How to Improve Candidate Experience During the Recruitment Process

These days, recruitment is not just about finding the right candidates—it’s about how they experience your recruitment process. With candidates having more options than ever, a poor experience could lead to lost opportunities, even if they’re not hired.

Your hiring process, every touchpoint from application to offer, impacts your employer brand. If companies overlook this, they risk missing out on top talent and potentially tarnishing their reputation.
In this article, we’ll explore why candidate experience in recruitment matters so much, share key insights, statistics, and expert perspectives, and discuss actionable ways to improve candidate experience.

We’ll also point out why companies lagging in this area actually create an opportunity for businesses that are willing to take action.

Why Candidate Experience in Recruitment Should Matter to You

The Power of First Impressions

As much as your company is evaluating a candidate, candidates are evaluating you, too. According to recent studies, 72% of candidates who had a bad experience during the recruitment process would share it with others or post it online. Imagine that feedback shapes potential future hires’ opinions about your company. A negative experience can quickly morph into poor online reviews or bad word of mouth.
For example, the PeopleScout 2023 Candidate Experience Report found that less than 20% of candidates globally rated their experience as “excellent.”

In fact, many candidates feel abandoned by companies after applying, and 34% assume they’ve been “ghosted” after a week without hearing back. This means that while you may not hire a candidate, you could still be inadvertently harming your reputation.

The Opportunity for Improvement

The good news? Many companies are lagging when it comes to prioritizing candidate experience. This represents a significant opportunity for businesses that are willing to invest in improving their processes.

Companies that take the time to create an engaging, transparent, and respectful recruitment journey will attract more top talent and gain an edge over competitors.

A Reflection of Your Employer Brand

Every interaction with a candidate reflects your employer brand. Even candidates who don’t receive a job offer are potential brand advocates or customers.

By improving candidate experience, you’re not only enhancing your recruitment process—you’re strengthening your employer brand. A positive candidate experience leads to higher engagement, greater retention, and ultimately, stronger talent pipelines.

How to Improve Candidate Experience During the Recruitment Process

1. Streamline Your Application Process

A clunky, lengthy application process can immediately turn candidates off. If it takes too long to submit their resume, answer redundant questions, or navigate through multiple pages, they’re likely to abandon the application halfway through.

Key Steps to Streamline:

• Simplify the application form: Ask only for essential information that’s relevant to the role.
• Use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Automate some steps in the process, such as application acknowledgment or initial screenings, to ensure candidates get timely updates.
• Mobile‑Friendly Application: Many candidates, especially Gen Z, expect the option to apply through their mobile devices. Ensure your process is optimized for mobile.

A quick, easy application process shows respect for the candidate’s time and is one of the easiest ways to enhance candidate experience in recruitment.

If you’re interested in how automation and AI can help streamline your recruitment process, check out our article on AI and Automation in Recruitment: Opportunities and Risks.

2. Improve Communication and Transparency

One of the biggest complaints from candidates is a lack of communication. Your recruitment team must keep candidates informed at every stage of the process, whether they’re moving forward or not.

Best Practices for Communication:

• Set clear expectations: Let candidates know when they can expect to hear back after submitting their application and what the next steps will be.
• Regular updates: Even if there’s no new information to share, a quick “thank you for your patience” or “we’re still reviewing applications” goes a long way in making candidates feel valued.
• Personalized communication: Avoid sending generic rejection emails. Take the time to provide specific feedback, or at the very least, acknowledge their effort.

A lack of communication can be a deal-breaker, leaving candidates feeling ignored and unappreciated.

3. Provide a Positive Interview Experience

The interview stage is one of the most critical points of contact between your company and the candidate. Making sure the process is engaging, respectful, and fair is essential for improving candidate experience.

How to Enhance the Interview Process:

• Be respectful of their time: Start interviews on time and keep them brief and focused.
• Create a welcoming environment: Whether in person or virtual, make sure the candidate feels comfortable and can showcase their skills.
• Transparency in expectations: Clearly explain the interview format, what’s expected of them, and how the feedback process will unfold.

