2019 North American Candidate Experience Report

2019
North American
Candidate Experience
Research Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD 1
EXECUTIVE BRIEF:
The 2019 North American Talent Board
Candidate Experience (CandE) Benchmark Research Report 3
EXECUTIVE BRIEF:
The 2019 North American Business Impact
of Candidate Experience 18
ATTRACT: Employer Branding,

Recruitment Marketing and Sourcing 30
What It Is 30
What Candidates Want 32
What Employers Are Doing 39
Key Recommendations: What CandE Award Winners Do Better 42
RECRUIT: Application 45
What It Is 45
RECRUIT: Screen and Interview 53

What It Is 53
HIRE: Offer and Onboarding 64

What It Is 64
2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report i

TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont’d.)
APPENDIX 70
CandE Recruiting Focus 2020 70
CandE Referral Rating Net Promoter Scores (NPS) 77
Talent Board and the Candidate Experience Awards 84
Program and Scoring Methodology 85
Data Collection Overview 86
2019 Global and North American CandE Sponsors 87
About Talent Board 94
Connect with The CandEs 95
Media Contacts for Talent Board 95
How to Get Involved in 2020 96
Sponsor Opportunities 98
CASE STUDIES 99
CSAA Insurance Group 99
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Inc. 101
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian 103
Kronos Inc 104
PointClickCare 107
Procter & Gamble 109
Stantec 110
Syneos Health 111
Walgreens 113
Waste Management 115
2019 NORTH AMERICAN CANDE AWARD WINNERS 117
2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report ii

FOREWORD
It’s been nearly 10 years since Talent Board and In the nine years we’ve been conducting this research,
the Candidate Experience Awards (CandEs) was we’ve also seen continuous global economic growth
across industries. And while there are many companies
founded. Since the very beginning, our mission has we see that prioritize a quality candidate experience by
focused on the elevation and promotion of a quality ensuring consistent communication and feedback loops
candidate experience with industry benchmarks with external and internal candidates, we’ve also seen
that highlight accountability, fairness and business the candidate resentment rate increase around the world,
meaning more candidates are saying they no longer want
impact.
to have a relationship with a specific employer going
Every year we work with hundreds of employers big forward based on a poor candidate experience.”
and small across industries around the world. We help
employers collect their own candidate experience What Talent Board and the CandEs strive to promote
feedback and sentiment and then compare them against with evidence and insight is that every candidate who
all the other employers in our annual benchmark research expresses an interest in a workplace, regardless of
program. This in turn helps reiterate to HR and recruiting whether they move forward to be selected, are still
teams that treating every person well who expresses an considered customers, potential customers, or at the very
interest in working for them is not only the right thing to least job and brand-related influencers. Understanding
do but a compelling business necessity. and exceeding a minimum threshold to make more of
them “attractors,” rather than “detractors,” is a business
Each year, uncovering and publishing the insights that necessity and central to 21st century recruiting practices.
employers need in order to raise the bar on their own
As you can readily see from scanning our latest annual
candidate experience is a continuing labor of love for us
North American benchmark research report that follows,
that has now expanded to four regions: North America,
we continue to refine the benchmarks necessary to
EMEA, APAC and Latin America. Overall, we’ve now
develop a solid foundation employers can use to define a
worked with more than 1,000 employers, and over
high-quality candidate experience.
1,000,000 of their candidates have participated in our
confidential and anonymous benchmark research since
2011. We then publish the names of those employers that
have the highest positive candidate ratings and their best If you didn’t join us this past year, please
practices so companies everywhere can benefit. consider joining us for our 10th anniversary in
2020, starting in January.
Talent Board oversees the largest global collaboration of
employers seeking to improve the candidate experience, 2019 Talent Board Directors
and this openly shared research comes at a minimal cost Debbie McGrath (Chair)
-- ensuring that every employer regardless of resources Gerry Crispin
can benchmark their recruiting and hiring practices. Ed Newman
Of course, none of this would be possible without a Kevin Grossman
dedicated and efficient staff, active and supportive
employer and volunteer councils, and an extraordinary
group of supportive sponsors who share our vision and CHECK OUT THE CHECK OUT THE
mission. CandE Sponsors! CandE Case Studies!
2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 1

EXECUTIVE BRIEF:
The 2019 North American Talent Board Candidate Experience (CandE)
Benchmark Research Report
In the age of Instagram, we all have preconceptions of Affirming your candidates’ individuality and humanity can
what an “influencer” is: models flawlessly posed to appear transform your organization.
casual for the camera. But it’s important to use the term
with a wider lens. And we’ve done the research to show you how.
Each year, companies participating in Talent Board’s

A great candidate experience Candidate Experience Awards send surveys to hundreds
of thousands of employment candidates (both successful
forms the foundation for a robust, and not) to assess their experience during the attraction,
positive impression of your recruiting, and hiring processes. This rigorous,
scientifically supported data capture enables companies
organization. to see how they’re doing, internally and relative to the rest
of the industry.
In fact, every individual your organization has ever come
in contact with becomes an influencer. They had an
experience with your company — and whether it was good
or bad, you can expect them to tell others. News of a bad
experience travels especially fast, and resentment acts
like gas put to the fire. 170+ 195,000+
companies job seekers shared
In talent acquisition, 100% of job candidates are also participated their experiences
potential customers, especially for consumer-based
employers. Those who have a poor experience going
through any stage of the attraction, recruitment and
hiring processes will carry a negative impression of your We believe that there’s no better source of real recruiting
company to their family, friends, and community. And this insight than crowdsourced candidate impressions. In fact,
can potentially be a huge hit to your revenue’s bottom these impressions help us all raise the bar — enabling us
line. to measure and set standards for the candidate experience
for the entire industry.
A great candidate experience, on the other hand, forms
the foundation for a robust, positive impression of your In our latest annual benchmark research program, we
organization. This can grow your customer base, revenue studied the candidate experience at 175 organizations
streams, positive referrals and positive social presence. big and small across industries, with over 195,000
candidates responding, and 90% of them were not hired.
But beyond these benefits, providing an excellent
candidate experience is simply the right thing to do. No Here’s what you need to know about the state of the
one wants to be reduced to an application on a recruiter’s candidate experience in North America in 2019.
screen. Treating candidates with respect and integrity
demonstrates your commitment to them as individuals —
not as numbers.

The Biggest Challenge: Resentment
Candidate resentment can have a huge impact on your The organizations featured in the following blue case
bottom line. It might not seem like the most important study boxes offer snapshots of excellent candidate
indicator of success, but if even one candidate has such experiences — ones that go above and beyond. Whether
a poor experience that they feel compelled to sever their they’re revamping old techniques — like feedback and
relationship with a company, it’s time to take notice. When communication — or pioneering new methods — like
we consider that candidate resentment has increased by content offerings or recruiter training — the winners of
40% in North America since 2016, it’s a potential crisis. the 2019 CandE Awards lead the way for an optimized
candidate experience.
There has been a 40% increase

in candidate resentment since
2016.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
On the flip side, the percentage of candidates willing Waste Management (a waste management,
to increase their relationship with a company through comprehensive waste and environmental services
applying again, referring others and making purchases company in North America that is also a multi-year
has only increased 4% since 2016. The disparity between CandE Award winner) understands the power of
these numbers is heavily concerning, and it’s clear we influencers — and the importance of recognizing
need to do something. But what? the power a poor candidate experience has over
future potential candidates. A snapshot from a
Syneos Health minimizes candidate resentment by
resentful candidate can have major repercussions
foregrounding work expectations and environment.
for a company’s future talent acquisition. Waste
Through the use of linked microsites on the main site’s
Management reduced resentment and improved
career pages, candidates are able to “meet” future
the candidate experience by expanding its external
coworkers and gain realistic expectations of the job. This
careers team. This gave the team bandwidth to
helps them decide whether the organization is a good fit
be more responsive to candidate issues, allowing
for them, and increases the likelihood of quality candidate
candidates to feel engaged and valued.
applications. Since making these changes, Syneos
Health has seen an overall increase in both traffic and It also increased the team’s bandwidth by relying
engagement. Candidates are spending more time learning more on video interviews, which reduced the
about the company, and Syneos Health is getting more time spent coordinating in-person interviews.
quality applications than ever before. Waste Management also improved the candidate
experience and reduced resentment by prioritizing
Compared with last year, candidates are less likely
personal communication between the team and
to apply to the same company again based on their
candidates.
experiences. They’re also less likely to recommend the
company to others.

Feedback Improves the Experience
Feedback goes both ways. When feedback was both asked
for and offered throughout the attract-recruit-hire process,
it overwhelmingly increased the average candidate’s WALGREENS
positive impression of the given organization. Offering
individualized feedback demonstrates a company’s
Walgreens (an American company for pharmacy,
ability to treat candidates as people, not simply as an
photo and health & wellness products, and a 2019
application to discard. Similarly, asking candidates to rate
CandE Award winner) improved its candidate
their experiences shows a commitment to all candidates,
experience by implementing a policy of frequent
whether they make it to the hiring stage or not. This also
feedback. Hiring leaders are required to provide
supports internal research, which is a critical step for any
candidate feedback at every stage of the process
organization seeking to increase its positive candidate
within 48 hours of completion. Additionally,
experiences.
recruiters are required to provide feedback to the
candidate within 48 hours of having received it
When given feedback, a from the hiring leader. Candidates also have access
to chatbots that can answer questions throughout
candidate’s willingness to increase the process.
their relationship with the This policy of constant feedback keeps candidates
employer goes up 20%. informed at each stage of the process, which
increases their positive experiences with the
company, regardless of whether they are hired.
When candidates receive honest feedback detailing why
And because 100% of candidates are also potential
they aren’t a good match for the organization, rejection
customers, Walgreens takes care that candidates
resentment is drastically minimized.
who are not hired still have an excellent experience.
When employers give rejected candidates general and
specific feedback on qualifications and job fit, resentment
rate decreases by 29%. When rejected candidates get
specific job-related feedback at the screening or interview
phase, their overall “great experience” increases over
20%. When given feedback, a candidate’s willingness
to increase their relationship with the employer goes up
20%.

Want to know another easy way to improve the candidate
experience? Ask candidates for their feedback. No matter
which stage a candidate is in, the solicitation of feedback
CSAA INSURANCE GROUP is proven to increase a candidate’s perception of their
experience.
CSAA (which offers automobile, homeowners and
other personal lines of insurance to AAA members
through AAA clubs in 23 states and the District
of Columbia, and which is also a 2019 CandE
72% When candidates are asked for research
feedback, there’s a 72% increase
Award winner) offers proof that asking candidates increase in a great candidate experience and
for feedback improves both the experience and willingness to increase the relationship
the candidate’s relationship with the organization. with the organization.
It applied the same principles of service used in
interactions with members to their candidates. When candidates are asked for
This mindset prompted CSAA to partner with
72% application feedback, organizations have
Survale to gather feedback from candidates at increase seen the same 72% increase in a great
every stage of the hiring process. CSAA used the candidate experience.
insights gleaned from candidate feedback to evolve
the recruiting and interviewing processes. It also
leveraged this data to improve its career website
148% When candidates are asked for screen/
interview feedback, there’s a 148%
and provide better-quality job descriptions. With increase increase in a great candidate experience
the help of candidate feedback, CSAA has been and willingness to increase the
able to improve the candidate experience while also relationship with the organization.
crafting an authentic, positive employer brand.
76% When asked for feedback prior to their

start date, 76% of new hires are more
increase willing to increase their relationship
with their new employer. That’s a great
retention starter.

Communication Matters
Keeping in touch with candidates throughout the
entire process has been shown to increase their overall
Keeping candidates informed
experience. It doesn’t take long to send candidates a demonstrates respect for their
quick email or text letting them know exactly where
they are in the process, but the return you get on that
time and job search process.
small action can be huge for your bottom line. Keeping
candidates informed demonstrates respect for their time And candidates who received mobile text notifications
and job search process. during the research process rated their candidate
experience 50% higher than those who did not.
How you communicate decisions about hiring can also
be critical. Delivering a rejection over the phone — as Another important factor in communicating with
opposed to mass email or text message — can leave the candidates is rejection. When you do have to reject
candidate with a positive impression — 29% higher than a candidate, deliver that news in a personal way”;
email messages. Coupling that with feedback on why Candidates prefer to receive news of a rejection by phone
the organization made that decision can increase the call, not an automated email. This step led to a 23%
likelihood of reapplication. increase in positive candidate experience ratings for Dr.
Reddy’s.
Candidates who were able to ask a chatbot questions
consistently rated their candidate experience higher If something as simple as staying in touch can increase
than those who did not. Additionally, candidates who your candidate experience — and consequently your
communicated with a chatbot were 80% more likely to bottom line — why wouldn’t you?
increase their relationship with the employer.
PROCTER & GAMBLE DR. REDDY’S

LABORATORIES, INC.
Procter & Gamble (a multinational consumer goods
corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, that
was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Dr. Reddy’s (a multinational pharmaceutical
Gamble, and that is a 2019 CandE Award winner) company based in Hyderabad, Telangana, India,
has seen excellent outcomes from incorporating that is a 2019 CandE Award winner) combines a
a career site chatbot. Recruiters were receiving a personal phone call (when possible) with feedback
high volume of basic questions from candidates. to let candidates know the reasons they were not
Although the questions were simple, recruiters chosen for a position. This has had a marked
didn’t have enough bandwidth to answer each one positive effect on the candidate experience. Dr.
in a timely fashion. Since its launch last year, the Reddy’s reports that even candidates who have
chatbot has seen high engagement, and recruiters not progressed to the hiring stage continue to refer
have received fewer questions via email. potential candidates to the organization. Other ways
Dr. Reddy’s has improved the candidate experience
Recruiters at Procter & Gamble now have more include having a personal, single point of contact
time to devote to higher-level concerns. They are for candidates during the onsite interview process.
now able to commit much more of their time to This makes communication much easier for
interacting with candidates and ensuring that candidates. After the interview process, recruiters
the candidate experience is optimized across the are committed to following up with candidates in a
board. timely fashion — whether they made the cut or not.

