Candidate Experience: Why It Matters and How to Improve It
A candidate applies for your role. They never hear back. They interview and wait weeks for feedback. They get a generic rejection email. They tell their network about the bad experience. You’ve damaged your employer brand and lost future candidates.
The problem: Most companies don’t think about candidate experience. They focus on filling roles, not on how candidates feel. Bad experiences damage your reputation and make it harder to attract talent.
The solution: Prioritize candidate experience. Make it easy, transparent, and respectful. You’ll attract better candidates, improve your employer brand, and build a stronger talent pipeline.
“Candidate experience isn’t just about being nice - it’s about building your employer brand. Every interaction is a chance to make someone an advocate or an adversary. Choose wisely.” - Unknown
Why Candidate Experience Matters
The reality: Candidates talk. They share their experiences with friends, on social media, and on review sites. Bad experiences spread fast and damage your reputation.
The numbers:
- 72% of candidates share bad experiences online
- 55% have abandoned an application due to poor experience
- Good candidate experience increases offer acceptance by 38%
- Companies with great candidate experience get 2x more applicants
Real example: A candidate has a bad experience - slow response, confusing process, generic rejection. They post about it on Glassdoor, tell their network, and avoid your company in the future. You’ve lost not just one candidate, but potentially many more.
What Is Candidate Experience?
What it sounds like: Being nice to candidates.
What it actually means: Every interaction a candidate has with your company, from first contact to final decision. It’s the sum of all touchpoints, and it shapes how candidates perceive your company.
Touchpoints in Candidate Experience
1. Job posting:
- Is it clear and compelling?
- Does it accurately describe the role?
- Is it easy to find and apply?
2. Application process:
- Is it easy to apply?
- How long does it take?
- Are there unnecessary steps?
3. Communication:
- Do you respond promptly?
- Is communication clear and helpful?
- Do you keep candidates informed?
4. Interview process:
- Is it well-organized?
- Are interviewers prepared?
- Is it respectful of their time?
5. Feedback:
- Do you provide timely feedback?
- Is it helpful and specific?
- Do you explain decisions?
6. Rejection:
- Is it respectful and professional?
- Do you maintain the relationship?
- Do you leave the door open?
Real example: A candidate applies. They get an automated confirmation immediately. They hear back within 48 hours. The interview is well-organized and respectful. They get feedback within a week. Even though they’re rejected, they have a positive experience and would consider applying again.
How to Improve Candidate Experience
Make It Easy
What to do:
- Simple application process
- Clear job descriptions
- Easy-to-use career site
- Mobile-friendly applications
What NOT to do:
- Long, complicated applications
- Unclear job descriptions
- Broken links or forms
- Desktop-only applications
Real example: Your application takes 5 minutes, is mobile-friendly, and has clear instructions. Candidates can apply easily, and you get more applications from better candidates.
Be Transparent
What to do:
- Set clear expectations
- Explain the process
- Share timelines
- Be honest about the role
What NOT to do:
- Keep candidates in the dark
- Make false promises
- Be vague about timelines
- Misrepresent the role
Real example: You tell candidates: “Here’s our process: phone screen (this week), video interview (next week), final interview (following week). We’ll make a decision within 2 weeks of the final interview.” Clear, transparent, and respectful.
Communicate Regularly
What to do:
- Acknowledge applications quickly
- Update candidates on status
- Respond to questions promptly
- Provide feedback in a timely manner
What NOT to do:
- Leave candidates waiting
- Ignore questions
- Provide no updates
- Take weeks to respond
Real example: A candidate applies. They get an automated confirmation within an hour. They hear back within 48 hours. During the process, they get regular updates. Even if rejected, they know where they stand and feel respected.
Respect Their Time
What to do:
- Start interviews on time
- Keep interviews focused
- Don’t waste their time
- Be efficient with the process
What NOT to do:
- Make them wait
- Drag out the process unnecessarily
- Have disorganized interviews
- Waste their time with irrelevant questions
Real example: Interviews start on time, are well-organized, and respect the candidate’s schedule. The process moves efficiently, and candidates appreciate not having their time wasted.
Provide Feedback
What to do:
- Give timely feedback
- Be specific and helpful
- Explain decisions
- Offer to answer questions
What NOT to do:
- Provide no feedback
- Give generic responses
- Ignore requests for feedback
- Make candidates guess
Real example: A candidate is rejected. You send a personalized email: “Thank you for your time. While we decided to move forward with another candidate, we were impressed with your [specific skill]. We’d love to stay in touch for future opportunities.” Helpful, specific, and maintains the relationship.
