How To Improve the Candidate Experience (In 10 Steps)

Fifty-two percent. That’s the percentage of jobseekers who have declined a job offer due to a poor candidate experience during the hiring process, according to CareerPlug. And it’s not just the candidates you hope to hire that you need to consider – every candidate matters.

Written by Shani Jay
Reviewed by Monika Nemcova
10 minutes read

In an unpredictable labor market, recruitment has become a two-way street, and more organizations than ever before are looking to improve the candidate experience.

However, a study by Morgan McKinley found that 65% of companies lost out on their best candidates because of lengthy hiring procedures, while PeopleScout’s research shows that less than 2 in 10 candidates rate their candidate experience as excellent.

But if you’re an employer looking to attract top talent through your doors, there’s no room for poor communication, delays, or badly structured interviews. Whether a candidate is hired or not, their overall experience of your hiring journey sets the tone for how your company treats people and contributes to your employer brand. Creating a positive candidate experience is essential, so let’s explore how to do so.

Contents
What is the candidate experience?
Why is the candidate experience important?
How to improve the candidate experience across the recruitment and hiring process


What is the candidate experience? 

Candidate experience is the collection of each candidate’s experience through your recruitment process, which can be positive or negative. The perception of your candidates is informed by every interaction they have (or don’t have) with your organization, from the initial job description to a screening test, through to a face-to-face interview and all the way to onboarding.

You may not realize it, but every action you take has an effect on how a candidate perceives their experience with your recruitment funnel.

Delivering an awesome candidate experience will not only help you attract the best candidates, but it will help you build and maintain a positive employer brand. The aim is to have even the candidates you turned down have nothing but good things to say about your company and the hiring process.

Why is the candidate experience important?

The candidate experience is crucial for many reasons:

  • It highlights how a company treats its workers: A survey by LinkedIn found that 78% of candidates say the overall experience they receive during the hiring process indicates how the organization values its people. 
  • A positive candidate experience leads to happier candidates and employees: Of those who experience an exceptional onboarding process, 70% are 2.6 times more likely to be “extremely satisfied” at work and remain longer in the organization.
  • A negative candidate experience can harm your company and reputation: 77% of people with a negative overall candidate experience say they will share it with their friends and family, while 50% refuse to shop with that company again.
  • Attracting top candidates: The market is competitive and has empowered candidates, which means that companies must do everything possible to stand out and attract (and retain) the best people. 
  • A strong candidate experience leads to higher revenue: If candidates have a positive experience with your recruitment process, it leads to a strong employer brand and higher quality of hires and ultimately can help boost revenue and achieve business goals. 
10 step to improve the candidate experience.

How to improve the candidate experience across the recruitment and hiring process

Sticking to candidate experience best practices will help you attract, engage, and hire the most qualified candidates.

Let’s take a look at what you can start doing right away: 

Step 1: Revamp your job descriptions

A job description is often a candidate’s first glimpse into your company. It’s more than a list of duties and requirements; it’s an opportunity to convey your organizational culture and why someone would want to work for you.

  • Tell a story: Use descriptive language that paints a picture of an average day in the position. This not only informs but also excites potential candidates.
  • Be realistic: Avoid over-selling the role. Transparency at this stage will save time for both the candidate and the hiring team.
  • Use inclusive language: Refrain from gender-coded or exclusive terminology. You want to appeal to a broad audience.

AIHR’s job description offers a view of a ‘typical week’ 

AIHR’s job descriptions give the candidate an idea of what to expect on a day-to-day basis within the role. The overview walks the candidate through meetings, who they would interact with, and the type of tasks they would be doing.

AIHR's job description offering a view of the role's 'typical week'.

HR tip

Infuse your company culture into your job descriptions and go beyond listing responsibilities and requirements. Let candidates go behind the scenes of the role or share real stories from current employees.

Step 2: Make the application process simple

Research has found that, on average, candidates spend 3-4 hours completing one job application, and 60% of job seekers report abandoning an application because it was too time-consuming. The message? Keep it simple. 

  • Keep it short: Not everyone has time to fill out a lengthy application, so don’t ask too many questions or get candidates to transfer all their experience from their CV into your own system. 
  • Ensure your application page is designed well: Make it easy to use and navigate to create a strong first impression. 
  • Give clear application instructions: Don’t ask your candidates to figure it out; be clear about what you want them to do.
  • Make it mobile-friendly: Being able to apply for a job on the go is essential today.

HR tip

Track your application completion rate to monitor where your candidates drop off. It will help you address the issues in the application process and see the impact the improvements you’re making have.

Step 3: Be transparent with your hiring process

83% of candidates say their experience would be greatly improved if recruiters were transparent and set clear expectations when it comes to the recruitment process.

The most effective way to do this is to create a roadmap and share it with your candidates. Plan out the stages of your hiring process, who’s involved, and roughly how much time each stage will take. This keeps candidates informed and prepared for what’s next.

HR tip

Create an FAQ section on your careers page. Update this section regularly to reflect remote work options, vacation policies, parental leave, company benefits and perks, and more.

Step 4: Provide a designated contact person

81% of job seekers say that receiving continuous status updates from employers on their applications would significantly improve the overall candidate experience. One of the main problems is there are many people involved in the recruitment journey, from hiring managers to team leaders, recruiters, and more.

To alleviate confusion, ensure that every candidate has one main point of contact and knows who this is. When questions or concerns crop up, they will know who to reach out to and receive a fast response.

Intentional Futures ensure someone is responsible for communication with applicants

Not only do Intentional Futures make sure every candidate has someone to communicate with, but they also make sure responses are sent in a timely manner, everyone is treated with kindness, and no one is left hanging.

