Candidate experience is the new buzzword in recruiting — and yet, when we spoke to 100+ talent professionals, we learned that most people don’t know exactly how to define it, let alone what good looks like and how to measure it.Though candidate experience may feel like something subjective or out of your control, it’s actually pretty simple, and not prioritizing it can be a costly and far-reaching mistake. 63% of job seekers will reject a job offer because of a bad candidate experience, and 27% would “actively discourage” others from applying with that company.Over time, this means it gets harder to attract candidates (especially when hiring for similar roles), forcing a team to turn to less qualified talent.The challenges of remote workspaces and virtual interviews have only compounded the problem of providing a good experience, but those that nail it are seeing long-term results: those that optimized their process improved employee retention and brand perception.Here, we’ll define candidate experience, explain why it matters and outline tangible steps you can start taking today to excite new hires and leave a lasting impression.
