Candidate Experience

What Is Candidate Experience?

Candidate experience is a job applicant's overall perception and feelings about an organization's hiring process, from initial contact through onboarding.

Provide a Great Candidate Experience

In a highly competitive landscape for hiring digital talent, providing candidates with a great experience throughout the hiring process is crucial. It reflects the organization’s values and can significantly impact an applicant’s decision to accept a job offer and their perception of your employer brand.

Key components that contribute to a transparent and respectful candidate journey are:

• Delivering clear and timely communication (see Candidate Communications for examples)

• Setting expectations about the role and hiring process

• Understanding that candidates are assessing you too - create space for their questions and feedback throughout the process

• If candidates make it to final interview stages, but are not hired, offer a 15 minute feedback session

According to a 2024 study, 52% of job seekers declined a job offer due to poor experience. On the flip side, 76% of candidates surveyed said a positive experience influenced their decision to accept an offer.

Measure Candidate Experience

A candidate experience survey gathers feedback to help identify areas of improvement in an organization's recruiting and hiring practices. The survey is typically sent by the hiring manager or Talent/Recruiting team at the end of the candidate's journey, but it can also be sent at various stages of the process: applying, interviewing, and hiring.

Breezy offers recommendations on survey questions and best practices.