Candidates Cannot Start Interview, Audio Problems, or Scoring Issues
Fix issues where candidates cannot access Sara's interview, experience audio or video problems during the session, or receive scores that look wrong or inconsistent.
Common Sara Issues at a Glance
The table below covers the most frequent Sara issues, their likely causes, and the fastest fix for each.
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Quick Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate sees "Interview not found" or blank page | Interview link expired or interview deleted | Resend invitation or extend deadline |
| Candidate cannot use microphone | Browser microphone permissions denied | Candidate must allow mic access in browser settings |
| Audio cuts in and out during interview | Unstable internet connection | Switch to wired connection or closer to Wi-Fi router |
| Scores seem wrong or all candidates score the same | Rubric misconfigured or questions not aligned with skills | Review and recalibrate the scoring rubric |
Candidates Cannot Start the Interview
When a candidate clicks their interview link and sees an error page or blank screen, work through these steps.
- 1
Check interview status
Go to Dashboard > Sara > Jobs and find the specific interview. Confirm its status is "Scheduled" or "In Progress". If the status is "Expired" or "Deleted", the candidate cannot access it.
- 2
Resend or generate a new link
If the link expired, extend the deadline from the interview settings and resend the invitation. Sara generates a fresh link automatically. Interviews are asynchronous, so the candidate completes at their convenience before the new deadline.
- 3
Ask the candidate to try a different browser
Sara's interview works best on Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. If the candidate uses Safari or a mobile browser, suggest switching. Also ask them to disable VPNs and ad blockers, which can interfere.
Audio or Video Problems During the Interview
Audio quality is critical for Sara's voice interviews. If candidates report audio cutting out, delays, or microphone not working, follow these steps.
- 1
Verify browser permissions
The candidate must grant microphone access when prompted by the browser. If they accidentally denied it, they need to go to browser settings, find the interview site, and switch microphone permission to "Allow".
- 2
Check internet stability
Voice interviews require a stable connection. Ask the candidate to close other bandwidth-heavy applications (video streaming, large downloads), use a wired connection if possible, or move closer to their Wi-Fi router.
- 3
Share the pre-interview checklist with candidates
Send candidates these requirements before their interview: use Chrome/Edge/Firefox, allow microphone access, use a stable internet connection, close heavy apps, and find a quiet environment.
- 4
Ask IT to allow the interview domain
If multiple candidates from the same company report issues, their corporate firewall may block the interview domain. Ask their IT team to whitelist *.teammates.ai for WebRTC and HTTPS traffic.
Scores Look Wrong or Inconsistent
If Sara's candidate scores do not match your expectations, the issue is usually in the scoring rubric or question-skill alignment, not in Sara herself.
- 1
Review your scoring rubric
Go to Dashboard > Sara > Jobs and open the job's scoring rubric. Confirm each skill has clear criteria and appropriate weights. If all skills have equal weight but you care more about some, adjust the weights.
- 2
Check question-skill alignment
Each interview question should map to a specific skill in the rubric. If questions do not align with the skills you are evaluating, Sara cannot score those skills accurately. Add targeted questions for each skill.
- 3
Mark critical questions as qualifying
For must-have skills, mark the relevant questions as "Qualifying". Sara uses qualifying questions as pass/fail gates, which adds more differentiation between candidates.
- 4
Use cohort comparison
Scores are most meaningful when compared across a cohort of candidates for the same role. Review the cohort comparison view in Sara's reports to see relative strengths and weaknesses across all candidates.
Getting More Help
If these steps do not resolve the issue, contact our support team at hello@teammates.ai or visit teammates.ai/contact. Include the job ID, the candidate's interview link, and a description of the scoring discrepancy or technical problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can candidates retake an interview with Sara?▾
How long does it take to get results after a Sara interview?▾
Why do all my candidates score similarly with Sara?▾
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