Creating a positive candidate experience is a decisive factor for companies that want to hire the best. It can be a crucial differentiator for attracting and retaining top talent.

Researches show that:

• 4 in 5 candidates (78%) say that the overall candidate experience they receive indicates how a company values its people (Career Builder).
• 80-90% of candidates believe that positive or negative candidate experience can change their minds about a job or company itself (Recruiting Brief).

These numbers emphasize why candidate experience should be a top priority for HR and recruitment teams. That is why we’ve designed a guide about how to create a positive candidate experience, sharing best practices and tools that can help businesses improve their recruitment processes. 

What is Candidate Experience and Why It Matters

To put it simply, candidate experience is every interaction a job seeker has with the company from the moment they find a job to the final contract signature.

Why should you care? Well, besides landing a top talent, a positive candidate experience can impact both the company’s reputation and bottom line. Candidate experience in recruitment is how applicants will talk about your company in their physical or digital networks. In fact, 52% of job applicants have turned down an offer because of a negative candidate experience. 

Best Practices for Creating a Positive Candidate Experience 

Start with Clear Communication

​​To create a great candidate experience, first of all, prioritize clear, consistent and timely communication. Here is how to do it:

• Set expectations for applicants early, give them a roadmap of the hiring process.
• Keep candidates updated and engaged, use email, phone calls, or text messages to keep them in the loop.
• Be responsive and get back to them within 24-48 hours at every stage.

Tip: Take an example from Salesforce’s hiring process. They give their candidates a detailed timeline of the interview stages and always keep them updated every step of the way.

Make it Personal for Positive Candidate Experience

Who likes to feel like just another resume in the pile? Make your candidates feel valued.

• Do the homework. Take your time to learn about candidates’ resumes and profiles before reaching out.
• Use that knowledge during the process, starting from the candidate’s name to mentioning some specific parts of their background that impressed you.
• Don’t go with the same generic questions with everyone, adjust them based on the candidate’s experience. 

Create a Seamless Interview Process

Not everybody feels relaxed during interviews, it can be stressful for many candidates. However, you can organize that process in a way, to ease their nerves. Consider following these tips:

• If you are planning to conduct an interview by yourself, check out Workable’s “Interview Checklist” for best practices.
• For easy scheduling use tools like Calendly, or Clara.
• Let candidates know all the logistics details.
• For in-person interviews create a comfortable environment. For virtual interviews, check this guide by Indeed. 

Feedback is Your Friend

Even if you are not offering the role, still give the feedback. Candidates appreciate it. Don’t leave them in the dark, it will lead to frustration. If you are sending a rejection letter, include feedback on how they can improve. One of the companies with the best candidate experience, HubSpot, always shares personalized, timely feedback, regardless of the outcome. 

Create forms via SurveyMonkey or Google Forms and ask candidates what they thought of the process. Their insights will improve the candidate experience. 

Candidate Experience in Recruitment 

The Application Process

The majority of candidates drop off when they find over-complicated application forms:

• Keep it very simple
• Let them upload resumes from Google Drive or LinkedIn
• Show progress visually, with a progress bar, so that they know how far along they are.

Tool: Use ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) like Greenhouse or Lever, which will streamline the process. 

Pre-interview Communication

Let candidates know all the necessary details before the interview. Send it through a reminder email the day before. Including:

• who they will talk to
• the interview format
• any other required preparation

Be proactive and set a positive tone. 

Post-interview Follow-up

Keep the communication going after the interview:

• Send a thank-you email within 24 hours
• Let candidates know when they’ll hear back from you
• If there are delays, keep them updated

How Companies with the Best Candidate Experience Stand Out 

Google

Tech giant, Google creates the best candidate experience with several approaches:

• Every candidate knows the hiring process in detail upfront.
• They are encouraged to consider their passions and goals before applying.
• The evaluation process is fair and consistent
• Google offers equal opportunities for every candidate
• They evaluate candidates holistically through multiple interview formats
• Candidates have the opportunity to evaluate the company. 

HubSpot

Another company that excels in creating a positive candidate experience is HubSpot. They help people find work that they’ll love.