Moving Forward with Innovation and Integrity
Through a comprehensive data analysis based on job
candidates’ satisfaction survey scores, we selected the HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
2019 North American winners. On average, CandE PRESBYTERIAN
winners scored 144% higher than all other participating
companies in North America. Hoag Hospital (a not-for-profit regional health care
delivery network in Orange County, California,
You can change the tide of that treats nearly 30,000 inpatients and 350,000
outpatients annually, and that is a 2019 CandE
candidate experiences. Award winner) leads the way toward an excellent
candidate experience through the addition of its
We want to take the impact of influencers into account. Talent Huddle newsletter. This content offering
But remember: You are an influencer too. You can change is published biweekly and offers the tools and
the tide of candidate experiences. resources job seekers need to improve their career
search and job-interviewing skills, and offers
an overview of overall market trends related to
professional advancement. Since launching the
newsletter, Hoag Hospital has seen engagement
from the talent community skyrocket. By building
and curating this content, the organization’s talent
acquisition team keeps the candidate perspective at
the forefront of their work, and candidates benefit
from the valuable information the newsletter offers.
KRONOS INC POINTCLICKCARE

Kronos (a multinational workforce management Moving the needle on candidate experience calls
software and services company headquartered for innovation and integrity. A training program
in Lowell, Massachusetts, that employs nearly focused specifically on the candidate is an
5,600 people worldwide and that is a multi-year innovative method that PointClickCare (which helps
CandE Award winner) uses content to engage long-term and post-acute care providers gain the
candidates with its organization and culture. As part confidence they need to navigate the new realities
of the attraction, recruiting and hiring processes, of value-based health care, and which is a multi-
recruiters and hiring managers at Kronos send year CandE Award winner) uses to improve the
candidates information on the organization’s candidate experience. Its “Hire to Win” program
employee makeup, key values and culture. This foregrounds the importance of and need for a
gives candidates a more robust understanding of quality candidate experience. All employees
the organization during the initial hiring process involved in the interviewing process are required to
and fosters a more personal connection between go through the internal training program. It cements
candidates and recruiters. This connection is the vital nature of a good candidate experience and
carried into the hiring and onboarding stages. the impact of a positive, authentic employer brand.
Kronos aims to treat each candidate, whether they Since initiating the program, PointClickCare has
make it the hiring stage or not, like a part of the seen an increase in support and commitment from
organizational family. each member of the hiring team.

2019 North American CandE Benchmark
Research Overview
This year’s North American CandE benchmark research CandE Award winners are shown to:
report is again divided into three core areas of talent
acquisition — Attract, Recruit and Hire. It explores why • Consistently acknowledge initial job-seeker interest
each area is critical to the candidate experience and helps and provide definitive closure when no longer
answer three basic questions: pursuing candidates.
• Deliver consistent candidate communication from
pre-application to onboarding.
1. What do candidates want and expect from an • Ask for candidate feedback and provide feedback
employer? more often from rejected candidates as well as new
hires.
2. What are employers doing to help meet
candidates’ needs? • Set better expectations about the recruiting
process for candidates from application to offer.
3. What can employers do better overall (based on
what CandE Award winners are doing)? • Hold themselves more accountable for the
overall recruiting process and resulting candidate
experience while measuring it regularly and
consistently.
Over the past nine years, Talent Board has identified
some clear competitive differences between CandE After the screening and interviewing, 72% of CandE
Award winners (the top-ranked benchmark companies big Award winner candidates were told about next steps and
and small across industries) and all other participating recruiters and/or hiring managers followed up with them
companies. when necessary, slightly above all other participating
companies.
Candidates believe they have

been able to share why their
knowledge, skills and experience
deserve consideration for the jobs
to which they have applied.

Participating Employers by Industry, Revenue & Figure 2. Participating Employers by Revenue
Employee Size
0.7%
Just over 50% of this year’s employer research 1.4%
participants were from the health care, technology and 2.9%
services industries. These results are similar to what we’ve
seen in previous years. And just over 55% of employers
generate over $1 billion in revenue annually, although
26% of companies that participated in the 2019 North 10.9%
23.9%
America benchmark research had fewer than 2,500 total
employees (see Figures 1, 2 and 3).
13%
18.1%
14.5%
Figure 1. Participating Employers by Industry
14.5%
0.7%
1.4%
2.8%
Under $10M Unknown/Declined to State
$51M-$100M $1.1B-$3B
5.7% $11M-$50M $3B-$10B
19.9%
$101M-$500M Over $10B
9.2%
$501M-$1B
9.9%
19.1%
12.1%
Figure 3. Participating Employers by Number of Employees
19.1%
5%
Basic Materials Consumer Goods 5.8%
Non-Profit 21.6%
Services
Government (Public Sector) Technology 12.9%
Industrial Goods Health Care

Financial Other
17.3% 20.1%
17.3%
Over 100,000 10,001-25,000

Up to 500 510-2,500
2,501-5,000 25,001-100,000
5,001-10,000

Participating Employers’ Operating Models
Employers can and do vary how their talent acquisition A company’s overall candidate experience has a definitive
operational models are set up. Usually the majority of the potential impact on the business, and that impact is
models fall into these three types: Centralized (central definitely improving incrementally from talent attraction
recruiting team that ensures consistent hiring processes through to onboarding. The majority of North American
across the organization), decentralized (separate recruiting employers in 2019 (76%) described their overall
teams not necessarily following consistent hiring candidate experience as leading or competing, while
processes across the organization) and outsourced (where nearly 22% described it as improving and a small number
large portions of their talent acquisition are handled by (2%) described it as lagging (see Table 2). When you
third-party vendors like recruitment process outsourcing compare data over the past six years, the distribution
firms). Some companies tend to move from one model to of CandE Awards winners versus all other participating
another every few years. The centralized model stayed the companies who rate themselves as leading has widened
same as in 2018, and the decentralized model increased dramatically and is still currently a 26% difference (see
by only 5%. What’s even more interesting is the fact that Table 2).
outsourced recruiting increased again in 2019 by 20%
from 2018 (see Table 1).
Table 1. Talent Acquisition Operational Model
2019 2018 2017 2016
Centralized (dedicated recruiters, recruiting org structure and budget) 63% 63% 72% 66%
Decentralized (division/line of business dedicated recruiters, org

19% 18% 13% 12%
structure and budget)
Outsourced (RPO, HRO, third-party vendor) 16% 13% 8% 6%
Table 2. How Employers Describe Their Own Overall Candidate Experience
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Lagging 2% 1% 2% 4% 3% 5%
Lagging - Winners 2% 2% 0% 2% 2% 4%
Improving 22% 25% 33% 30% 30% 20%
Improving - Winners 13% 12% 22% 12% 20% 18%
Competing 63% 60% 40% 43% 43% 49%
Competing - Winners 68% 67% 42% 44% 35% 48%
Leading 13% 14% 25% 23% 23% 27%
Leading - Winners 17% 19% 36% 42% 44% 30%

What’s more interesting is that although the mix of
“A great candidate experience caters to the companies that participate changes each year and the
motivations and challenges of a candidate with variables impacting recruiting and candidate experience
what makes the employer unique. When done well, fluctuate, the proportion of CandE winners that felt they
the outcome is an experience that’s valuable for were leading in candidate experience decreased by 11%
both the candidate and the employer; one where this year.
candidates are making informed and conscientious
In contrast, the proportion of North American job
decisions not just about the work but also the
candidates who gave employers a great candidate
culture, and mission and value alignment.”
experience rating dropped 11% from 2018. The
—TMP Worldwide, 2019 CandE Sponsor rating, one of many we capture each year, is based on
asking candidates how they will change their business
relationship status with the employer they had applied for
a job at.
“Candidate experience, and more specifically However, when you compare how employers self-assess
candidate experience feedback, drives recruiting the rejection experience they provide and how the
performance. When organizations listen to their candidates actually perceive the experience in North
candidates, what they get back is a blueprint to America in 2019, there’s a 26% difference in average
improve their recruitment process, their employer Likert Scale ratings, with the candidate ratings being
brand strategies, their communications and their lower (see Table 3).
quality of hire.”
—Survale, 2019 CandE Sponsor Table 3. Average Likert Scale Rejection Ratings of Employers and
Candidates in 2019
2019 Employers 2019 Candidates
Rejection Rating 3.1 2.4

Asking for Candidate Feedback
Year after year, Talent Board CandE research shows
that communication and feedback loops are ongoing “We offer every candidate who interacts with the
differentiators of a more positive candidate experience. Modern Hire platform the opportunity to take
However, 13% of participating employers are only asking a survey about their experience. 98 percent of
for feedback after a candidate is hired. candidates say that by using our technology, they
see the employer as more innovative and forward
The good news is that the proportion of employers asking thinking, and 97 percent felt they were better able
for feedback consistently in the recruiting process has to represent themselves as the right candidate.”
increased 6% from 2018. However, the percentage of
companies that don’t survey candidates has increased by —Modern Hire, 2019 CandE Sponsor
29% from 2018 (see Table 4).
Table 4. When Employers Ask for Candidate Experience Feedback
2019 2018 2017 2016
Before candidates apply 1% 1% 1% 2%
After candidates apply, but before the interview 5% 8% 7% 9%
After candidates are interviewed, but before they’re hired 20% 20% 14% 15%
After candidates are hired 13% 12% 22% 12%
All of the above 38% 36% 27% 23%
We don’t survey candidates about their experience 18% 14% 10% 7%

Recruiter and Hiring Manager Accountability
Nearly 45% of the 2019 top-ranked 65 CandE their recruiter dashboards (with or without performance
Benchmark Companies (CandE Award winners) measure incentives), which is a 16% decrease from 2018 (see
candidate experience regularly and incorporate it into Table 5).
Table 5. How Candidate Experience Is Aligned to Recruiter Performance
CandE CandE
All Employers All Employers
Winners Winners
2019 2018
2019 2018
It isn’t discussed unless there is a problem that is brought to our
13% 7% 16% 7%
attention.
It is regularly discussed in informal performance reviews with

20% 15% 16% 16%
every recruiter.
It is regularly discussed in formal reviews but the measure

is subjective and not formalized. There are no (performance) 27% 32% 22% 27%
incentives.
It is regularly discussed in formal reviews. Candidate experience

is measured and incorporated into the recruiter dashboard. There 27% 35% 22% 27%
are no (performance) incentives.

is measured and incorporated into the recruiter dashboard. There
6% 7% 6% 11%
are non-monetary (performance) incentives (gift cards, trips,
etc.).

is measured and incorporated into the recruiter dashboard. There
5% 3% 10% 13%
are monetary (performance) incentives (salary increase, bonus,
etc.).
While we don’t ask employers about hiring manager Fewer than a third of the 2019 participating North
performance and candidate experience per se, we do American employers responded that their hiring managers
ask if they give feedback to the candidates who have give feedback to candidates, and when this feedback is
interviewed as finalists and who have not been selected given it is almost always internal candidates who get the
and whether or not hiring managers are required to do so. bulk of the feedback (see Table 6).
Table 6. Hiring Managers and Candidate Feedback
Internal External Referral
Yes, hiring managers are required to make a phone call and provide limited
78% 12% 10%
feedback.
Yes, hiring managers provide approved detailed feedback. 86% 8% 6%

10 Key Takeaways From the 2019 North
American Candidate Experience Research
Report:
1. Make Researching Your Company Easy for employers also said they tell candidates how to
Candidates learn about their application status 57% of the time
49% of candidates from all companies gave 4- versus 51% for all employers, an 11% difference.
or 5-star ratings for the information they found
on employers while doing research. That figure 4. Give Candidates a Mobile-Apply Option
jumps to 59% for CandE winners. CandE winners 93% of all employers offered mobile application
also emphasize company culture 7% more often option in 2019, with 97% of CandE-winning
for candidates than all participating companies, employers offering this option, yet only 17% of
employee testimonials 18% more often and answers candidates overall said they applied via mobile. But
to why people want to work there 10% more often. the candidates of CandE winners said they applied
And CandE-winning employers said they make via mobile 11% more compared with candidates
employee testimonials available 6% more often from all companies, and there was a 32% increase
than all other companies. in candidates’ willingness to increase their
relationship. So what’s the takeaway for employers?
2. Rely on Candidate Referrals and Employee While candidates may not always chose to apply on
Ambassadors mobile, giving them options when it comes to how
While 25% of candidates in 2019 still cited they can complete their application makes them
employee referrals as a valuable channel, down more likely to perceive the employer positively and
17% from 2018, 42% of referred candidates were want to increase their relationship with them.
much more likely to increase their relationship with
a potential employer (apply again, refer others, 5. Help Your Candidates Prep for the Interview
make purchases if and when applicable) if referred There are many things employers can do to better
by an employee. Employee ambassadors have more prepare candidates for their interviews, and more
impact on a candidate’s future relationship with and more companies are doing just that. This year
the company than conducting their own search candidates of CandE-winning companies still had
or receiving unsolicited outreach from a recruiter. a slight edge and said that a detailed interview
And CandE winners find that employee brand agenda was provided 30% of the time, versus 27%
ambassador/advocacy programs are critical to for all employers, an 11% difference. Their travel
their referral success 25% more compared with all was fully coordinated 12% of the time, versus 7%
participating companies in 2019. for all employers, a 53% difference.
3. Let Candidates Know Where They Stand 6. Provide Next Steps and Follow Up with
Candidates want to understand their progress Candidates
and know how much of an application is left, After the screening and interviewing, 72% of
and they are getting this information more often candidates at CandE-winning companies were
with CandE Award winners. In addition, more told about next steps, and recruiters and/or hiring
and more companies are improving in this area. managers followed up with them when necessary,
CandE-winning employers still have small margins slightly above all other participating companies.
when it comes to how long the application process For candidates rejected after the interview process,
will take, providing a process indicator as to how 65% of those from CandE Award winners were
much they’re completed, and notifying candidates encouraged to apply for another job (17% higher
about next steps post-application. CandE-winning than all companies together). When employers
employers said they explain why they’re using a respond to qualified candidates who are finalists,
specific assessment during the application process 59% of CandE-winning employers said their
61% of the time versus 46% for all employers recruiters and/or hiring managers always set up a
combined, a 28% difference. CandE-winning follow-up date.

