Use Case
Interview scheduling across time zones — without the 3 AM candidate slot.
A great candidate in Singapore. Hiring manager in London. Recruiter in New York. Three zones, one interview slot. Here is how to get it right.
Updated November 9, 2026 · Reviewed by The Vibing Dev.
Quick answer: Add the recruiter, hiring manager, and candidate cities to the planner, set each person's real working hours, and use the golden window for the first round. For three or more zones, compare Alternative Overlaps and rotate the inconvenient slot across interview rounds. Export the .ics invite so every calendar renders the correct local time.
Best interview windows by corridor
These are standard-time starting points. Always confirm the exact date because DST transitions shift the overlap by an hour.
| Corridor | Best window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| US East ↔ UK / Ireland | 9–11 AM ET = 2–4 PM GMT | Best for final rounds and panel interviews. |
| US East ↔ India | 8–10 AM ET = 6:30–8:30 PM IST | Avoid 3 PM ET onward — it lands after midnight in India. |
| US East ↔ Philippines | 8–10 PM ET = 9–11 AM PHT next day | Candidate morning, recruiter evening. Rotate the late slot. |
| US West ↔ India | 7–9 AM PT = 8:30–10:30 PM IST | Early for California; confirm the interviewer is willing. |
| UK ↔ Australia (East) | 8–10 AM GMT = 7–9 PM AEDT | UK morning, candidate evening — ask before booking. |
| US East ↔ Brazil | 9–11 AM ET = 11 AM–1 PM BRT | Wide overlap; mid-morning is comfortable for both. |
The recruiting timezone trap
Common failure modes:
- Recruiter emails "Thursday 10 AM EST" — candidate in Singapore sees "Thursday 11 PM"
- Hiring manager forwards a calendar invite set to their zone — candidate accepts wrong time
- Panel interview with 4 interviewers across 3 zones — nobody overlaps
- DST shift week — half the panel shows up an hour early/late
The planner workflow for recruiting
- Create a master plan — Open International mode, add: Your office (recruiter), Hiring manager's zone, Candidate's city
- Set realistic hours — Recruiter 9–5, Hiring manager 10–6, Candidate 9–5 (or ask their availability)
- Find the golden window — See mutual overlap instantly. If empty, try 8–4 / 10–6 presets
- Name each row — "Recruiter — NY", "HM — London", "Candidate — Singapore" — names carry into exports
- Pick duration — 30 min screen, 45 min technical, 60 min panel — duration chips show valid start times
- Export → iCal — One click, correct UTC times for every calendar system
Panel interviews: the 4+ zone nightmare
Panel with: Recruiter (NY), HM (London), Engineer (SF), Engineer (Berlin).
- Add all 4 zones + candidate
- Set each person's actual hours (engineers often 10–6)
- Check Alternative Overlaps — the planner ranks windows by length + convenience
- If no perfect window: rotate the inconvenience for multi-round processes
- Export → Invite summary — formatted block with each person's local time to paste in calendar description
Candidate experience: why it matters
- No conversion errors — .ics invite renders in their phone's local time automatically
- Transparent scheduling — Share the planner link so they see you considered their zone
- No "what time is that for me?" emails — The invite summary shows: "You: 2 PM SGT | HM: 7 AM GMT | Recruiter: 2 AM EST"
- DST-proof — If candidate's country shifts clocks next week, the link stays accurate
Bulk scheduling for high-volume recruiting
Hiring for 5 roles, 20 candidates across 8 countries this month?
- Create a "template" planner with your team's zones (recruiter, HM, panelists)
- Duplicate via share link for each candidate — just add their city
- Golden window recalculates instantly
- Export invite summary → paste into Greenhouse/Lever/Workable interview kit
Pro tip: Use "Set as Home" for the candidate
Click "Set as Home" on the candidate's row. The meeting line then shows times in their local time first — you drag to 10 AM their time, instantly see what that means for everyone else. Candidate-centric scheduling.
Sources
- IANA Time Zone Database — authoritative time zone and daylight-saving rules used by the planner.
- NIST Time and Frequency Division — UTC and civil timekeeping standards.
Make every interview start on time.
No timezone confusion. No DST surprises. Just a clean calendar invite that works everywhere.
Open the World Clock Meeting Planner →Interview scheduling questions
How do I schedule an interview across three time zones?
Open International mode, add the recruiter, hiring manager, and candidate cities, set realistic hours for each, and read the golden window. Name each row so names carry into the exported invite.
How do panels across four or more zones find a slot?
Add every panelist with their actual hours, then check Alternative Overlaps, which ranks windows by length and convenience. For multi-round processes, rotate which region takes the inconvenient slot.
How do I make the interview time candidate-friendly?
Click Set as Home on the candidate's row so the meeting line shows times in their local time first, then drag to a humane hour for them and check what it means for everyone else.