Cake ATS lets you configure default interview settings for each hiring stage, including interview title, interviewers, duration, online meeting links, and email templates, so you may schedule interviews faster and more consistently. This article covers:
Access interview stage settings
Set Default Interviewers
Set up interview invitation & confirmation email templates
Access Interview Stage Settings
Go to Cake for Employers > ATS > Jobs.
Open the job you want to configure.
Click the "Interviews" tab.
Click the "settings" icon in the top-right corner of the Scheduled Interviews view.
A panel titled "Default interview settings for each job stage" will appear on the right.
By default, stages in the Interviewing phase are shown (Initial Phone Screen, Advanced Interview, Final Interview). Click "Show All Stages" to view all hiring phases including Sourcing and Reviewing.
Configure Default Interview Info Per Stage
Click the stage you want to configure (e.g., Final Interview).
Fill in the following fields:
Interview title
Interview details or notes (optional) — describe the interview content or any notes for the candidate
Internal notes (optional) — internal team notes, not visible to the candidate
Add interviewers — add one or more interviewers; the system will check their calendar availability when scheduling
Duration (required) — enter the interview duration in minutes
Create online meeting link (optional) — check to automatically generate a meeting link for this interview
Default available time — inherited from Scheduler Settings (e.g., Mon, Wed–Fri, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Asia/Taipei UTC+8); adjustable per interview when scheduling
Send confirmation email when slot is selected (optional) — check to automatically send a confirmation email once the candidate selects a time slot
Click "Save".
Note: These settings serve as defaults for the selected stage in this job. They will be pre-filled each time you schedule an interview for that stage, but can be adjusted individually per interview.
Set Default Interviewers
In the stage settings panel, click the "Add interviewers".
Use the filter tabs at the top to browse collaborators by permission level: All, Has full access to job management, Has partial access to job management or Has view-only access with permission to add notes.
To add an interviewer: click "+ Invite" next to their name under "Other Collaborators".
To remove an interviewer: click "×" next to their name under "Interviewers for this stage".
Click "Save".
Note: When scheduling an interview, the system checks the interviewers' connected personal calendars to suggest available time slots and avoid conflicts.
Set Up Interview Invitation & Confirmation Email Templates
Create an Email Template
In the stage settings panel, click the "Add interview invitation/confirmation email template" field.
Click "+ Create Email Template".
Fill in the following:
Template Name (required)
Template Type (required) — select from the dropdown: General, Job Offer, Rejection, Interview Invitation, or Interview Confirmation. Available variables update based on the type selected.
Title (required) — the email subject line; supports variables
Body (required) — the email content; supports variables
Click "Save".
Apply a Template
Select a template by clicking the radio button next to it, then click "Apply".
The applied template name appears in the panel.
To remove it, click "Clear and Reset".
To automatically send a confirmation email when a candidate selects a time slot, check "Send confirmation email when slot is selected".
This requires an Interview Confirmation template to be applied first.
Click "Save".
When using the Interview Confirmation template type, the following variables are available in both the subject and body:
{full_name}— candidate's full name{company}— company name{job_title}— job title{my_first_name}— sender's first name{my_last_name}— sender's last name{my_name}— sender's full name{my_email}— sender's email address{interview_name}— interview name{interview_selection_link_url}— interview scheduling link{interview_date}— interview date{interview_time}— interview time{interview_meeting_url}— online meeting link{interview_location}— interview location
Note: There are up to 3 email templates in total. The "Interview Invitation" and "Interview Confirmation" template types include pre-filled default content you can edit directly.
Edit or Delete a Template
In the My Email Templates modal, you can manage existing templates:
Edit: click the pencil icon, update the fields, then click "Save".
Duplicate: click the copy icon to create a copy of the template.
Delete: click the trash icon, then click "Delete" in the confirmation dialog to permanently remove the template.
For step-by-step guidance on scheduling interviews, see How to Schedule and Manage Interviews?
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the Cake support team.