7. Reduce Interview-to-Offer Time 10. Focus on the Business Impact of Candidate
Time is always a crucial factor in recruiting, Experience:
especially for those candidates who get the offers. The Talent Board has increasingly focused our
If employers make the offer within one week of research on the business impact of candidate
the final interview, the candidates’ willingness to experience from pre-application to onboarding. And
increase their relationship with the employer goes for good reason. Candidates who believe they have
up 168% for all employers. For CandE-winning had a “negative” overall experience tell us every
companies, it goes up 192%. year they will take their alliance, product purchases
and business relationship somewhere else. This
8. Invest in Creating Engagement with New Hires means a potential loss of revenue for consumer-
Before Their Start Date based businesses, potential loss of referral networks
More employers, whether they’ve won a CandE for all companies and impacts whether or not
Award or not, are investing more in communication future-fit and silver-medalist candidates will apply
and engagement with new hires before their start again. Unfortunately, the percentage of candidates
date. But there are a few differences. CandE- willing to sever the relationship has increased
winning companies make reference checks routine, 40% since 2016 in North America. However, the
11% more often than all other employers. Also, good news is that the willingness of candidates
CandE-winning companies send specialized to increase their relationship with an employer is
marketing and congratulations content and trending upward globally over the past three years.
packages to hired candidates 8% more often In fact, 25% of all job candidates gave employers a
compared with all other employers. great candidate experience rating. And candidates
at CandE-winning companies rated the great
9. Increase Communication with Candidates and experience 25% higher than all other employers.
Provide Feedback
Candidates for CandE-winning companies who were
asked for feedback at every stage of the recruiting
process indicated they were more likely to increase CANDE RESEARCH REPORT ANALYSTS/WRITERS:
their relationship with the employer. And while Kevin W. Grossman
all stages are important, those candidates who President and Board Member
make it to the screening and interviewing phase Talent Board
are most likely to be encouraged to apply again
Ron Machamer
in the future. When asked for feedback after the
Global Program Manager
interview process, candidates for CandE-winner Talent Board
companies were 17% more likely to increase their
relationship with the employer compared with Tyler Slezak, MA
all other participating companies. While 27% Lead Data Scientist, Talent Board
of candidates from all participating employers Associate Product Manager at Modern Hire
received general and specific feedback about the
interview process when rejected, 31% of candidates Ginny Engholm
for CandE winners received feedback, a 14% Director of Editorial Operations
difference. CandE winner candidates are asked for Rep Cap
feedback 7% more often at the end of the interview
process, resulting in a 168% increase in a great
candidate experience and willingness to increase
Click here to learn more and participate in the Talent Board
the relationship.
Candidate Experience Awards and Benchmark Research Program.

A Single Platform for Every Talent Experience
Phenom People is a global HR technology company with a mission to help a billion people find the right job.
We do this through an AI-based SaaS platform, which we call Talent Experience Management (TXM).
The Phenom TXM platform unifies the experiences for candidates, recruiters, employees, and management.
CANDIDATE RECRUITER
EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE
Match candidates with the right job with a career Attract and nurture relationships with the right
site featuring personalized job recommendations, talent by evaluating insights and metrics during
an automated chatbot, and fresh content. every touchpoint along the candidate journey.
Career Site University Recruiting CRM SMS
CMS Chatbot Campaigns AI Insights
EMPLOYEE MANAGEMENT
EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE
Develop your best talent with an exclusive career Make better data-driven decisions and drive
site for easy access to new internal opportunities productivity with accurate analytics and actionable
and referrals for increased talent pools. insights throughout the entire talent lifecycle.
Internal Mobility Referrals Talent Analytics Reporting
Diversity Career Pathing Forecasting Dashboards
Learn more at www.phenompeople.com

EXECUTIVE BRIEF:
The 2019 North American Business Impact of Candidate Experience
We at the Talent Board have increasingly focused our Candidates Who Withdraw from the Recruiting
research on the business impact of candidate experience
Process
from pre-application to onboarding. And every time we
share the potential impact we find each year, we get When it comes to candidates withdrawing themselves from
more and more nods of acknowledgment — this is quite the recruiting process, there are many reasons as to why.
real. Candidates who believe they have had a “negative” But when we look at the Talent Board North American
overall experience tell us every year they will take their data, for those candidates who have an overall poor (1-
alliance, product purchases and business relationship star) experience on a 1-5 Likert Scale, the three most
somewhere else. This means a potential loss of revenue negative reasons candidates withdrew in 2019 were:
for consumer-based businesses, hurts referral networks
1. Their time was disrespected during interviews and
for all companies, and determines whether future-fit and
appointments
silver-medalist candidates will apply again.
2. The recruiting process just took too long
It’s those candidates that are not 3. Salary didn’t meet expectations
hired that need more attention Although it’s not the same pool of candidates year to year,
what’s interesting is the increase of salary not meeting
paid to their perceived overall expectations, up 12% in 2019 from 2018. Because of
experience. a tight job market where more qualified candidates were
in the driver’s seat than in previous years, a disparity
between salary expectations and reality is not a surprise.
However, the good news is that those who had a “great”
overall experience say they’ll definitely increase their
Figure 1. Most Negative Reasons Why Candidates Withdraw
employer relationships — they’ll apply again, refer others
and make purchases and/or influence purchases when
applicable. These aren’t just the job finalists either, or
those hired. The majority are individuals who research and
10%
apply for jobs but who aren’t hired. 12%
What’s important to keep in mind is that the sheer 14% 51%

number of candidates employers reject during the
recruiting process can quickly impact the business and 16%
the brand, in both positive and negative ways. That’s not
to say that those hired aren’t important to the business.
Of course they are — they’re the individuals who help 19% 26%
grow and sustain the business. And while all candidates,

hired or not, can impact how the business is perceived by
other potential candidates, it’s simply those candidates
Poor rapport Salary didn’t meet
that are not hired that need more attention paid to their
Poor communication expectations
perceived overall experience.
Company culture not a fit Process took too long
Job description & interview Time disrespected during
discrepancy interviews and appointments

Candidates Share With Their Inner Circles and
Publicly Online
The fact is people talk to one another about their good year is clear. This year 76% of candidates said they
and bad candidate experiences, especially when we share their positive experiences and 71% share their
consider their inner circles (i.e., significant others, negative experiences (see Table 1). Sharing of the
close friends, colleagues, peers, etc.). When we look at negative experience is up 9% from 2018. These trends
how many candidates share their positive and negative have remained amazingly consistent year after year with
experiences with their inner circle, the trend year after different populations of companies and their candidates.
Table 1. Candidates Sharing Positive and Negative Experiences With Their Inner Circles
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Positive Experience 76% 78% 77% 81% 80% 81%
Negative Experience 71% 65% 61% 67% 66% 66%
The percentages drop when we look at how many Forty-one percent of North American candidates that had
candidates share their positive and negative experiences a negative experience also answered that “this information
publicly online (i.e., social media posts, Glassdoor is private and I don’t share publicly.” That’s because lots
reviews, Kununu reviews, Indeed reviews, etc.), but there of candidates don’t want to shout from the rooftops when
are still significant populations willing to share their they didn’t get the job, only when they get it.
experiences publicly (see Table 2). The consistency of this
data reveals that employers cannot afford to ignore the
impact of candidates sharing their experiences online.
Table 2. Candidates Sharing Positive and Negative Experiences Publicly Online
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Positive Experience 50% 50% 51% 50% 49% 51%
Negative Experience 35% 35% 35% 34% 33% 34%

How Likely Candidates Are to Refer Others
When we look at how likely candidates are to refer others
based on their experience, the good news is that 62% “We know that candidates who have a positive
of North American candidates said they were likely to experience during the recruitment life cycle are
extremely likely to refer others based on their experience. more likely to engage with our recruiters and apply
For CandE winners it’s over 18% higher at 73%, but both for additional jobs in the future with our clients.
figures down from 2017 and 2018 (see Table 3). A positive candidate experience also means they
are more likely to recommend employers to their
networks of friends and family – thus reinforcing a
62% of North American client’s EVP.”
candidates said they were likely —ManpowerGroup Solutions, 2019 CandE Sponsor
to extremely likely to refer others

based on their experience.
Table 3. How Likely Candidates Are to Refer Others
2019 2018 2017 2016
All Employers - Candidates Likely to Refer 62% 67% 67% 70%
CandE Winners - Candidates Likely to Refer 73% 74% 77% 78%

The Sobering Bad News About Candidate
Experience
Now for some sobering bad news: The trend globally over “We are reminded that in order to be successful
the past four years is that a great and positive candidate in recruiting, you need to meet and connect
experience is slipping, except in North America, where with people where they are. And companies that
it continues to trend upward. When we look at those understand the importance of the human side of
candidates who rate their overall candidate experience talent acquisition and that are ready to adapt are
great with a willingness to increase their relationship the ones that will win the talent war.”
with the employer (see Figure 2), the trendline is positive
—Jobvite, 2019 CandE Sponsor
globally, with Latin America having the highest rating.
Figure 2. Great Candidate Experience — Increase the Relationship
29% 29%
27% 28%
27% 26%
25% 25%
24%
23% 24% 23%
22% 22%
21% 22%
21% 20%
19%
17%
15%
2016 2017 2018 2019
North America EMEA APAC Latin America
Linear (North America) Linear (EMEA) Linear (APAC)

But candidate resentment is also trending upward globally
“The hiring process can be very time-consuming (although Latin America has the lowest resentment rate
for candidates. Personal and direct conversations overall). When we look at those candidates who rate their
with a recruiter or hiring manager can be key to experience negative with a willingness to sever their
keeping qualified candidates engaged and also an relationship with the employer (see Figure 3), we find:
opportunity to provide honest feedback if they are
• The North American resentment rate has gone up
not hired.”
40% since 2016
—ManpowerGroup Solutions, 2019 CandE Sponsor • The EMEA resentment rate has gone up 25% since
2016
• The APAC resentment rate has gone up 10% since
2016
“When a hiring process is rigid and impersonal, The potential impact on businesses is quite real. No matter
the candidate experience suffers. Both sides of what industry you’re in, candidate experience potentially
the equation – the candidate and the hiring team impacts whether or not candidates will apply again and/
– need to feel confident they are making the right or refer others, and affects how the employer brands are
decision.” perceived based on what commentary proliferates within
inner circles and publicly online.
—Modern Hire, 2019 CandE Sponsor
Figure 3. Poor Candidate Experience — Sever Relationship
15%
14% 14%
13%
13%
12% 12%
12%
11% 11% 11%
10% 10%
9%
9%
8% 8%
8%
7% 7%
7%
6%
5%
2016 2017 2018 2019
Linear (North America) Linear (EMEA) Linear (APAC)

Calculate the Costs
For consumer-based businesses, where candidates are potential lost annual revenue by plugging in some
customers and vice versa, the potential revenue impact simple numbers. According to the 2019 Talent Board
looms large. A case study conducted by Virgin Media and benchmark research, the overall candidate resentment
Ph.Creative a few years ago showed that Virgin Media was rate — those candidates willing to sever the relationship
losing more than $6 million annually in sales revenues with a prospective employer based on their experience —
due to poor candidate experiences — which they were is at about 11% globally (North America, EMEA, APAC
then able to turn into a $7 million revenue stream. and Latin America). In North America for 2019, the
resentment rate is at 14%, higher than any other region
Most companies, particularly publicly traded companies,
we surveyed.
aren’t willing to share this kind of quantitative data
publicly, and for good reason. But many today are While the resentment calculator only produces a rough
internally quantifying the cost of a poor candidate estimate based on the hiring numbers used, it helps
experience, which can be in the millions of dollars to make the business case that improving recruiting
per year, and incremental improvements to recruiting process benefits companies’ bottom lines. Even
processes and candidate experience can go a long way to business-to-business (B2B) companies can use it as
increasing revenue and referral networks. a conversation starter because ultimately if they don’t
have the candidates they need to grow and sustain their
We created an online candidate resentment calculator for
businesses, it will potentially impact their revenue. Figure
HR and talent acquisition professionals that generates
4 highlights the calculation.
Figure 4. Candidate Resentment Calculator
ASSUMPTION
100% of the people that apply are potential customers and/or
influencers affecting revenue and referrals.
EXAMPLE
A. Annual hires = 1,000
B. Applicants per hire = 100
C. Rejected applicants per hire = (B - 1) = 99
D. Annual rejected applicants = (A x C) = 99,000
Negative resonance factor = candidate tells 1 person (at a minimum):

E. Total rejected candidate audience = (D x 2) = 198,000
F. Average value of a customer = $100
At 14% candidate resentment rate (based on North American candidates willing to sever
the business relationship):
G. Potential lost customers = (14% x E) = 27,720
H. Potential lost revenue at 14% = (G x F) = $2,772,000

Table 4. Candidate Resentment Rates by Industry Let’s take a look at what the North American resentment
rate looks like across industries in 2019 (see Table 4).
Industry Resentment Rate Many of the industries with double-digit candidate
resentment rates are either fully business-to-consumer
Financial 18% (B2C) or overlap into consumer-based products and
services. The potential cost of a poor candidate experience
Hospitality 18% to the bottom line is substantial.
Consumer Goods 14%

“With candidates in the driver’s seat, companies
must compete for talent based on personalized
Health Care 14%
candidate experiences and transparent recruiting
processes that candidates trust.”
Services 13%
Education 13%
Technology 12%
“Candidates expect employers to be clear about
what jobs they have open, what it takes to be
Government (Public Sector) 11% successful in those jobs, who they will be working
with, and whether the work they’re doing is
Industrial Goods 11% contributing to causes they care deeply about.
It’s incumbent upon employers to anticipate what
choices those candidates likely have, and to deliver
Manufacturing 11%
the information necessary to help that candidate
make an informed and trustworthy decision.”
Defense & Aerospace 11%
—TMP Worldwide, 2019 CandE Sponsor
Basic Materials 11%
Non-Profit 10%
Energy 10%
Travel, Recreation & Leisure 8%

Calculate the Positive Growth
Let’s end this section with some better news: HR and According to our 2019 candidate experience research,
recruiting leaders already are thinking about how to 25% of North American candidates who responded to
improve the candidate and employee experience. In fact, our survey rated their overall experience as “great, I’ll
when we recently surveyed past Talent Board benchmark increase my relationship” with the company they applied
research employers, the No. 1 recruiting initiative for to (see Figure 5), which is down 11% from 2018. Again,
2020 is again improving candidate experience. This what’s important to note is that 90% of all the candidates
also includes creating better work cultures, investing in surveyed this year in North America did not get hired.
diversity and inclusion and ensuring social responsibility
by giving back to communities in the form of donations Figure 5. North American Candidate Great Experience and the
and volunteerism. Business Relationship
All of this is important to improving overall recruiting,

hiring and retention. And yet recruiting is simply a
business transaction. Except that 99 out of 100 people
applying for a specific job don’t get the job.
The result is a messy human transaction, no doubt, but

it’s still a business transaction at heart.
When we recently surveyed past

Talent Board benchmark research
Take the 22% of the 2019 North American candidates
employers, the No. 1 recruiting who told us they were customers of the company, for
initiative for 2020 is again example. If we assume that very positive job candidates
who were customers might increase their spend by 15%
improving candidate experience. (per consumer research), then that’s a good thing.
Let’s say we’re dealing with a large consumer-based

Here at Talent Board we’ve talked a lot the past few years
employer. This employer hires 1,000 employees per year
about our benchmark research and the potential impact
and averages 100 applicants per hire. That translates
on businesses based on how they’re treating their job
into 99,000 rejected candidates annually. They have
candidates.
also determined that the annual value of one customer is
And yet we haven’t talked much about how much revenue $100.
could be generated when we look at a greater degree of
As mentioned above, 25% of the rejected candidates
candidate perceived fairness and those candidates who
say they’ll increase their relationship with this employer,
give a “great” candidate experience in our research.
that leaves 24,750 candidates of the 99,000 who were
Those candidates are willing to increase their business
very positive. And 22% of those were customers of this
relationship by applying again, referring others more often
employer they had applied to.
and making and/or influencing purchases if and when
applicable. The latter part is key for what follows.

