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Invitation Methods

There are two ways to get candidates into an AI interview: per-candidate email invitations, or a generic shareable link. Most teams use a mix of both.

Email invitation (auto)#

If auto-email is ON for the stage (see Setting Up AI Interviews), every candidate who enters the stage gets an invitation email immediately.

The email:

  • Is sent from the sending account configured on the stage (falls back to the recruiter's connected account).
  • Uses a template that explains what the interview is, roughly how long it takes, and a Start interview call-to-action.
  • Links to a candidate-specific URL — only that candidate can use the link.
  • Tracks whether the candidate has opened the email and whether they've started the interview.

This is the right default for high-volume screening.

Email invitation (manual send)#

Even with auto-email off, you can send an invitation manually:

  1. Open the candidate's profile or pipeline card.
  2. Click Send AI interview invitation.
  3. Optionally edit the message before sending.

Use manual send when you want to review each candidate before inviting them, or when you need to resend a link (e.g., the original email ended up in spam).

Every AI Interview stage has a generic shareable link that anyone can use to take the interview. You can find it in the stage settings under Share link.

The link looks like:

https://your-elly-domain/ai-screening/g/<jobId>

When a candidate opens it, they're asked for their name and email before starting. Elly creates a candidate record automatically and drops them into the AI Interview stage of the linked job.

Use shareable links for:

  • Job postings — Let candidates screen themselves as part of applying.
  • Referrals — Share the link with team members so their referrals can start immediately.
  • Events — Generate interest from a booth, conference, or social post without per-candidate admin work.

Anyone with the link can use it, so don't share it in contexts where uncontrolled volume would be a problem.

What the candidate experiences#

Regardless of how they arrived, the flow is the same:

  1. Landing page — A brief explanation of what the interview is and how long it takes.
  2. Device check — Microphone and (optionally) camera permissions; a test to confirm audio is working.
  3. The interview — A real-time voice conversation with the AI. The AI asks questions, listens to answers, and asks follow-ups.
  4. Thank-you page — A confirmation that the interview is complete, and what happens next.

Candidates can retry the device check if permissions are denied, and they can pause briefly during the interview.

Attempt limits and expiration#

  • Per-candidate links — Can be used once. If a candidate disconnects mid-interview, they can typically resume via the same link for a short window.
  • Shareable links — Don't expire by default. You can rotate the link from stage settings if it's been shared too broadly.
  • Completed interviews — Are final. A candidate can't re-take a completed interview from the same link; send them a new one if you need a fresh attempt.

Troubleshooting#

  • "Candidate can't hear audio" — Usually a browser permissions issue. Candidates should be on a desktop browser (Chrome or Safari are best) with mic permissions explicitly granted.
  • "Mic not detected" — Confirm system-level mic access for the browser; try a different browser if needed.
  • "Interview ended early" — Check the transcript for how long the candidate was actually on. Sub-30-second interviews usually indicate the candidate bailed during device setup; don't score these.
  • "Candidate didn't get the email" — Check spam; resend manually from the candidate profile. Confirm the sending account isn't being filtered by the candidate's provider.

Next steps#

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Invitation Methods · Elly Docs