconfiguring every job.
Use case 5: Slack notifications for a scheduling channel
Best for: Teams that coordinate in Slack and want request updates where they already work.
How it works:
When creating a queue, set Communication Channel to Slack (requires a connected Slack integration).
Enter a Slack Channel Name; candidate.fyi creates a channel prefixed with #candidatefyi-.
When a request is routed to the queue, the channel receives a notification with candidate, job, stage, and status details, plus a View Request link.
Team members can update scheduler, priority, and ownership status directly from Slack.
Why teams choose this: Keeps the whole scheduling team aligned without everyone watching the request list all day.
Good to know: You cannot switch a queue from Email to Slack (or the reverse) after it is created.
Use case 6: Load balancing with continuity on reschedules
Best for: Large teams that want fair distribution but prefer the same coordinator when a candidate reschedules.
How it works:
Set Assignment Strategy to Intelligent assignment or Least workload assignment.
Turn on Keep with previous scheduler so follow-up work stays with the coordinator who handled the candidate before.
Optionally turn on Respect working hours so auto-assignment only picks coordinators who are within their working hours.
Why teams choose this: Balances workload while reducing back-and-forth when a candidate needs to move their interview.
Use case 7: Separate queues by team, region, or job type
Best for: Organizations with specialized scheduling groups.
How it works:
Create multiple queues—for example, “Engineering Scheduling,” “Executive Scheduling,” and “Campus Scheduling.”
Add only the schedulers who cover that area to each queue.
Route requests manually via Assign to, or automatically through job stage automation or interview plans.
Each coordinator sees only the queues they belong to under Scheduling > Queues in the sidebar.
Why teams choose this: Keeps specialized work with the right people without giving every scheduler access to every request.
Choosing an assignment strategy
Strategy | What happens | Common fit |
|---|---|---|
Intelligent assignment | Balances active workload, recent assignments, and coordinator capacity. | Most shared-team inboxes. |
Least workload assignment | Assigns to the coordinator with the lowest current workload. | Teams that prioritize even distribution. |
Leave unassigned | Request stays in the queue until someone assigns it manually. | Manual triage or variable coverage. |
Older queues may still show Assign Automatically as the strategy label. That behaves like an automatic assignment option from earlier versions of the product.