Plan a worldwide livestream for a coding interview

A coding interview livestream can be easy to join in one city and land in the middle of the night somewhere else. A time that looks reasonable on your calendar may also fall on a different date for candidates overseas.

Use the World Clock to compare local times, then confirm the date and time zone before you send invitations. A clear schedule helps candidates arrive on time and gives you room for the interview, audience questions, and a technical check.

Plan the livestream time

1. Open the World Clock and compare the local times for the interviewers, candidates, and main audience locations. Start with the places where people need to participate live, not every possible viewer.
2. Choose the event date and a proposed start time. Use UTC as the shared reference point, for example, 2026-06-18 16:00 UTC. UTC does not change for daylight saving time, so everyone can convert from the same anchor.
3. Check what that time means in each participant's location. Consider the full event length, not just the start. A 90-minute session that begins near the end of someone's workday may still run too late.
4. Check the time zones for the exact event date. Daylight saving changes can move a location's clock by an hour, and the change dates differ by country. Do not assume that today's offset will still apply on the interview date.
5. Send the invitation with the weekday, full date, UTC time, expected end time, and each participant's local time where useful. Include the livestream link and a contact method for anyone who has trouble joining.

For example, write Thursday, June 18, 2026, 16:00 to 17:30 UTC, then list the local start and end times for the interviewers and candidates. Avoid relying on a phrase like “4 p.m. our time,” which leaves people to guess which time zone you mean.

What the time comparison means

The time falls within normal waking hours for everyone

This is a good candidate for the livestream. Confirm that the entire interview and any planned questions fit into the available window. If one person has to join during a commute or work shift, ask before treating the time as settled.

One location gets an early morning or late evening

The time may still be workable, but it is a burden on the people in that location. Ask them directly, and consider moving the start time or holding separate sessions. Do not assume that a candidate can join outside normal hours just because the stream is public.

The local date changes

A time late in the day in one location can be the next morning elsewhere. Put the date beside every local time in the invitation. The weekday is useful too, since “Friday” in one time zone can still be Thursday in another.

Times differ by an unexpected hour

This often happens near a daylight saving transition. Check the selected date, not only the current clock display, and make sure your calendar event uses a named time zone rather than a fixed offset. A named zone can apply its daylight saving rules to the event date.

Fix a schedule that does not work

1. Move the start by 30 or 60 minutes. Compare the local times again for every required participant. A small adjustment can move someone out of a very early or late hour without pushing the rest of the group too far.
2. Shorten the live session. Keep the coding exercise and required discussion live, then move optional introductions or audience questions to a separate session. Check the end time in every location too.
3. Offer more than one interview slot. If candidates span several continents, separate sessions may be fairer than asking one group to join at an unreasonable hour. Use the same exercise, instructions, and time allowance for each slot.
4. Keep the interview private if it includes candidate work. A livestream makes participation visible to viewers. Get consent before showing a candidate's face, name, screen, code, or voice, and do not stream confidential interview material by default.
5. Send an updated invitation if the date or time changes. State the new UTC time and local dates clearly, and ask participants to confirm. Do not rely on a message that only says the event moved “one hour later.”

Why the event date matters

A time zone is a region's clock rule, while a UTC offset is the difference from UTC at a particular moment. The offset can change during the year. For example, a location may use one offset in winter and another during daylight saving time. Countries also change their rules, so an offset copied from an old event may no longer be correct.

Use the World Clock to compare locations, but verify any future-date conversion when the event is near a daylight saving change or several months away. If you share times for multiple cities, label each one with its city or named time zone. This is clearer than a bare offset such as UTC-5, which may not match the location on the chosen date.

If the interview is important, test the livestream link and audio setup before the scheduled start, and tell participants how early to join. For advice on choosing a fair time for candidates in different regions, see how to schedule an international interview fairly.