Table 5. Candidate Increase-Relationship Rates by Industry
“Candidate experience is paramount. The power of
integrating trusted science with proven technology Increase-Relationship
Industry
to continuously improve hiring results, to deliver a Rate
personalized, engaging candidate experience. The
right experience for the right role sets the scene for Travel, Recreation & Leisure 49%
a higher quality of hire and greater retention.”
Services 30%
Government (Public Sector) 28%
Consumer Goods 27%
That leaves 5,445 very positive candidates who are also Manufacturing 27%
customers. This example illustrates that if these same
candidates increase their annual spend by 15%, then that Basic Materials 26%
would result in $115 per candidate per year in additional
spending on this employer’s products – or $626,175 of Industrial Goods 25%
additional potential revenue for the year.
Financial 24%
And if we assume that each of the 24,750 very positive
candidates tells one person, and if those people become
Technology 25%
customers, then that’s another potential $2,475,000 in
revenue.
Health Care 22%
Combined, that totals $3,101,175 of potential annual
revenue increase. Hospitality 22%
Of course, there are many variables that will affect Energy 21%
the actual potential impact, but this data should give
employers pause. And many of the Talent Board CandE Education 20%
Award winners, especially consumer-based business, know
this positive impact firsthand. Non-Profit 18%
Next, let’s take a look at what the North American

Defense & Aerospace 11%
increase-relationship rate looks like across industries in
2019 (see Table 5).
What’s great to see is that most industries we tracked have

increase-relationship rates of over 20%, which again can
potentially help consumer-based companies sustain and
increase revenue.

Our research consistently finds
“We take CandE research to the next level by
that, regardless of company size, allowing our clients to gather feedback in real time,
employers that ask candidates from all stakeholders including candidates, hiring
managers, recruiters, and tie it the stages of their
for any frequency of feedback hiring process so the feedback is actionable and
upon rejection can improve their anchored to process.”
increase-relationship rates. —Survale, 2019 CandE Sponsor
Lastly, let’s take a look at what the North American

resentment and increase-relationship rates look like across
company size in 2019 (see Table 6).
This data shows that there seems to be a relationship

between companies that provide feedback upon rejection
and companies that have a higher increase-relationship
rate, although it doesn’t always translate into a lower
resentment rate. Our research consistently finds that,
regardless of company size, employers that ask candidates
for any frequency of feedback upon rejection can improve
their increase-relationship rates.
Table 6. Candidate Resentment and Increase-Relationship Rates by North American Employee Population
Invited to Provide Feedback

Employee Population Resentment Rate Increase-Relationship Rate
Upon Rejection
Up to 500 16% 23% 18%
501-2,500 12% 27% 12%
2,501-5,000 15% 20% 11%
5,001-10,000 15% 22% 21%
10,001-25,000 15% 23% 17%
5,001-100,000 13% 27% 15%
Over 100,000 15% 23% 9%

Future Fit Matters
Even with all the potential business impact highlighted
above, whether or not candidates will apply again and/or CANDE RESEARCH REPORT ANALYSTS/WRITERS:
refer others based on their overall candidate experience is Kevin W. Grossman
a vitally important outcome of the candidate experience. President and Board Member
And while most companies would argue that they don’t Talent Board
want all the candidates applying again, they do want those
deemed future fit to apply again. They most certainly want Ron Machamer
their final interview silver medalists to apply again and Global Program Manager
to refer others who may also be the right candidates for Talent Board
future roles.
Tyler Slezak, MA
Ultimately, making improvement investments in recruiting Lead Data Scientist, Talent Board
and candidate experience today can ensure a greater Associate Product Manager at Modern Hire
return on employment brand and quality of candidate
tomorrow. Ginny Engholm
Director of Editorial Operations
Rep Cap


Make hiring personal
to continuously improve
experiences & results.
Modern Hire has created an all-in-one enterprise
hiring platform that enables you to continuously
improve hiring results through more personalized,
data-driven experiences for candidates, recruiters, and
hiring managers.
The Modern Hire platform combines trusted science

and technology to predict performance, ensure
fairness, and automate workflow—enterprise-wide. It
includes AI, predictive analytics, assessment,
interviewing, and scheduling technology in a single
SaaS solution that integrates with leading HCM
systems.
Discover how we’re helping 47 of the Fortune 100

continuously improve hiring experiences and results.
Visit modernhire.com
ATTRACT
Employer Branding, Recruitment Marketing and Sourcing
What It Is
The pre-application stage of identifying and engaging with
candidates before they apply for a position.
The candidate experience begins during talent attraction ATTRACTION HIGHLIGHTS

and sourcing, well before a potential candidate applies
for a job. In fact, Talent Board believes that the candidate • Over 105,000 candidates replied to this section.
experience is a 24/7 interactive experience, whether it’s • 66% of candidates conducted their own
for passive candidates or those actively looking for a job. research, a trend that’s held steady for the past
few years.
• Company culture is now the most important
Candidate experience and marketing content for 39% of candidates.
employer branding are still the top • 42% of referred candidates said they were
much more likely to increase their relationship
recruiting initiatives or activities with a potential employer (apply again,
employers tell us they’re planning refer others, make purchases if and when
applicable).
for in 2020. • When candidates are asked for research
feedback before they apply, there’s a 72%
increase in a great candidate experience and
Attracting candidates is one area of talent acquisition that
willingness to increase the relationship.
has been given more and more attention and investment
due to such a strong job market in the past few years, • The number of employers that say they
implemented mobile text-messaging campaigns
with many more employers big and small across industries
increased 56% in 2019.
understanding just how competitive attracting and
sourcing quality candidates truly is. In fact, it is now • The number of employers that say they’ll use
arguably the most important aspect of recruiting since chatbot technology in 2020 increased 100%.
it prepares organizations for current talent needs as well • Video job descriptions are again the top
as future talent needs. It also gives candidates that first recruiting technology investment for employers
impression of an employer and what it’s like to work for in 2020.
the company.
Overall candidate experience and employer branding are

still the top recruiting initiatives or activities employers
tell us they’re planning for in 2020. We find that
employers with the highest positive candidate ratings are
those that focus more on communication and engagement
pre-application.

Employer branding is a critical component of talent
“We prioritize the candidate experience as we know attraction. The employer brand is a big part of the
that without a strong pipeline of candidates we reason why someone wants to work for an organization.
cannot meet our client’s needs. We often work with It encompasses the culture and the employee value
candidates multiple times throughout their careers, proposition. A strong, descriptive and transparent brand
either placing them in new jobs when previous will help companies attract talent and alleviate some
jobs have ended, or providing career transition of the challenges that recruiting candidates can create.
services, including up-skilling to prepare for new A weak brand, on the other hand, will deter talent or
opportunities.” misrepresent the employee experience, which can lead to
new hire turnover and low performance once onboard.
—ManpowerGroup Solutions, 2019 CandE Sponsor
The employer brand is a big part

of the reason why someone wants
“Above all, experiential data must be and will to work for an organization. It
be the fuel that drives recruiting success.
Gathering and acting upon real time experiential encompasses the culture and the
feedback from all stakeholders at each phase of employee value proposition.
the recruiting process will separate the winners
from the laggards in the next phase of recruiting
success.” Organizations have to think like traditional marketers more
than ever. Just as consumers have evolved, candidates
—Survale, 2019 CandE Sponsor have become savvier in their job search and are now more
likely to have some kind of previous relationships with
employers (53%) and conduct their own research (66%).
Candidates are also diving deeper into career sites, social
media and sites like Glassdoor to get a clear picture of
an organization before making a connection (27% of
candidates in 2019 used review sites like Glassdoor,
Indeed, Fairy Godboss and others).
Candidates today are doing their research. They want

to be prepared and take ownership of their journey, and
organizations need to be prepared as well.
The following section highlights what candidates are

looking for in the Attract stage, how employers are
responding and what companies can learn from the CandE
Award winners.

What Candidates Want
Candidates want three things during the pre-application
stage: a clear understanding of the company culture, “The research I have done about this company was
insight into the employee experience and a sense of very helpful.”
connection with the overall brand. Essentially, they want —Candidate Quote
to know that the information and content they receive
will reflect not only the work they will be doing but the
company and the environment in which they will work.
“A hiring process should be more than just an

Nearly 40% of candidates opportunity for a candidate to learn about the
said they wanted even more job. It should be a chance to experience it, to be
matched, a chance to feel empowered to make a
information about culture choice.”
and nearly 30% wanted more —Modern Hire, 2019 CandE Sponsor
information on why employees
want to work for an employer.
“By taking a candidate-centric approach to
Candidates are looking for more content from existing
recruiting at every step in the process, we’ve helped
employees and peers about the company culture;
customers increase their pipeline of qualified talent
nearly 40% of candidates said they wanted even more
by 20%, reduce time-to-hire by 50% and save as
information about culture and nearly 30% wanted more
much as $2.5 million dollars in agency fees by
information on why employees want to work for an
shifting recruiting operations in-house.”
employer — and why they stay.
This is why the employee voice is a strong one and
should not be ignored during the attraction stage. In the
candidate survey, candidates were asked to identify what
research channels are most valuable, what marketing
information is most valuable and what content is most
valuable. A summary of the responses follows.

Research Channels
Year after year, career sites prove to be the most valuable
channel for candidates when researching an employer,
Job boards are back up in second
and they’re still the first destination once a candidate has place, with 28% of candidates
identified an employer and a job, although it’s down 12%
from 2018 with just 53% of candidates citing career sites
using them to research jobs, up
as most valuable research channel. slightly from 2018.
Job boards are back up in second place, with 28% of
candidates using them to research jobs, up slightly from
2018. LinkedIn career pages had 28% of candidates
using them as well. And 27% of candidates, up 23% from
2018, cited employer review sites as a valuable channel.
Candidates are less likely to want to go directly to the

source to discover information about a company and its
jobs. They want to hear from existing employees and peers
(see Table 1).
Table 1. Candidate Research Channels (Partial List)
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Company career site 53% 60% 58% 57% 64% 65%
Job boards 28% 26% 30% N/A N/A N/A
LinkedIn career pages 28% 31% 34% 30% 30% 27%
Employer reviews (Glassdoor, Indeed,

27% 22% 29% 23% 24% 20%
Great Rated!, other)
Online groups (LinkedIn, Yahoo,

25% 18% 24% 24% 26% 24%
Other)
Employee, candidate or customer

25% 30% 36% 33% 19% 17%
referral
Third party job notifications or agents 18% 32% 28% 28% 35% 34%
Mobile career site or app 17% N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Career fair/job fair (multiple

13% 3% 10% 9% 18% 10%
companies)
Professional associations 9% 13% 15% 12% N/A N/A

We also collect research on which social media and career
services sites candidates leverage globally for their job “The rapid development and adoption of technology
search. These questions allow candidates to reflect on creates both challenges and opportunities for job
their overall job search and iterate the various sites they seekers and employers.”
use.
—TMP Worldwide, 2019 CandE Sponsor
Based on the candidate responses in 2019, it’s
unanimous yet again: LinkedIn and Indeed are the most
leveraged social media and career services sites by
candidates during their job search globally. And in North
America, Indeed is the top site candidates use. “A challenge for many candidates is not knowing
what it is really like to work for an employer. We’ve
LinkedIn and Indeed are the most helped clients create ‘day in the life’ videos that
they can share through their social media channels.
leveraged social media and career These videos allow candidates more visibility into a
company’s work culture.”
services sites by candidates
during their job search globally. —ManpowerGroup Solutions, 2019 CandE Sponsor
According to the latest Talent Board Candidate Experience

Benchmark Research, there are other regional sites
candidates leverage in North America, EMEA, APAC and What’s clear is that there are more resources available
Latin America, but Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, CareerBuilder than ever for candidates to research employers and the
and straight internet searches on Google and other search jobs they’re interested in. This includes more transparency
engines complete the top six for North America. That’s as well with sites like Glassdoor and Indeed.
where Glassdoor beats out internet job searches (see
Table 2 on the following page). Over 100,000 North
American candidates, 5,000 EMEA candidates, 7,000
APAC candidates and 1,000 Latin American candidates
responded to this specific question.
Some other interesting data points about candidate social

media and internet usage include:
• Facebook as a job search site is stronger in APAC

and Latin America.
• Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter and CareerBuilder are the
most leveraged in North America.
• Internet searches are consistent globally.
• YouTube and Instagram are leveraged more than
Twitter.
• Xing, JobStreet and WeChat are other sites
leveraged in EMEA and APAC.

Table 2. Social Media and Career Services Sites That Candidates Leverage Globally for Their Job Search
Social Media &

Career Services Sites
Indeed 73% 46% 41% 29%
LinkedIn 56% 62% 59% 66%
Glassdoor 37% 20% 17% 14%
ZipRecruiter 24% 4% 2% 3%
CareerBuilder 22% 7% 6% 6%
Internet search (Google, Yahoo, Bing, Seek, etc.) 22% 25% 31% 25%
Monster 19% 15% 12% 3%
Facebook 12% 16% 19% 22%
Simply Hired 5% 1% 2% 0.9%
Other 4% 7% 10% 6%
Dice 4% 0.4% 0.3% 0.2%
Niche job boards 3% 3% 2% 4%
YouTube 3% 4% 5% 4%
Instagram 2% 7% 5% 8%
Twitter 2% 5% 2% 3%
The Muse 0.8% 0.3% 0.2% 0.3%
Snapchat 0.7% 2% 0.5% 0.6%
Pinterest 0.7% 1% 0.7% 0.8%
GitHub 0.5% 1% 1% 0.6%
Stack Overflow 0.5% 0.7% 1% 0.3%
Great Rated 0.3% 0.5% 0.4% 0.6%
Kununu 0.3% 3% 0.3% 0.1%
Xing N/A 4% N/A N/A
JobStreet N/A N/A 14% N/A
WeChat N/A N/A 1% N/A

Spend time with your
talent, not software.
Olivia is the AI Assistant transforming global
talent experience.
Olivia allows talent acquisition and human

resources professionals to focus on what they do
best, human interaction - while she focuses on
experience, automation and intelligence.
To meet Olivia, text CANDES to 25000
Learn more about Paradox at paradox.ai
Empowering talent in Communicating in over Assisting more than

62 countries 36 languages 400 talent-centric
around the globe everyday companies
Olivia helps deliver a magical experience for

world-class companies and their candidates.
Marketing Content
When asked to identify the most valuable marketing
content, company culture jumped to No. 1, with 39% of
Candidates want a high level
candidates citing it as most important, up 5% from 2018. of transparency regarding the
Company values plunged for the first time, with 44%
fewer candidates cited this area as a key focus. As noted
organizations in which they are
above, employee-generated and employee-based content interested.
was increasingly important to candidates, as employee
testimonials and answers to “why people want to work
here” were again more valuable than product/services
information in 2019, but down from 2018 (see Table 3).
Also, candidates consuming more diversity and inclusion
information increased 20% this year.
What’s clear in Table 3 is that candidates want a high

level of transparency regarding the organizations in
which they are interested. This insight also helps when
candidates refer others to the same organizations.
Table 3. Preferred Marketing Content for Candidates (Partial List)
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Information on the culture of the

