"The candidate experience is the feeling or impression generated by applying to the company. The challenge is obviously to make the candidate want to go further" (Alexandre Pachulski, co-founder of Talentsoft) 

What is candidate experience ?

Is this something to consider when you are a recruiter? 

How can we measure its impact?

As an agency that specializes in Inbound Recruiting, we take a very close look at how a candidate perceives their first relationship with their potential future employer (the Talent Brand).

Let's not forget that recruiting itself represents a quite significant experience for a person, very impactful for their future at least in the short term.

We therefore wanted to represent the numbers of the candidate experience in this  detailed infographic.

Happy reading!

Candidate experience figures (source CareerArc)

Nearly 60% of candidates have had a bad experience and just as many employers have read negative comments online about their process. But why?

The application

A conscientious applicant spends 3 to 4 hours preparing an application while 72% of employers spend less than 15 minutes reviewing an application.

Nearly 60% of applicants spend more than one hour researching and preparing their application online. But 70% of employers believe candidates spend less than an hour researching, preparing and submitting their application.

The notification

65% of applicants say they have never or rarely received a response to their application. 85% think that no human being took the time to read their application. Of those who receive notification, 51% say it took at least one month to reach them.

Nearly 40% of employers rely on technology that analyzes and screens candidates based on submitted data. 62% of employers who use this type of software admit that some valid candidates are likely erroneously screened out.

Candidate feedback

Candidates who get NO feedback on their application from a company are 3.5 times more likely to never try to apply for that company again. 72% of candidates who had a bad candidate experience shared that negative experience online or directly with someone. Only 1 in 4 employers regularly ask for feedback from candidates about their experience. 

Nearly 60% of employers have discovered negative reviews online about their recruitment process. While 12% have searched and never found negative reviews. The remaining 28% never checked.

Candidates believe that "effective applicant follow-up" is more important than a "nice career site" or a "candidate experience developed on mobile."

60% of candidates say that "better communication, before, during and after the recruitment process" is what they need most. Meanwhile, 55% of employers think candidates most want a better online application process.

 Want to go further on the topic of candidate experience?

Download our white paper: "10 techniques to perfect your career site".