HR Glossary

Candidate experience

What is candidate experience?

Candidate experience refers to how candidates perceive an organization during their interactions with the HR team, from job application to onboarding. Every touchpoint, including communication, interviews, feedback, and updates, influences how future employees perceive your organization.

Why is ensuring a good candidate experience important?

Organizations benefit in several ways by ensuring a good candidate experience:

• Strengthens the employer's brand when candidates tend to share their positive experience both offline and online
• Prevents frustrations among candidates, which reduces the risk of them dropping out of the interview process
• Attracts high-potential candidates by making sure they feel valued and respected during the entire interview process
• Keeps candidates engaged with timely updates, spot-on interviews, and constructive feedback
• Lays the foundation for long-term employment because engaged candidates tend to be motivated and satisfied employees

What are the key aspects of a good candidate experience?

Here are some of the key aspects that HR teams should focus on to provide an exceptional experience to their candidates:

• Easy application process

Make it easy for candidates to apply for job openings at your organization. Provide clear, step-by-step instructions on completing the application. Keep the form concise by collecting only essential information and allowing information to be imported from resumes. Clearly outline the next steps once an application is submitted and ensure the whole process is mobile-friendly.

• Exceptional employer branding

Design your recruitment process from job application to onboarding to reflect your company culture. Use inclusive language in job descriptions. Ensure your careers site communicates your values through employee testimonials. Maintain transparency throughout the process.

• Positive interview experience

Encourage hiring managers to lead interviews with empathy, respect, and openness. Rather than sticking to rigid and formal questions, let them make it conversational when appropriate so that candidates have an opportunity to demonstrate their soft skills. Make sure that your assessments are consistent with the role that each candidates applies for.

• Clear communication

Clear communication is absolutely the cornerstone of a positive candidate experience. Before starting out, keep them informed about the different stages involved in the interview. Provide timely updates after every stage. If the update is negative, explain why the decision was made.

• Constructive feedback

After the interview, candidates always appreciate it when you're able to provide feedback that'll help them improve. It's always good to start with their strengths and then dive into areas of improvement to keep it encouraging.

• Inclusive hiring practices

Make your job descriptions gender-neutral and bias-free. Focus on the experience and the skills candidates possess rather than their background or gender. Look out for candidates in diverse sourcing channels to reach out to a larger audience. Keep hiring managers aware of unconscious biases that may affect their hiring decisions.

• Smooth onboarding

Make the transition from a candidate to an employee seamless for them. Ensure workstations, accounts, and access to tools are set up before the new hire arrives. Exchange documents with candidates and get them e-signed online to make the process seamless. Encourage the team to be welcoming, make sure that managers clarify their roles and responsibilities, and get started with any necessary training programs.

What are the common mistakes that hurt candidate experience?

Here are a few mistakes that can result in a negative candidate experience:

• Unclear or inconsistent job descriptions
• Lengthy application process
• Lack of proper information about your organization
• Disorganized interviews
• Inconsistent assessments
• Unconscious biases
• Favoritism in the selection process
• Lack of respect for candidates
• Poor updates and communication
• Offering a lower salary and fewer perks
• Going back on what was promised

How can candidate experience be measured?

The easiest way to measure candidate experience is by running surveys among candidates. Ask questions about your application process, clarity in your updates, the interview process, and more to understand what can be improved. Like employee Net Promoter Score, there's also something called the candidate Net Promoter Score, which asks candidates how likely they are to recommend applying at your organization to others. You can also track candidate drop-off and conversion rates.

How can a bad candidate experience affect your organization?

These are some of the many ways in which a poor candidate experience can hurt your organization:

• Negative perception of the employer brand
• Increased candidate drop-off and longer time-to-hire
• Higher recruitment costs due to repeated hiring efforts
• Loss of high-potential candidates to competitors
• Reduced employee referrals