39% 37% 42% N/A N/A N/A
company
Answers to “why” people want to work

29% 33% 36% 30% 31% 31%
here
Career sites in multiple languages 28% N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Employee testimonials 26% 37% 41% 36% 35% 33%
Answers to “why” people stay here 26% 22% 29% 24% 24% 23%
Values 24% 44% 49% 42% 51% 51%
Product/services information 24% 30% 38% 35% 37% 39%
Diversity and inclusion 24% 20% 23% 21% 20% 19%
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) 20% 16% 23% 19% 20% 19%
Financial information 19% 21% 26% 23% 22% 22%

Job-Related Content
When conducting research, 64% of candidates find
the job description to be valuable, representing a 28%
64% of candidates find the
increase from the 50% of candidates in 2018. Although job description to be valuable,
both candidates and employers have for years questioned
the value of job descriptions as an effective recruitment
representing a 28% increase from
tool, they’re still the currency exchanged between the 50% of candidates in 2018.
employers and candidates about what the nature of the
job is.
What’s interesting in 2019 is that we added the choice of

“details of application and next steps,” and candidates
overwhelmingly made that their second choice (see Table
4). This is something we see the highest-rated CandE
winners communicate before candidates apply.
Table 4. Preferred Job Content for Candidates (Partial List)
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Job descriptions (duties, skills,

64% 50% 55% 63% 74% 77%
requirements)
Details of application and next steps 42% N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Benefit details 28% 34% 32% 31% 33% 35%
Salary ranges/compensation structure 24% 29% 34% 35% 39% 40%
Career path examples 17% 28% 22% 21% 23% 23%
Employee day in the life (job overview) 15% 14% 17% 16% 16% 16%
FAQs about recruiting/applicant

13% N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
process
Self-assessment of culture fit 10% N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Successful candidate profile for the

10% 22% 22% 21% 25% 25%
job
Overview of recruiting process 9% 22% 18% 16% 18% 17%

What Employers Are Doing
The gap between what employers are doing and what Candidates are turning more to employer review sites and
candidates want perpetually persists. Overall, employers employee testimonials, as indicated above, and employers
must consider how the attitudes, expectations and continued to increase their differentiating engagement
behaviors of increasingly sophisticated candidates with internship programs and career fairs in 2019 (see
continue to shift, particularly in such a tight job market. Table 6 on the following page). Interestingly, employee
referral programs decreased again in importance, by 8%.
When asked where employers are engaging with
candidates in the attraction stages, career sites remain
No. 1 for the fifth consecutive year, but the figure is Employers recognize that their
down 12% from 2018. Sixty-eight percent of companies
consider these sites to be critical to recruiting success.
career site is the first stop for
In addition, talent communities and video usage have candidates researching their
increased in criticality. Employers recognize that their
career site is the first stop for candidates researching
organization, so the content they
their organization, so the content they provide must be provide must be compelling.
compelling, including using more videos (see Table 5).
Table 5. Critical Online/Interactive Ways Employers Engage with Candidates Who Have Not Yet Applied (Partial List)
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Career site (primary) 68% 77% 72% 75% 74% 71%
LinkedIn pages (job/career specific) 58% 62% 62% 61% 56% 55%
Job board/other site company pages

53% 52% 47% 48% 45% 38%
(job/career specific)
Talent community (primary) 31% 26% 24% 27% 30% 28%
Career site (micro-sites) 29% 33% 33% 26% 31% 32%
Mobile career/job apps 26% 30% 27% 28% 24% 19%
Videos (across websites and social

26% 21% 20% 27% 24% 43%
channels)
Twitter feeds/notifications (job/career

24% 26% 33% 32% 32% 28%
specific)
Facebook pages (job/career specific) 23% 29% 29% 25% 24% 24%

Table 6. Critical Program/Direct Contact Ways Companies Engage with Potential Candidates Who Have Not Yet Applied (Partial List)
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
University/college intern/co-op
54% 56% 53% 52% 55% 46%
programs
Employee referral programs 48% 52% 57% 56% 55% 51%
University/college campus information

34% 40% 39% 42% 42% 37%
sessions
Career fairs (in-person) 41% 36% 35% 31% 36% 27%
Direct calls (cold calling) 27% 27% 32% 32% 34% 33%
As in previous years, companies remained heavily

focused on social media to attract candidates in 2019,
More employers are realizing that
but candidates are leveraging social channels like it’s a competitive differentiator
Twitter and Facebook with much less frequency (see
Table 7). In particular, the disparity between employers
to communicate earlier with
and candidates using Facebook for their job search is candidates, even before they
widening.
apply.
Technology can be a powerful ally when it comes to
communicating with candidates pre-application, and
Chatbots are being used to answer general employment
texting is one form of communication that is definitely
questions, and this frees up the recruiting teams to have
on the rise. The number of employers that said they
more hands-on time with potential candidates already in
implemented mobile text-messaging campaigns increased
play. The use of smart technologies to source and assess
56% in 2019.
candidates is also on the rise, with a 16% increase in
It’s also important to note here how artificial intelligence sourcing candidates externally with a virtual assistant, and
and other smart technologies are helping employers a 10% increase in video interviewing with assessments
improve recruiting. We saw a 100% increase in utilizing (see Table 8 on the following page).
chatbots on career sites in 2019. More employers
are realizing that it’s a competitive differentiator to
communicate earlier with candidates, even before they
apply.
Table 7. How Employers and Candidates Differ in Using Facebook and Twitter for Job Search
Employers Candidates Employers Candidates Employers Candidates

2019 2019 2018 2018 2017 2017
Facebook 82% 12% 81% 17% 82% 13%
Twitter 72% 2% 78% 3% 81% 4%

Table 8. Enhancing Recruiting Efforts with AI Technologies
2019 2018
Sourcing candidates from external sources with a virtual assistant 37% 32%
Sourcing existing candidate database with a virtual assistant 19% 19%
Pre-qualifying candidates from collective candidate databases 41% 56%
Chatbot recruiting automation (Q&A “customer-service” on career site) 30% 15%
Video interviewing with assessments 43% 39%
Measuring and predicting employee job changing behavior 35% 32%
Assessing candidates to identify team personality and culture fit 54% 61%
Assessing candidates with job simulations for job performance

46% 52%
prediction
Sentiment analysis of candidate open-ended feedback 25% 35%
As organizations look to close this gap and become more

“In 2020, we expect to see talent acquisition aligned with the talent they want to attract, the following
teams continue to use AI to drive fairness, section contains recommendations and lessons learned
better predict fit for hire, streamline processes from the 2019 CandE Award winners.
and improve the candidate experience. Talent
acquisition teams will also use AI to better predict
the likelihood of candidate success on the job,
implement bias control and provide candidates with
real-time feedback.”
“As technology rapidly evolves, we anticipate an

increasing number of candidates will be looking
for a hiring experience that more closely resembles
the ease and efficiency of a consumer tech
experience.”

Key Recommendations:
What CandE Award Winners Do Better
Companies that improve the candidate experience and Table 9. CandE Winners vs. All Employers Asking for Feedback Pre-
provide more value to candidates in the attraction stage Application by Key Rating Net Promoter Score (NPS)
have a competitive advantage. This is also where we
see some of the biggest gaps in ratings between CandE CandE All
winners and all other employers when we convert to Winners Employers
Net Promoter Score (NPS) (see Table 9). Also, there
Overall Rating 55 39
are several examples below that help differentiate the
2019 CandE Award winners and provide guidance to Apply Again Rating 48 33
organizations looking to improve the candidate experience
during the attraction stage (see Figure 1 on the following Refer Others Rating 46 32
page).
Relationship Change 43 28
Candidate Research
Forty-nine percent of candidates from all companies
gave a 4- or 5-star rating for the information they found
on employers while doing research. That figure jumps
to 59% for CandE winners — a 20% difference. CandE “Because we connect the candidate experience
winners also emphasize company culture 7% more often to the client’s brand or EVP we focus on ensuring
for candidates compared with all participating companies, all candidates have a positive experience. Our
employee testimonials 18% more often, and answers strategies always include frequent communications
to why people want to work there 10% more often. And with candidates about where they are in the hiring
CandE-winning employers said they make employee process.”
testimonials available 6% more often compared with all —ManpowerGroup Solutions, 2019 CandE Sponsor
other companies.
Candidate Referrals and Employee Ambassadors

While 25% of candidates in 2019 still cited employee
referrals as a valuable channel, down 17% from 2018, “In the upcoming year, it’s critical that talent
42% of referred candidates were much more likely to acquisition teams and recruiters use a glass-box
increase their relationship with a potential employer approach to AI in the hiring process, meaning both
(apply again, refer others, make purchases if and when recruiters and candidates have full transparency
applicable), compared with those who conducted their into every step of the interviewing and hiring
own search or those who received unsolicited outreach process”
from a recruiter. And 25% more CandE winners found
employee brand ambassador or advocacy programs critical —Modern Hire, 2019 CandE Sponsor
compared with all participating companies in 2019.
Communication and Feedback

Candidates for CandE-winning companies had a
42% higher NPS for the likelihood to increase their “We see talent demand continuing to outstrip
relationship with the employer when asked for feedback supply, so treating every job seeker, applicant and
pre-application compared with all other participating candidate as a valued commodity needs to be
companies. CandE winners are also utilizing chatbots paramount in order to simply hire effectively”
on their career sites 10% more often compared with
—Survale, 2019 CandE Sponsor
all participating companies and using chat rooms to
communicate with potential candidates 21% more often
compared with all participating companies.

Figure 1. The CandE Attraction Cycle: CandE Winner Best Practices
Employee Live Chat or

Testimonials Chatbots
Multimedia Social Channel

Content Customer Service
Better
Career Site
Candidate Employee Brand
Experience Advocacy

CHECK OUT THE CHECK OUT THE

CandE Sponsors! CandE Case Studies!

HOW DO YOU CONNECT TO THE
RIGHT CANDIDATE AT THE RIGHT TIME
AND IN THE RIGHT MOMENT?
With our branded candidate experience and TalentBrew software platform, you can
reach candidates with relevant messages and targeted placement throughout their
journey. And with the addition of our TalentBrew CRM, you can track talent to gain real
metrics every step of the way. Powered by proprietary intelligence from nearly 400 million
user sessions from our TalentBrew network, we can predict, personalize and influence
the entire candidate experience to help you find and retain the right talent.
Discover how we can help build your talent.

talentbrew.com | wecanhelp@tmp.com
TMP is a proud sponsor of The Talent Board and congratulates all of the 2019 CandE winners.
RECRUIT
Application
What sets successful companies

apart is their ability to create NORTH AMERICAN KEY HIGHLIGHTS
a consistent and transparent
candidate experience. • Over 70,000 candidates replied to this section.
• 78% of those who researched an employer
completed an application.
The recruit stage involves activities that help identify the
right fit, converting interest into hires as candidates move • 17% of candidates applied via a mobile device,
from application to final interview. What sets successful down from 2018, while 93% of employers said
companies apart from the competition is their ability to they offered mobile apply, up from 2018.
create a consistent and transparent candidate experience • 43% of candidates said it took less than 15
throughout the following processes: minutes to apply and receive a confirmation, up
19% from 2018.
• Apply: The process candidates go through when • 28% of candidates said they received a
filling out and submitting a job application. reminder about next steps when they applied,
• Screen and Interview: The evaluation stages that and 42% of candidates said they were able to
help recruiters and hiring managers determine the view a progress indicator showing percentage
best candidates to hire for the organization. completed.
• 30% of candidates said they were still waiting to
hear about next steps 2 months after they had
What It Is applied, down from 52% in 2018.
The process candidates go through when filling out and • Those who applied via mobile device had 32%
submitting a job application. higher willingness to increase their relationship
with the employer.
The application process, while still at the mercy of
• When asked if they felt the overall assessment
whatever applicant tracking system is being utilized,
process (written tests, simulated job tasks, etc.)
has improved significantly. Recruiters are able to handle
was fair, candidates who rated their experience
an increased volume of applications and better manage with 5 stars were 176% more likely to say
the administrative side of the application process. Plus, they would increase their relationship with the
automated communications can be triggered at various employer.
disposition stages, screening and assessment tools can
• When candidates are asked for application
be integrated throughout the application process, and feedback, there’s a 72% increase in a great
applicants can be notified of their status and connected candidate experience and willingness to
with nurturing recruitment marketing systems. increase the relationship.
It’s still not without its limitations and shortcomings,

however. In 2019, 30% of North American candidates
reported that they had not heard back from employers two
months after they applied. That’s lower than in previous
years, but still amounts to thousands of candidate
respondents to our survey, a big missed opportunity for
employers.

they won’t be pursued any further, it can help to keep the
“The traditional hiring process is broken. As perception of fairness at least neutral, if not positive.
companies compete for talent and unemployment
Of course, not all employers want everyone to apply again
remains at historic lows, organizations continue
— some companies face heavy candidate volume and
to struggle to balance the demands of hiring with
some serial applicants are nowhere near qualified. But
the need to create engaging and friendly candidate
most employers do want those candidates who could be
experiences. Highly qualified candidates simply
deemed as future fit to apply for other jobs.
won’t wait on the sidelines or sit through a one-
sided, clunky process.” Thankfully, more employers have collapsed the time it
takes to initially apply, with 43% of all candidates saying
it took less than 15 minutes. However, that allows for a
greater volume of initial applications. In 2019, depending
on job level, employers received over 200 resumes per job
When we ask the candidates what’s the last thing they less often — 33% of the time for hourly positions, down
remember happening in the recruiting process, 51% of 18% from 2018, and 32% for entry level positions, down
them said they had applied, and 11% said they had been 16% from 2018 (see Table 10).
informed they did not get the job. This means that a good
portion of candidates simply don’t remember receiving the On average, a third to half of the candidates who apply
automated message telling them they weren’t going any for all position types are not qualified. It’s no surprise
further, or worse, they didn’t actually hear back after they that high-volume hiring companies can become cynical
first applied. about the vast number of unqualified candidates, but that
doesn’t mean that not acknowledging applicant interest
Even with the sheer number of unqualified candidates who and ensuring definitive closure leads to the best outcomes
apply for jobs every year, if some level of communication for the employer. Plus, many companies have “banned
isn’t provided, it can impact a candidate’s perception of for life” codes, or something similar, to block those
that employer. And no matter the level of automation, if unqualified serial applicants.
it includes definitive closure by letting candidates know
Table 10. Total Number of Applications Companies Receive Per Job Type
Job Type Fewer than 50 Applications 200+ Applications
Hourly (non-exempt) applications 26% 33%
Entry level professional applications 27% 32%
Experienced professional (non-technical) applications 44% 14%
Experienced professional (technical) applications 58% 10%
Mid-management applications 55% 10%
Senior management applications 66% 6%
Contract/contingent 62% 15%