• They are not only looking for people who fit in their culture but those who will add to their culture.
• HubSpot welcomes different backgrounds and career paths.
• They are transparent about salary.
• Recruiters give advice to candidates and help them.
• They give feedback to help candidates improve, even if they don’t get hired.
• They ask for feedback. 

DocuSign

Another company that follows candidate experience best practices is DocuSign. They created an innovative approach and developed a unique system called “DocuLove“.

It is a scoring system for recruiters themselves. It takes into account the complexity of each position and feedback from candidates to assess the recruiter’s performance.

Using “DocuLove”, they improved their hiring process and created better experiences for job candidates. Both recruiters and candidates feel valued and supported. 

Personalizing the Positive Candidate Experience for Top Talent 

Considering candidate experience best practices, companies should tailor their approach. Let’s break down how to do it. 

Tailored Communication

Adapt your communication style to the role and the candidate’s background.

• For senior roles:
  • Keep it formal and focus on the strategy.
  • Highlight the potential impact on the company.
  • Share insights about the company’s vision and how they will contribute to it.
• For creative positions:
  • Be creative.
  • Share creative project examples.
• For tech roles:
  • Let them know the specific technologies and frameworks the company uses.
  • Share how your team has solved coding challenges and technical problems.
• For entry-level positions:
  • Tell candidates how they can grow and learn
  • Highlight mentorship programs and training opportunities

Customizing Interview Experiences

Here is how to create a tailored interview experience:

• Create a “day-in-the-life” experience for roles where cultural fit is important. For example, Airbnb lets candidates work on real projects during their interview process.
• Use practical tasks:
  • Developers: Do live coding sessions on platforms like HackerRank or CoderPad.
  • Designers: Give them a quick design challenge.
  • Marketers: Ask them to create a mini-campaign proposal based on a real company scenario.
• Let candidates choose their preferred interview method (in-person or digital).

Custom Follow-ups

You should keep the applicants engaged if you want to create a positive candidate experience. To do so, follow these tips:

• In thank-you notes, mention specific points from the interview, refer to their experience or skills that impressed you. Do it promptly.
• Give constructive feedback, where they excelled and advice for future improvements.
• For top candidates, consider a high-level executive to reach out personally to express interest.
• For longer hiring processes, keep candidates engaged with relevant updates.

How to Measure Candidate Experience Effectively 

Candidate Surveys and Feedback Forms

To gather feedback from candidates, follow this checklist:

• Send post-application surveys immediately.
  • Questions to ask:
    • How easy was the application process?
    • How long did it take?
    • Was there any technical issue?
• Send post-interview feedback forms within 24 hours.
  • Questions to ask:
    • How well-prepared did the interviewers seem?
    • Did you have an adequate opportunity to showcase your skills?
    • Will you recommend our company to a friend?
• Send “Why did you say no?” surveys for declined offers within a week.
  • Questions to ask:
    • What was the main factor in your decision to say no?
    • What can we improve in our process?
    • Will you consider opportunities with us in the future?

Key Metrics to Track

To have a quantitative view of your candidate experience, you should keep track of these key metrics:

• Candidate Net Promoter Score (NPS), is how likely candidates are to recommend your company to others.
• Time to hire
• Offer acceptance rate, aim for 85% or higher.
• Application completion rate, a low rate could indicate issues with your processes.

How Candidate Experience Affects Your Employer Brand 

A great candidate experience can lead to:

• more top talent applications
• Higher offer acceptance rates
• Better employee retention
• Positive word-of-mouth and improved reputation.

LinkedIn found that more than 80% of talent say a negative interview experience can turn them off a role or company they once liked. And almost the same amount of candidates say that a positive candidate experience can change their mind about a role or company they were unsure about.

Key Takeaways for HR and Recruitment Teams 

• Keep communication clear, consistent and timely from start to finish.
• Tailor your approach to each candidate.
• Use tools to streamline the hiring process.
• Always gather and ask for feedback.
• First impressions matter, that is why you should have a smooth, user-friendly and stress-free application process.
• Use interviews to assess candidates and to showcase your company culture and values.
• Always treat candidates with respect and professionalism, whether they’re hired or not.