Not only does this reflect well on your brand, but a positive interview experience leaves candidates feeling valued, regardless of the outcome.

4. Collect Feedback from Candidates

If you’re serious about improving candidate experience in recruitment, you must ask for feedback. After the process is completed, whether the candidate is hired or not, ask for their input on the recruitment journey.

Simple Ways to Collect Feedback:

• Surveys: Send a short survey immediately after the interview process. Use tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to create quick questionnaires about their experience.
• Follow-up calls: For a more personalized touch, especially for top candidates, consider a brief follow-up call to ask for feedback.
  This feedback loop helps you identify gaps in your recruitment process and areas that need attention, ultimately improving your hiring process over time.

For more tips on how to improve your overall recruitment process to hire better talent, check out our article on 5 Essential Steps to Improve Your Recruitment Process to Hire Better Talent.

Why Every Touchpoint Matters

Impact of Candidate Experience Beyond Hiring

You might think that the candidate experience only matters for those who receive a job offer. However, it extends far beyond that. As mentioned, 72% of candidates share negative experiences, even if they weren’t hired.

But that’s not all—poor candidate experience also impacts customer loyalty. After all, a rejected candidate might be a consumer, a future applicant, or a potential partner for your business.

A positive candidate experience—even for those you don’t hire—helps ensure that candidates speak highly of your company, share your job openings with their network, and possibly apply again in the future. This makes every touchpoint in the recruitment process important.

Use Candidate Experience to Strengthen Your Employer Brand

When candidates are treated well, they talk about it. Employer brand matters to candidates, and in the age of social media, word spreads fast.

Most often, candidates who had a positive recruitment experience recommend the company to others, even if they weren’t hired.

By investing in improving candidate experience, you’re not just enhancing your hiring process—you’re building your reputation as a company that cares about its people, both inside and outside the organization.

Key Areas for Action

Now that you understand the importance of improving candidate experience, here are a few key areas for discussion that decision-makers should address:

Discussion Points for Leadership:

• How transparent is our recruitment process? Do we keep candidates informed, or is there a lot of waiting and uncertainty?
• How long does our hiring process take? Are we losing candidates because of delays or a lack of clarity?
• Are we making a positive impression during the interview process? Do we make candidates feel valued, or is the process rushed and impersonal?
• How do we handle rejections? Do we give candidates feedback, or do we simply notify them they didn’t get the job?
• Do we collect feedback from candidates? Are we learning from each experience to improve future processes?

If you’re specifically targeting recruitment efforts in the Gulf region, be sure to read our article on Proven Recruitment Marketing Tactics That Deliver Results in the Gulf.

Conclusion: The Bottom Line on Candidate Experience

Candidate experience in recruitment is no longer a “nice-to-have” feature—it’s essential to attracting top talent. A poor experience can damage your reputation, affect your employer brand, and prevent you from hiring the best candidates.

By taking simple yet effective steps to improve communication, streamline processes, and ensure transparency, you’ll not only enhance the candidate experience but also strengthen your brand and increase your ability to recruit top talent.

So, take action now—improve candidate experience across every touchpoint in your recruitment process, and you’ll set yourself up for success in hiring and beyond.

FAQs

1. How can I improve communication during the recruitment process?

Be transparent about the timeline and next steps. Respond quickly to applications, provide timely updates, and offer constructive feedback to rejected candidates. Clear communication shows respect for candidates’ time and efforts.

2. How can I ensure my recruitment process is inclusive?

Use unbiased job descriptions, have a diverse hiring panel, and ensure the interview process is fair for all candidates. Provide accommodations for those with disabilities and ensure equal opportunities for all.

3. How do I measure candidate experience and improve it?

Collect feedback through surveys or follow-up calls to gauge candidate satisfaction. Use tools like cNPS to identify areas for improvement and refine your process based on their input.