The majority of candidates in this year’s survey (87%)
were external. Thirty-nine percent of all candidates were “While I am not privy to the information in the back
applying for hourly positions. And because of this, many end of the application process, I thought it was a
are most likely taking time away from their current jobs fairly human-less interaction filled with spammy
to pursue this opportunity — if they make it beyond responses.”
the application stage. In return, candidates do expect —Candidate Quote
a simple and straightforward process with some level of
acknowledgment of next steps after they apply.
Eighty-two percent of North American candidates said the

application process was easy. asked and have an opportunity to share their skills and
experience. More importantly, they want to be able to do
Sixty-three percent of candidates received an automated this quickly and easily. As mentioned above, the time it
thank you message, down slightly from 2018, while only takes to complete an application has been reduced. And
28% received a reminder about next steps, another slight while 93% of employers offered mobile apply in 2019,
decrease from 2018. And only 28% were told how long only 17% of candidates said they applied via mobile.
the application process would take. Forty-two percent of
candidates said they were able to view a progress indicator Again, perceived fairness continues to be a differentiator
showing percentage completed, up 11% from 2018. All in candidate experience, and the application process is a
these things can add perceived fairness to the application key crossroad for this issue. This is as far as the majority
process. of applicants make it today in the recruiting process,
but the more engagement activities with candidates, the
Unfortunately, 30% of the candidates told us that they higher the positive ratings go and the higher the level of
had not heard back from employers two months after they perceived fairness. Eighty-nine percent of all employers’
applied, down 36% from 2018. A clear and definitive yet candidates received general screening questions during
personable automated rejection email is all that’s needed the application process, and only 7% had to solve games
here. or puzzles (see Table 11). There’s also little difference
between all employers and CandE winners.
Candidates want simplicity when they apply for a job.
They want to understand the questions they are being
Table 11. Types of Screening and Evaluation During the Application Process
Job Type CandE Winners All Employers
General screening questions 91% 89%
Behavioral and/or personality assessments 40% 42%
Job-specific questions 69% 63%
Test (reading, match, etc.) 16% 18%
Simulated job tasks 26% 28%
Review and respond to case study 12% 14%
Games or puzzles 7% 7%

Employers are measured on three areas of the application Time is always a major factor in the recruiting process,
process: communication before the application process, and the application process is no exception. The longer
during the application process and after. Employers the time between applying and hearing back from the
need to think about an application strategy that keeps company, the less likely candidates are to apply again or
candidates informed through a simple process that make referrals in the future. The same goes for how long
leverages the right technology. This communication the application process takes.
needs to be consistent and frequent. In fact, over-
communicating and ensuring fairness through engagement That’s why companies need to be willing to take a
activities are where many CandE winners are investing customer-service approach to the application process,
more of their time throughout the recruiting process. just as they do with their products and services they
Like the attract stage, however, a gap exists between sell. The true test of a positive candidate experience
how companies view the application process and how in the application stage is whether or not a candidate
candidates experience it. would re-apply. In 2019, 29% of candidates gave the
application process a 5-star rating. For these candidates,
Still, more companies — including CandE Award winners their likelihood to apply again increased by 75%. This
— are differentiating themselves through stronger often requires organizations to go through the application
communication about next steps and enhanced screening process themselves from the candidates’ perspective.
throughout the application process. For example, many CandE-winning organizations had 9% more candidates
employers do provide application guides with FAQs and who were extremely likely to apply again compared with all
contact information, as well as visual indicators of next other companies.
steps and application status.
Another test of a strong application process involves the
When employers add screening and evaluation during technology an organization has in place. It’s no surprise
the application process, that increases the ability for once again that nearly all employers participating in the
candidates to present skills, knowledge and experience. CandE Awards have an applicant tracking system (ATS)
The more opportunities the candidates have to present in place. Other systems include job distribution, mobile
their skills — i.e., general screening questions, job- enabled and social media distribution (see Table 13).
specific questions, etc. — the greater their willingness to
increase their relationship with the employer (see Table Table 13. Where Companies Have Contracted with External (3rd-
12). Candidates who experience job simulations had a party) Technology Solution Providers to Improve Application Process
25% higher application satisfaction than those who did
not.
Implemented
Applicant tracking system 99%

Table 12. How Screening and Evaluation During the Application
Process Increases Positive Sentiment Job-distribution system 92%
Mobile-enabled system 90%

Willingness to Increase
Relationship Goes Up Social media distribution system 88%
General screening questions 20%

Sourcing/mining system 83%
Behavioral and/or personality Assessment/testing system 82%

56%
assessments
Talent network/community system 82%
Job-specific questions 36% Candidate relationship management
72%
(CRM) system
Test (reading, match, etc.) 56%
Text-based recruiting system 52%
Simulated job tasks 60%
Job-description optimization system 45%
Review and respond to case
68% Video job description system 35%
study

Powered by AI,
driven by people.
Your organization’s performance depends on
the right people, skills, and experience. Which
means HR, more than ever, is key to driving
business growth and agility. Become an agent
of change for your organization’s culture.
Reimagine your HR with Watson.
Learn more:
ibm.com/talent-management
Companies that want to open communication with Table 14. CandE Winners vs. All Employers Asking for Feedback
candidates, provide greater transparency, and offer a After Application by Key Rating Net Promoter Score (NPS)
simple and customer-centric application process will need
to start by adjusting their application process. This is also CandE All
where we see some of the biggest gaps in ratings between Winners Employers
CandE winners and all other employers when we convert
to Net Promoter Score (NPS) (see Table 14). Also, there
are several action items that differentiate the 2019 CandE Apply Again Rating 53 35
Award winners and that can help organizations looking to
improve the candidate experience during the apply stage Refer Others Rating 49 33
(see Figure 2 on the following page).
Relationship Change 45 30
Companies that want to open

communication with candidates, Mobile Apply
provide greater transparency, As mentioned above, 93% of employers offered mobile
and offer a simple and customer- apply in 2019, and 97% of CandE-winning employers
offered mobile apply. Also, only 17% of candidates overall
centric application process will said they applied via mobile, and the candidates of CandE
winners said they applied via mobile 11% more compared
need to start by adjusting their with candidates from all companies, resulting in a 32%
application process. increase in candidates’ willingness to increase their
relationship.
Greater Expectations Communication and Feedback

Candidates want to understand their progress and know Candidates for CandE-winning employers have a 40%
how much of an application is left, and they are getting higher NPS for the likelihood to increase their relationship
this information often with CandE Award winners, with the employer when asked for feedback about the
although more and more companies are catching up. application process compared with all other participating
CandE-winning employers still have small margins when companies. CandE-winning companies also include a
it comes to how long the application process will take, thank you note 8% more often, tell candidates how to
providing a process indicator as to how much they’re learn about their application status 11% more often,
completed and notifying candidates about next steps and let candidates know how they can check on their
post application. CandE-winning employers said they application status 11% more often.
explain why they’re using a specific assessment during the
application process 61% of the time versus 46% for all
employers combined, a 28% difference. CandE-winning
employers also said they tell candidates how to learn
about their application status 57% of the time versus
51% for all employers, an 11% difference.

Figure 2. The CandE Applying Cycle: CandE Winner Best Practices
What Are The Live Chat or

Next Steps? Chatbots
Delay Auto-
How Long It
Rejections at Least
Will Take?
24-48 Hours
Better
Ask “Is There
Apply For Your Candidate Anything You’d
Own Jobs!
Experience Like to Tell Us?”



Power a transparent recruiting
process people trust
Enabling You to See Immediate ROI

BETTER CANDIDATES FASTER TO HIRE AT LOWER COST
20%
increase in quality
50% faster
30%
lower candidate
candidates time-to-hire acquisition cost
For more information, please visit Jobvite at www.jobvite.com

RECRUIT
Screen and Interview
What It Is
The evaluation stages that help recruiters and hiring
managers determine the best candidates to hire for the NORTH AMERICAN KEY HIGHLIGHTS
organization and disposition the rest.
• Over 19,000 candidates replied to this section.
A strong connection exists between how candidates • 34% of candidates were asked about their
are treated during the screening and interviewing stage salary expectations during the interview process
and whether or not they’ll continue to associate with and 28% were told of the salary without
the business and the brand. By the time potential requesting it.
candidates make it through general screening, and • 58% of recruiters said that they were required
perhaps an assessment or two, to get to the interview to call every rejected internal candidate and
stage, positive ratings tend to increase, even if it’s not provide limited feedback post-interview.
the best experience. This is because when there is
• 14% of candidates said they had a video
more communication and opportunities for engagement
interview, up slightly from 2018.
because candidates are “in the running,” they tend to rate
their experience higher. • Over 71% of employers used pre-employment
assessments and selection tests during the
interview stage.
A strong connection exists • When recruiters and HR explain what would
happen next after the screening/interview and
between how candidates are followed up as indicated, 56% of candidates
treated during screening and were more likely to increase their relationship
with the employer.
interviewing stage and whether or • 83% of candidates said they were satisfied to
not they’ll continue to associate extremely satisfied with their ability to present
their skills, knowledge and experience during
with the business and brand. the screening and interview process.
• When asked if they felt the overall interview
That’s not to say they won’t rate employers lower if their process was fair, the candidates who rated
experience is bad, because they will. It’s just that this their overall experience very high (5 stars) were
is where companies can win or lose with candidates 204% more likely to increase their relationship
they definitely want to apply again and refer others. with the employer.
Through strategic recruiting, organizations can make • When candidates were asked for screen/
sound investments in applicable tools, assessments and interview feedback, there was a 148% increase
tactics, expand their local and global reach, improve the in a great candidate experience and willingness
candidate experience and strengthen their overall quality to increase the relationship.
of hires. In 2019, over 71% of organizations said they • When employers communicated that the
used pre-employment assessment and selection tests candidate had not been selected and the
during the interview stage, similar to 2018. experience was rated 5 stars, there was a 176%
increase in a great candidate experience and

Screening and interviewing are often the deciding factors
in hiring a candidate. After screening all the applications “In 2020, we believe candidates will gravitate
and early assessments and conducting early phone to employer brands who offer a more transparent
screenings and/or video interviews, this is where the recruiting experience. We see disconnects
final list of candidates is evaluated by the recruiters, throughout the recruiting process which we
hiring managers, potential colleagues and other leaders believe can be addressed with more transparent
and individuals in the organization. When recruiters and communication about the process and a
managers have the right tools and use best practices, candidate’s status.”
interviewing can be a powerful process that determines
the best fit for the organization. —Jobvite, 2019 CandE Sponsor
A broken, disconnected interview

process has a negative impact on “Hiring candidates who have made informed
decisions about working for an employer
both the quality of hires and the presumably has immense long-term value, albeit
candidate experience hard to measure. However, hiring these candidates
quickly delivers immediate value to the business.”
However, few organizations have a standard approach for —TMP Worldwide, 2019 CandE Sponsor
how interviewing is conducted. A broken, disconnected
interview process has a negative impact on both the
quality of hires and the candidate experience, especially
when recruiters and hiring managers don’t prepare ahead
of time. “As more candidates express a desire to learn about
and apply for jobs from their mobile devices we
Over the past few years, Talent Board CandE research have worked with employers to optimize their online
shows that the candidate experience improves when application process. In order to attract the best
companies help candidates prepare, ask relevant candidates, it is essential to offer candidates what
questions and communicate with candidates throughout they want – not only for the job (compensation,
the interview process. benefits, or opportunities for professional
development), but also for the hiring journey.”

Nine years of Talent Board candidate experience research
reveals candidates still have one basic expectation of “The recruiter was not engaged during the
employers when it comes to screening and interviewing: interview, and the feedback I received sounded
feedback. They don’t get enough of it, and they aren’t scripted.”
asked for much of it. Candidates want to understand what —Candidate Quote
is involved in the hiring process and whether or not they
will be moving forward — and why. According to our 2019
survey results, 64% of candidates received no feedback
after being rejected during the screening and interviewing
stage. How candidates are notified that they’re being rejected
after the interview stage is also critical. In 2019, about
Of those candidates who said they received feedback 60% of candidates received an email from a “do-not-
after being rejected, 70% indicated the feedback wasn’t reply” address notifying them that they were no longer
useful. But 53% said they were encouraged to apply again considered after the interview stage. Only 20% received
for another job. a personal email from the recruiter or hiring manager,
and only 6% received a phone call, a 19% decrease from
Candidates want to understand 2018.
what is involved in hiring process But what’s more striking are the interview experience
ratings for each type of communication above. When
and whether or not they will be candidates received a phone call, they gave a 23% higher
moving forward — and why. positive candidate rating.
Besides feedback, consistent communication and

However, there are more employers giving feedback at the interview prep from employers is just as important.
interview stage, and here’s why giving feedback can pay Candidates want to feel confident about the interview
off: process, and without the proper communication and
preparation, they are left feeling confused and uncertain.
• When general and specific feedback was given In 2019, 32% of North American candidates received
to the candidates, the overall resentment rate no preparation before the interview, similar to 2018.
decreased nearly 30%. The more organizations can do to empower candidates
before and during the interview, the more positive their
• When specific feedback was given, their willingness
experience will be (see Table 15 on the following page).
to increase their relationship with the employer
increased by 20%. What’s interesting is that, yet again with feedback,
candidates were 164% more likely to increase their
When we look at whether or not candidates were invited
relationship with that employer when provided with
to provide feedback after the interview, we see the same
information on their job-fit and candidacy status at the
patterns, where those invited to provide feedback were
end of the interview day.
148% more likely to increase their relationship with that
organization.