Step 5: Help candidates prepare

There will typically be an assessment, phone interview, video interview, or face-to-face interview (or perhaps all four) for shortlisted candidates. To improve the candidate experience at this stage of the recruitment process, be supportive and encouraging by empowering your candidates with plenty of information.  

  • Explain the assessment: This includes what it’s testing, how long it will take, and the type of questions that will be asked. If possible, send them a practice example. 
  • Share what the interview will look like: Be clear about the type of interview the candidate is being asked to attend, how it will be structured, the kind of questions that may be asked, and roughly how long it will take. 
  • Tell them who will be there: Share the names, titles, and possibly LinkedIn profiles of everyone who will be conducting the interview so candidates aren’t caught by surprise. 
  • Give them directions to your office: Taking the extra steps to provide details on how to get to your physical office, including where to park and who to ask for at the front door or desk, can alleviate some of your candidate’s nerves and show them that you’re considerate and caring. 

HR tip

If you are expecting candidates to prepare a project or presentation, give them plenty of time and detailed instructions on what you’re expecting so that they attend the interview feeling confident.

Step 6: Follow best practices for conducting interviews

It’s not just your candidates who need to prepare for the interview. Ensure that your entire interviewing team has a checklist to follow when it comes to creating a positive candidate experience. 

  • Use technology: Video interviewing is a great tool if you’re hiring remote candidates, but can also save your hiring managers time and help you stay ahead of your competition when it comes to hiring the best candidates. Find a video interviewing tool that suits your needs and budget. 
  • Prepare for interviews: Review each candidate’s profile (an ATS can help), book a meeting room, and create a list of the right questions to ask.
  • During the interview: Make sure you offer the candidate a refreshment, start the interview on time, explain the process, and maintain eye contact. If you’re taking notes, explain what you’re doing. 
  • At the end of the interview: Don’t forget to leave enough room for questions and thank the candidate for their time. 

Microsoft has made changes to its interview process

Microsoft now shares questions with candidates before the interview takes place and takes an interactive approach to the interview that includes brain-teaser questions and ones that evaluate behavioral competence.

Plus, to prevent bias, the person conducting the first interview is not allowed to discuss the candidate with the person conducting the next interview until the interview process is complete.


Step 7: Humanize the recruitment process

In large organizations where there are hundreds of applicants for each open position, it’s easy to overlook small details, such as personalizing emails and thanking each candidate for their time and interest in your company, even if they don’t get the job. You don’t need to do anything grand – small gestures are very effective. 

For example, after you have interviewed everyone, email each candidate that same day to say it was lovely meeting them, thank them for their time, and confirm when they can expect a decision.

HR tip

Don’t send rejection emails from a “no-reply” or “careers” email address. Send them from an actual human address, e.g., [email protected], and make sure they are signed by a specific person.

Step 8: Let all candidates know where they stand

52% of candidates report frustrations over a lack of response from potential employers during their job search process. If a candidate has taken the time to apply to work with your company, you should take the time to let them know you won’t be moving forward with their application.

But don’t stop there. Research by LinkedIn shows that 94% of candidates want to receive feedback after an interview, whether they get the job or not. Let candidates who are further in the recruitment process know why you’re not moving forward with their application so they’re not left guessing.

At the interview stage, give them feedback on what they did well, along with constructive advice on how they could improve next time. Candidates will appreciate you going the extra mile, creating a more positive overall experience.

Step 9: Make your new hire feel welcome

The candidate experience doesn’t stop once you’ve made a job offer. Onboarding is part of the experience and plays a significant role in how welcome and included a new hire feels before they start working for an organization, as well as in the first weeks and months of employment. 

Spotify’s recruiters send job offers in the form of playlists 

Spotify’s recruiters send job offers in the form of playlists when inviting candidates to join the growing team. Think about how you can be creative in how you send job offers, whether it’s a personalized video or some form of surprise gift in the mail. 

Spotify's job offers in the form of playlists.

Lever create a personalized GIF for new hires

Lever has a long-standing tradition of creating a personalized GIF for new hires to welcome them to the team. If this isn’t possible, arrange a remote hangout with the team or have everyone send an email introducing themselves. 

Gif of employees doing synchronized dance with rolling chairs and a white board that says "Welcome Hannah!"

HR tip

Everyone loves free stuff, so prepare a “swag bag” for all your new hires. Mail it to them, or leave it on their desk waiting for them on their first day. This could be a mix of snacks, beverages, branded apparel, gift cards, and more.

Step 10: Collect feedback

The final step to improve your candidate experience is to collect feedback from everyone moving through your recruitment funnel continuously. It’s difficult to know what you need to improve if you have no idea what your strengths and weaknesses are. So don’t be afraid to ask. 

  • Automate your candidate experience survey: Many systems will allow you to automate this step so that a feedback form is sent to a candidate once they have exited your recruitment process for a particular role or a few days after they’ve successfully started work. 
  • Act on your findings: Over time, your results will offer valuable insight into problem areas within your recruitment process. Make sure you take these seriously and create a plan of action to address the issues so you can create the best candidate experience possible. 

Key takeaway

Improving the candidate experience in your organization is essential if you want to attract and keep the best candidates, as well as build and protect your reputation as an employer and brand. 

There are many simple steps you can take today to improve the journey your candidates go on in the hiring process and leave everyone with a positive impression – even the candidates who don’t get hired. 

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Shani Jay

Shani Jay is an author & internationally published writer who has spent the past 5 years writing about HR. Shani has previously written for multiple publications, including HuffPost.

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