Measuring Candidate Experience
Metrics to Track
1. Application completion rate:
- How many start vs. finish applications?
- Low rate = process is too complicated
2. Time to respond:
- How long to acknowledge applications?
- How long to provide feedback?
- Faster = better experience
3. Candidate satisfaction:
- Surveys after interviews
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Feedback on process
4. Offer acceptance rate:
- How many offers are accepted?
- Low rate = something’s wrong
5. Candidate feedback:
- Glassdoor reviews
- Social media mentions
- Direct feedback
Real example: You track metrics and find:
- Application completion: 60% (industry average: 40%) - Good
- Time to respond: 24 hours (industry average: 48 hours) - Good
- Candidate satisfaction: 4.5/5 - Good
- Offer acceptance: 70% (industry average: 60%) - Good
You’re doing well, but there’s room for improvement.
Common Candidate Experience Mistakes
Mistake 1: Ghosting candidates
- Problem: Never responding to applications or interviews
- Solution: Always respond, even if it’s a rejection
Mistake 2: Slow communication
- Problem: Taking weeks to respond
- Solution: Set response time goals and meet them
Mistake 3: Unclear process
- Problem: Candidates don’t know what to expect
- Solution: Explain the process upfront
Mistake 4: Disorganized interviews
- Problem: Interviewers aren’t prepared, process is chaotic
- Solution: Organize and prepare for interviews
Mistake 5: Generic rejections
- Problem: “Thank you for your interest. We decided to go with another candidate.”
- Solution: Personalize rejections, provide feedback
Mistake 6: Not listening to feedback
- Problem: Candidates give feedback, but nothing changes
- Solution: Listen, act on feedback, improve the process
Real example: You ghost candidates, communicate slowly, have an unclear process, disorganized interviews, generic rejections, and ignore feedback. Your candidate experience is terrible, and your employer brand suffers. Candidates avoid you, and you struggle to attract talent.
Best Practices for Candidate Experience
1. Put yourself in their shoes:
- How would you want to be treated?
- What would make the process better?
- What would frustrate you?
2. Set clear expectations:
- Explain the process
- Share timelines
- Be honest about the role
- Set response time goals
3. Communicate regularly:
- Acknowledge applications
- Update on status
- Respond to questions
- Provide feedback
4. Make it easy:
- Simple application
- Clear instructions
- Mobile-friendly
- Efficient process
5. Be respectful:
- Respect their time
- Be professional
- Provide feedback
- Maintain relationships
6. Measure and improve:
- Track metrics
- Gather feedback
- Identify issues
- Make improvements
Real example: You put yourself in candidates’ shoes, set clear expectations, communicate regularly, make it easy, are respectful, and measure and improve. Your candidate experience is great, candidates have positive experiences, and your employer brand improves.
Resources and Tools
Candidate experience platforms:
- Lever - ATS with candidate experience focus
- Greenhouse - Candidate experience features
- SmashFly - Candidate relationship management
- TalentBoard - Candidate experience benchmarking
Survey tools:
- SurveyMonkey - Candidate satisfaction surveys
- Typeform - Interactive feedback forms
- Google Forms - Simple feedback collection
Analytics tools:
- Google Analytics - Track application funnel
- Hotjar - See how candidates use your site
- Mixpanel - Track candidate journey
Next Steps
For recruiters:
- Audit your process - What’s the candidate experience like?
- Set goals - Response times, communication standards
- Improve touchpoints - Make each interaction better
- Measure results - Track metrics and gather feedback
- Iterate and improve - Continuously get better
For hiring managers:
- Support good candidate experience - It’s everyone’s job
- Prepare for interviews - Don’t waste candidates’ time
- Provide feedback - Help improve the process
- Be respectful - Treat candidates well
For companies:
- Prioritize candidate experience - It matters for employer brand
- Invest in tools - Make the process better
- Train your team - Everyone should understand its importance
- Measure and improve - Continuously get better
Conclusion
Candidate experience isn’t just about being nice - it’s about building your employer brand and attracting top talent. Make it easy, transparent, and respectful. You’ll attract better candidates, improve your reputation, and build a stronger talent pipeline.
Remember:
- Every interaction matters - Make each one count
- Put yourself in their shoes - How would you want to be treated?
- Communicate regularly - Keep candidates informed
- Make it easy - Remove friction from the process
- Measure and improve - Continuously get better
Do this right, and you’ll see better candidates, higher offer acceptance, and a stronger employer brand.
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Jeff Hammitt
Recruiting Expert
Jeff Hammitt is a recruiting expert with years of experience in talent acquisition and building high-performing teams.