Table 15. Preparation and Communication Over the Course of All Interview Events
2019 2018
Interviewer names and background info provided prior 38% 40%
None 32% 31%
A detailed agenda provided in advance of the interview 27% 23%
Escorted between each interview event 22% 18%
A campus/facility tour provided during the interview event 15% 11%
Provided job fit and candidacy status feedback at the end of the day 11% 9%
Had to pay for own travel expenses 10% 13%
Video information, tools and instructions provided prior 10% 10%
Provided process, etc., and follow-up promise afterward 8% 5%
Travel was fully coordinated 7% 10%
Provided an updated, printed agenda at the interview event 7% 6%
I was reimbursed for my travel expenses 4% 6%
Table 16. Types of Interviews Experienced

Phone screenings/interviews still dominated as an early
screening tool in 2019, used with 87% of candidates. 2019
Candidates said that video interviewing happened only
14% of the time, up slightly from 2018. In-person In-person interview (local) 57%
interviewing continued to be the preferred approach for
primary screenings (see Table 16). Phone screen with recruiter 56%
Phone interview with hiring manager 31%
In-person interview (travel) 10%
Video interview (live) 8%
Video interview (recorded) 6%

Table 17. Candidates’ Satisfaction with Their Ability to Present
“Candidate expectations are being shaped by their Skills, Knowledge and Experience During Screening and Interviewing
consumer experiences with brands like Google
and Amazon. Candidates expect to easily find the 2019
information they are searching for, research peer
reviews and experience a process that is quick and Extremely Satisfied 40%
convenient.”
Satisfied 42%
Dissatisfied 10%
Extremely Dissatisfied 7%
“We believe listening to candidates, hiring

managers and recruiters would provide a win-win
Table 18. Actions at the Conclusion of the Interview Process
for all concerned. It has been inspiring to see that
not only are recruiting organizations embracing it,
they are charging headlong into this strategy with 2019
renewed energy and excitement.”
The recruiter/HR professional explained
—Survale, 2019 CandE Sponsor what would happen next and followed up as 48%
indicated
The hiring manager explained what would

20%
happen next and followed up as indicated
How satisfied candidates are in presenting their skills,

The recruiter/HR professional explained what
knowledge and experience during the screening and would happen next but did not follow up as 9%
interviewing process is an important indicator of fairness. indicated
Forty percent of the North American candidates this year
were extremely satisfied, about the same as in 2018 (see I have not received any additional information,
9%
Table 17). But the candidates’ willingness to increase follow-up or next steps
their relationship with an employer goes up 204% when
they’re extremely satisfied. The hiring manager explained what would
6%
happen next but did not follow up as indicated
When candidates receive any information about next
steps and when they’re followed up with consistently, I initiated the follow-up and request for next
their willingness to increase their relationship with the steps with the recruiter/HR professional and 4%
employer increases 128%. However, there is a lot of received a response
room for improvement, with over half the candidates not I initiated the follow-up and request for next
receiving this level of transparency (see Table 18). steps with the hiring manager and received a 3%
response
After the interview, 48% of 2019 North American
candidates indicated that they received a verbal and/or
written offer of employment, while 23% were told they
were no longer being considered.

Screening offers organizations an opportunity to better Assessments help employers make better hiring decisions,
qualify the right candidate fit for them while building a and according to our data, many types of assessments
stronger relationship of trust with candidates and setting were again going strong in 2019 (see Table 19). Two
the groundwork for positive communication. Yet so often it types that stand out and saw an increase in utilization
is viewed as “them” vs. “us” — there are simply too many were 1) personality assessments (up 22%), and 2) ability
candidates. / cognitive tests (up 10%). It’s also important to note
that although there have been fluctuations in the type
Although there have been of assessments used by employers over the years per
our research, measuring job-specific skills is still No. 1.
fluctuations in the type of Situational judgment tests — how candidates respond to
assessments used by employers work-related situations — are called out separately this
year as well, with 24% of employers leveraging these.
over the years, measuring job-
specific skills is still No. 1.
Employers are in the business of “no,” and most
candidates do not get the job. That said, 38% of
recruiters were required to make a phone call when
rejecting external candidates with limited feedback, while
only 12% of hiring managers were required to do so.
However, 78% of hiring managers were required to make a
phone call with limited feedback to internal candidates.
Table 19. Percentage of Employers Using Various Assessments
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Job-specific skills 58% 59% 60% 82% 78% 81%
Ability/cognitive 46% 42% 45% 62% 60% 69%
Personality 44% 36% 36% 47% 54% 40%
Competency 43% 47% 47% 59% 59% 64%
Simulations (work samples) 36% 44% 38% 54% 36% 31%
Culture fit 36% 34% 29% 51% 42% 43%
Situational judgment tests 24% N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Case studies 19% 21% 20% 30% 31% 28%

While the use of pre-employment assessments or Table 20. Are You Using Pre-Employment Assessments/Selection
testing has differed among CandE winners and all other Tests?
participating employers in the past, in 2019 usage
continued to be aligned. Pre-employment assessments CandE All Other
offer a degree of objectivity and fairness to candidate Winners Companies
screening (see Table 20).
No 28% 29%
The business reasons are many as to why employers use
pre-employment assessments in hiring, with 68% of North Yes, but we haven’t
American employers saying the top reason was to help conducted an in-house 20% 25%
validation analysis
hiring managers make better selections (see Table 21).
More organizations are taking steps toward a more Yes, and we have
conducted an in-house 52% 46%
candidate-friendly and fair interview process. And for validation analysis
good reason — these are the finalists that could qualify
for future roles if not hired the first time. While many
factors affect the number of interviews, it’s best to ensure
Table 21. The Business Reasons for Using Pre-Employment
the fewest number of disruptions, as indicated in the
Assessments
business impact section of this report. But the selection
process — complicated by the volume of candidates,
types of positions, skills and experience, recruiting and CandE All Other
hiring manager turnover and the business itself — is never Winners Companies
an easy one. Even companies that have developed more Helping hiring managers
effective interview strategies can struggle in getting the 67% 68%
make better selections
most value from their recruiting process and their hiring
managers. Improve new hire
55% 52%
performance
Increase early retention 42% 36%

“Candidates are engaged quickly, their time
is respected and realistic job previews provide Help candidates
valuable information to help them determine if this 38% 35%
understand role
is the right job for them.
Candidate flow efficiency 33% 28%
Risk mitigation 33% 27%
“We work closely with hiring managers and TA

teams to benchmark high-performing employees
and identify key factors that drive success. The
information gained from this exercise is used to
build templates for effective screening strategies.
This leads to clients seeing a more qualified pool
of candidates in the first round, which leads to a
faster time-to-fill and lower rates of attrition.”

THE FUTURE OF WORK
ManpowerGroup
Solutions IS POWERED BY TALENT
Congratulations to the 2019 CandE Award
winners for their outstanding efforts
Recruitment Process Outsourcing | Managed Service Provider | Strategic Workforce Consulting | Borderless Talent Solutions | Talent Based Outsourcing
© 2019 ManpowerGroup. All rights reserved.
Companies that have been able to differentiate themselves Table 22. CandE Winners vs. All Employers Asking for Feedback
by making screening more personal and engaging, by after Screening and Interviewing by Key Rating Net Promoter Score
providing communication consistently before and after the (NPS)
screening and interview stage, and by providing feedback
to final stage candidates are usually the ones that win CandE All
CandE Awards. Winners Employers
This is also where we see some of the biggest gaps in Overall Rating 79 70
ratings between CandE winners and all other employers
Apply Again Rating 71 60
when we convert to Net Promoter Score (NPS) (see Table
22). And there are several action items that differentiate Refer Others Rating 70 59
the 2019 CandE Award winners and that can help
organizations looking to improve the candidate experience Relationship Change 65 55
during the interview stage (see Figure 3 on the following
page).
Companies that have been able The Edge of Perceived Fairness

At this point in the recruiting process, most employers
to differentiate themselves are engaging candidate semifinalists and finalists more
by making screening more consistently and fairly. But on average, CandE winners
have a competitive edge when it comes to candidates’
personal and engaging, providing perception of satisfaction about being able to present
consistent communication, and their skills and experience (10% difference) and feeling
that the job interview process was fair (5% difference).
providing feedback to final stage
Interview Preparation
candidates are usually the ones There are many things employers can do to better prep
that win CandE Awards. candidates for their interviews, and more and more
companies are doing just that. This year candidates
of CandE-winning companies reported that a detailed
interview agenda was provided 30% of the time versus
27% of all employers, an 11% difference. Their travel
was fully coordinated 12% of the time versus 7% of all
employers, a 53% difference.
Interview Structure
CandE-winning companies conduct structured interviews
15% more often compared with other companies. This is
important as it relates directly to the candidates’ overall
perception of fairness in the process and ensures more
consistency from the interviewers as well as the selection
criteria. By contrast, CandE-winning companies conduct
unstructured interviews 30% less often compared with all
other companies.

Next Steps and Follow-Up Communication and Feedback
After the screening and interviewing, 72% of candidates Candidates for CandE-winning employers had a
for CandE-winning employers were told about next 17% higher NPS for the likelihood to increase their
steps and were followed up with when necessary by the relationship with the employer when asked for feedback
recruiters and/or hiring managers, slightly above the rate after the interview process compared with all other
for all other participating companies. For candidates participating companies. While 27% of candidates from
rejected after the interview process, 65% of those from all participating employers received general and specific
CandE Award winners were encouraged to apply for feedback about the interview process when rejected,
another job (17% higher than all companies together). 31% of candidates for CandE-winning employers received
When employers respond to qualified candidates who are feedback, a 14% difference. And candidates for CandE-
finalists, 59% of CandE-winning employers said their winning employers were are asked for feedback 7% more
recruiters and/or hiring managers always set up a follow- often at the end of the interview process, resulting in
up date. a 168% increase in a great candidate experience and
Figure 3. The CandE Interviewing Cycle: CandE Winner Best Practices
Stick to the Stick to the

Interview Structured
Schedules! Process
Prepare Offer Immediate

Candidates for the Feedback and Ask
Interview Process for Feedback
Better
Screen with Keep Relationships
Assessments (Job Candidate with Future Fit and
Simulation, etc.) Experience Silver Medalists



Are you giving your candidates
the right experience?
Employee fit is critical to business success. To help ensure

right-fit candidates, you need to present them with a positive,
unified, consistent experience across your application process
and communications.
To create the right

candidate experience:
Be consistent - ensure your brand is consistent Be uncomplicated - use a mobile career
from discovery, to application, to onboarding. site/apply process.
Candidates should have the full picture before Be social - create career pages on social
applying for a job. networks, start conversations with candidates.
Be positive - show videos and photos featuring Be high-touch - keep candidates informed
employee career paths and job satisfaction stories. throughout their hiring journey. Tailor your
message to each candidate.
Monster has helped employers around the world bring

their brands to life, and create positive experiences for
their candidates. We can do it for you too.
Learn more by visiting Monster.com/EmployerBranding
or call us at 800-MONSTER.
HIRE
Offer and Onboarding
What It Is
The final hiring stages where recruiters and hiring
managers make offers to the best candidates and hire and
onboard those who accept the offers. NORTH AMERICAN KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Once an organization decides to hire a given candidate,
• Over 8,500 candidates replied to this section.
it first sends an offer letter and proceeds to negotiate,
either in print or electronically. However, this intricate and • 55% of candidates said that less than one week
emotionally charged final step in the process can bring elapsed between their last interview and the
frustration since the organization may not succeed in extended offer, up slightly from 2018.
closing the deal — especially when the process takes too • 48% of candidates said they received a verbal
long overall. Time continues to be a big frustration factor and/or written offer of employment after the final
with final-stage candidates. interview.
• 26% of candidates said they were asked for
Organizations must provide a feedback prior to their start date, and these
candidates were 208% more willing to increase
positive candidate experience their relationship out of the gate — a great
retention starter.
throughout the process and • 18% of employers conducted candidate
beyond the new hire experience experience focus groups and debriefs in the first
month of employment.
via onboarding. • 84% of employers said they were competing
and leading when it comes to offer
This is why organizations must continue to provide a management, but only 60% said they were
positive candidate experience and communicate with competing and leading when it comes to
candidates throughout this process and beyond the new onboarding.
hire experience via onboarding. Onboarding is the final
• Onboarding systems will again be a top 10
stage in talent acquisition, and when new hires have a technology investment in 2020, with already
positive onboarding experience, they are more productive 79% of employers saying they have one
in their first few weeks and may be more likely to stay currently in place.
with their new employer. The good news at this stage is
that most employers are “all in” with those they want to
hire, and we see little to no difference in overall ratings
during offer and onboarding compared to this year’s
CandE winners. onboarding goes badly, employee morale and retention is
at risk.
For some companies, however, after making a heavy
investment in earlier stages of talent acquisition, human This section will explore what candidates expect during
resources and hiring managers ignore candidates (now the offer and onboarding phases, what employers are
employees — but candidate experience is perpetual) doing to meet candidates’/new hires’ needs and what
once they’ve been hired. When onboarding goes well, the organizations should be doing to improve the overall
benefits directly impact organizational success. When candidate experience.

It is no surprise that candidates want responsiveness
during the hiring process, specifically on whether they “The training I was supposed to get when hired was
will receive an offer based on their interview. Fifty-five not what was discussed in the recruiting phase.
percent of candidate respondents said that less than one After only a few days, I was thrown into work.”
week elapsed between the last interview and their receipt
—Candidate Quote
of an offer letter, up slightly from 2018 (see Table 22).
Collapsing this timeframe can make a big difference in
hiring highly sought-after candidates.
Ultimately 92% of participating candidates did accept When employers asked candidates for feedback prior
the offers presented to them. Yet, as in 2018, 41% to their start date, these candidates were 208% more
of candidates in 2019 were not invited to provide any willing to increase their relationship out of the gate. This
feedback on their candidate journey and the hiring is also critical to ensuring retention, at least in the short
process before their start date, and only 26% were invited run, and building the bridge from candidate to employer
to before their start date, a missed opportunity to glean experience.
insight that may help improve retention in the long run
(see Table 23). However, 37% more candidates were
asked for feedback than in 2018.
Table 22. Time Elapsed Between Last Interview and Receipt of Offer Letter
2019 2018 2017 2016
Less than 1 week 55% 53% 52% 49%
2 weeks 25% 26% 26% 28%
3 weeks 8% 9% 9% 10%
4 weeks 4% 4% 5% 5%
More than 4 weeks 7% 8% 8% 8%
Table 23. Were Candidates Asked for Feedback Before Starting Work?
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

Yes: A recruiting experience survey was completed prior to start
26% 19% 19% 16% 16%
date.
No: I was not invited to provide feedback. 41% 37% 37% 41% 44%
No: The recruiting experience focus group/debrief took place

2% 3% 3% 4% 4%
within the first few days of my start date.
No: The recruiter follow-up took place several weeks after my

2% 3% 3% 3% 3%
start date.
Not sure: I don’t remember 26% 38% 36% 35% 34%

Phone calls go a lot farther to increase engagement Engaging candidates prior to their
and positive interaction than email does, but employers
were less likely to make such calls this year. Employers start date can get them excited
called only 5% of the candidates in 2019 to tell them
they were no longer being considered, down slightly
and further increase their overall
from 2018. However, the overall willingness to increase positive ratings.
the relationship with employers went up 23% among
candidates who received a phone call versus a personal or In addition, companies are automating the forms
automated email. Calling final stage candidates to reject management component of onboarding and providing
them and give them some feedback is a trend we see greater engagement before day one with their new hires.
increasing. Onboarding systems are still a top-of-mind recruiting
technology investment for employers for 2020.
Also, while there was a 37% increase in candidates being
asked to provide feedback prior to their start date, 21%
of employers responded that they ask for feedback before
start date, the same as in 2018. And 19% said they don’t
ask for the feedback at all.
Engaging candidates prior to their start date can get them

excited and further increase their overall positive ratings.
In 2019, 37% of employers said they send specialized
marketing and congratulations content and packages
to their hired candidates (see Table 24). This can help
increase their brand affinity and, at least from a short-
term perspective, their initial retention.
Table 24. Employer Onboarding Activities Communicated to New Hires
2019
Touch points are orchestrated between company team members and the selected candidates. 76%
Online application/concierge services are provided to the selected candidate to leverage transactional onboarding. 68%
Concierge relocation services provided to family (if needed) when relocation is involved. 58%
Specialized marketing and congratulations content and packages are mailed to the selected candidate. 37%
Candidate experience survey is completed prior to start date. 32%
Recruiter follow-up with the new employee occurs within 6 weeks of start date to confirm that expectations reflect reality. 25%
Candidate experience focus group/debrief is held within first month of start date. 18%

Although all participating employers continue to close
the gap at this stage of the talent acquisition process,
CandE Award winners still have an
CandE Award winners still have an edge in terms of edge in terms of more proactive
more proactive communication and engagement with
candidates who received an offer and those hired when
communication and engagement
we compare NPS scores (see Table 25). Also, there are with candidates.
several action items that differentiate the 2019 CandE
Award winners and that can help organizations looking
to improve the candidate experience during the interview
stage (see Figure 4 on the following page). “Brand affinity is a key enabler to long-term hiring
success, and organizations need to reinforce
Table 25. CandE Winners vs. All Employers Asking for New Hire brand at every recruiting transaction, from digital
Feedback by Key Rating Net Promoter Score (NPS)
experiences to face-to-face experiences. Each
transaction must maximize brand affinity.”
CandE All
—Survale, 2019 CandE Sponsor
Winners Employers
Apply Again Rating 81 79
Refer Others Rating 81 77 Communication and Feedback

Candidates for CandE-winning employers only have a 4%
Relationship Change 78 75 higher NPS for the likelihood to increase their relationship
with the employer when asked for feedback after the
interview process compared with all other participating
Interview to Offer companies, but that difference offers an edge when it
Time is always such a crucial factor in recruiting, comes to competing for talent. Candidates from CandE
especially for those candidates who get the offers. winners say that they were asked for feedback 26% of
Although there’s not much difference between CandE- the time, slightly higher than all other employers, and
winning companies and all others when it comes to these candidates were 208% more willing to increase
making an offer within one week from the final interview, their relationship out of the gate — a great retention
the candidates’ willingness to increase their relationship starter. Plus, CandE-winning companies said they request
with the employer goes up 192% for CandE-winning feedback from new hires 29% more often compared with
companies in this scenario, compared with an increase of other employers.
168% for all employers.
Onboarding Activities
At this point in the hiring process for employers, whether
they’ve won a CandE Award or not, many are investing
more in communication and engagement with new hires
before their start date. There are a few differences,
though. CandE-winning companies make reference
checks routine 11% of the time compared with all
other employers. Also, CandE-winning companies send
specialized marketing and congratulations content and
packages to hired candidates 8% more often compared
with all other employers.

Figure 4. The CandE Offer / Onboarding Cycle: CandE Winner Best Practices
Ask for Feedback

Before Start Date
Contact New Expectations
Hires Before of Next Steps
Start Dates Post-Hire
Prepare Onboarding
Candidates for the System for
Interview Process Paperwork
Better
Candidate
Strive for Timely You Have to
Offers After
Experience
Constantly Re-recruit
Interviews to Retain



Better Engage with Candidates
Togetherand Employees 4X Faster
Through the world's 1st AI-powered HR

communications platform, AllyO tackles Recruiting
workplace engagement challenges with Gamechanger
candidates and employees — from hi to 54% of hiring occurs
goodbye. after hours
From having personal 1:1 SMS conversations
to automating end-to-end recruiting & HR,
we’ll help you drive employee happiness,
increase retention, and achieve predictable
staffing levels.
Happiness Control
AllyO is purpose-built for enterprise Hear your workforce's
organizations, supporting 92% of systems of voice in 10 seconds or less
records for talent acquisition and HR plus
implementing the latest information security
standards and regulations like SOC2 and
GDPR.
Schedule a demo at www.allyo.com/CandEs

APPENDIX
CandE Recruiting Focus 2020

While candidate experience is impacted by every aspect
of recruiting, the top recruiting focus for 2020 will
Employers can’t hide from a
be employer branding. In fact, 81% of companies we negative candidate experience,
surveyed at the end of 2019 reported this (although it
varies by region — see Table 1). Over a third of the 250
because those experiencing it are
participating employers in the 2019 Global Talent Board willing to share with their inner
Candidate Experience Benchmark Research, including
large and small employers from across industries, circles.
responded to our brief “CandE Recruiting Focus 2020”
survey. This means a potential loss of revenue for consumer-based
businesses and determines whether or not future-fit and
Unemployment is the lowest it’s been for decades. silver-medalist candidates will apply again.
Employers are struggling to fill highly sought-after
positions. Candidates are ghosting employers more Employers can’t hide from a negative candidate
than ever because better-paying opportunities abound. experience, because those experiencing it are willing to
Competitive differentiation is more critical than ever, share with their inner circles, people they trust and talk
and that starts with an employer’s brand appeal, culture, with every day, and online in the form of employer reviews
career development opportunities, and giving employees a and social media posts.
reason to work — and stay — at your company.
However, the good news is that those who had a “great”
Every year we work with hundreds of organizations that overall experience say they’ll definitely increase their
are working hard to improve their recruiting processes employer relationships – they’ll apply again, refer others
and ultimately their candidate experience. And for and make purchases and/or influence purchases when
good reason: Talent Board has increasingly focused on applicable. These aren’t just the job finalists or those
the business impact of candidate experience from pre- hired; the majority are individuals who research and
application to onboarding. Candidates who believe they apply for jobs but who aren’t hired. And these are the
have had a “negative” overall experience tell us every candidates willing to share their positive experiences with
year they will take their alliance, product purchases and their inner circles and publicly online.
business relationship somewhere else.
Competitive differentiation is
more critical than ever, and
that starts with an employer’s
brand appeal, culture and career
development opportunities.

What’s important to keep in mind is that the sheer number Table 1. Where CandE Employers Hire Globally
of candidates that employers reject during the recruiting
process can quickly impact the business and the brand,
Region Percentage
both positively and negatively. This is not to say that those
hired aren’t important to the business. Of course they are.
But it’s those who weren’t hired that need more attention North America 87%
paid to their perceived overall candidate experience.
EMEA 27%
We explored the primary recruiting initiatives employers
would be focused on in 2020 by surveying employers
as part of our benchmark research. These questions APAC 24%
included:
Latin America 13%
1. Where does your organization primarily hire?

(North America, EMEA, APAC and/or Latin
America)
2. What primary recruiting initiatives/activities will
your talent acquisition team focus on in 2020?
(multiple choices)
3. How will you accomplish these recruiting
initiatives/activities in 2020? (multiple choices)
Most of the companies that responded said they hire in

North America, followed by EMEA (Europe, Middle East
and Africa), APAC (Asia-Pacific) and Latin America (see
Table 1).

The primary recruiting initiatives/activities their talent It’s important to note that the “other” entries included:
acquisition teams will focus on in 2020 ranged from
employer branding to candidate experience to diversity • Centralized recruiting
and inclusion to new technology implementation (see • Video interviewing
Table 2). • Text recruiting
• Scheduling
• Increased personalized communication
Table 2. Expected Primary Recruiting Initiatives/Activities in 2020 Globally (Partial)
Recruiting Focus North America EMEA APAC Latin America
Candidate experience 85% 76% 74% 89%
Employer branding 77% 82% 79% 78%
Recruitment marketing 58% 71% 68% 78%
Analytics and data management 63% 47% 47% 67%
Diversity and inclusion 55% 65% 68% 78%
Employee referrals 52% 41% 47% 56%
Targeted sourcing 44% 41% 42% 56%
Career Site development 44% 47% 47% 56%
Screening and interviewing 42% 53% 47% 56%
Assessments and tests 36% 35% 54% 44%
Onboarding 44% 41% 37% 44%
Internal mobility 40% 29% 26% 33%
New technology implementation 40% 47% 42% 67%
Talent networks/communities 24% 35% 47% 44%
Application process 32% 29% 32% 33%
Social recruiting 35% 29% 32% 33%
Structured interview training 31% 41% 42% 56%
New technology purchase 24% 24% 21% 33%
Offer process 21% 29% 21% 22%
Contingent workforce 16% 18% 11% 22%
Regulatory compliance 13% 12% 21% 22%
Other 5% 6% 5% 11%

Assessments and tests will be Regulatory compliance will be a higher priority in APAC
and Latin American than North America and EMEA (not
a higher priority in APAC, and shown in table), mostly due to the ever-expanding GDPR
internal mobility will be a higher compliance originating in Europe the year prior.
priority in North America and How will employers accomplish these recruiting initiatives/
activities in 2020? The answers come down to using a
EMEA. variety of methods, including overwhelmingly improved
processes and efficiencies, followed by new technologies,
Globally, candidate experience, employer branding and current staffing and more (see Table 3).
recruitment marketing are the top three recruiting focuses
for 2020, underscoring the competitive talent landscape
today and why talent acquisition must be targeted.
Analytics, data management and diversity & inclusion
were also top focuses for employers worldwide.
Assessments and tests will be a higher priority in APAC

than anywhere else, and internal mobility will be a higher
priority in North America and EMEA. Latin America will
see a spike in new technology implementation, a trend
we’ll continue to explore in 2020. Structured interview
training also is expected to spike in Latin America.
Table 3. How Global Employers Plan to Accomplish Their 2020 Recruiting Initiatives/Activities
Improved processes and efficiencies 87% 82% 79% 89%
New technologies 70% 59% 63% 67%
Current staffing 62% 53% 63% 67%
Current technologies 41% 24% 32% 33%
More staffing 13% 29% 21% 33%
New leadership 10% 18% 5% 0%
Outsourcing (recruitment process outsourcing) 10% 24% 21% 44%
Outsourcing (individual consultants) 8% 6% 5% 11%
Outsourcing (staffing agencies) 5% 0% 0% 0%
Outsourcing (other service agencies) 3% 6% 5% 0%

Technology is always important for empowering good
recruiting processes and practices and new and current
Video job descriptions are the
technologies are vital to how employers are going to enact primary planned technology
their 2020 initiatives. EMEA, APAC and Latin America
will increase staffing and invest in more recruitment
investment for 2020, and job-
process outsourcing (RPO) to accomplish their goals. description optimizations are next.
Tables 4 and 5 recap the employer responses from our
2019 benchmark research, which included all 250 global
employers. Video job descriptions were overwhelmingly
the primary planned technology investment for 2020,
and job-description optimizations were next, with the
exception of Latin America (only 11 companies hiring in
Latin America participated for the first time in 2019).
Also, text-based recruiting, predictive analytics and
interview scheduling will be important for companies
in 2020 (see Table 4). We also forsee a spike for video
interviewing and onboarding in EMEA for 2020 and
onboarding in Latin America for 2020.
Table 4. Primary Areas Where Global Companies Plan to Purchase External (Third Party) Technology Solutions to Improve Recruiting in 2020
(Partial List)
Video job descriptions 65% 90% 66% 100%
Job-description optimization 55% 50% 60% 0%
Text-based recruiting 48% 18% 31% 33%
Predictive analytics 31% 40% 32% 20%
Interview scheduling 29% 29% 22% 33%
Candidate relationship management (CRM) 28% 11% 18% 0%
Video interviewing 24% 90% 29% 20%
Onboarding 21% 37% 25% 40%
Reference checking 21% 19% 14% 0%
Assessments/testing 18% 16% 26% 0%

Improving recruiting and the recruiting practices. In addition, when communication
and feedback gaps can be addressed by technology
candidate experience is always a where there was little to no communication previously,
work in progress. particularly in the pre-application, application and early
screening/interviewing stages, then the overall candidate
It’s also important to note how artificial intelligence and perceived fairness and positive ratings can be increased.
other smart technologies are helping employers improve
recruiting (see Table 5). We saw a 100% increase in But focusing on recruitment comes down to the potential
utilizing chatbots on career sites in 2019, and around the business impact. While we have increasingly been focused
globe employers will be investing in chatbots in 2020. on the business impact of candidate experience from pre-
More employers realize that a competitive differentiator application to onboarding, the bad news is that candidate
is communicating earlier with candidates, even before resentment continues to trend upward around the world,
they apply. Chatbots are being used to answer general with a 40% increase in North America, the biggest since
employment questions, and this frees up recruiting teams 2016. The good news is that the willingness of candidates
to have more hands-on time with potential candidates to increase their relationship with an employer has also
already in play. trended upward globally since 2016, although modestly
compared with the resentment rate.
Improving sourcing efficiencies with smart technologies
will also be important in 2020, as will understanding Improving recruiting and the candidate experience
accurately the positive and negative themes and trends is always a work in progress, and the hardest part is
gleaned from candidate feedback. Being able to predict sustaining it over time. Kudos to the CandE-winning
whether current employees might be flight risks will be a companies, and here’s to continued success in 2020!
priority for improving retention and the internal candidate
experience. The 2020 CandE Benchmark Research Program opens up
in January, so we look forward to your participation!
However, it’s important to note that improving processes
and efficiencies first, before purchasing new technologies Kevin W. Grossman
or optimizing current tech, must be the priority. President and Board Member
Otherwise, employers could just be enhancing bad Talent Board
Table 5. Primary Areas Where Global Companies Plan to Purchase Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions to Improve Recruiting in 2020
(Partial List)
Sourcing existing candidate database with

81% 67% 72% 100%
virtual assistant
Sentiment analysis of candidate feedback 75% 63% 75% 100%
Chatbot automation 70% 67% 75% 80%
Measuring and predicting employee job-

66% 75% 77% 100%
changing behavior
Sourcing candidates from external sources with

63% 64% 70% 100%
virtual assistant
Pre-qualifying candidates from collective

28% 58% 31% 80%
databases

+
A powerful force
to be reckoned
with in the talent
acquisition industry.
MADELINE LAURANO
Aptitude Research Partners
Employer Brand Services
Talent Marketing Technology
Programmatic Media
CandE Referral Rating Net
Promoter Scores (NPS)
It’s a pretty common scenario these days: You make a Our ratings go from 1-4. For example, in one of them
purchase, take a trip, stay at a hotel or take a flight, and we ask the candidates, “Based on your experience with
shortly thereafter you’re asked to complete a satisfaction [company name], on the scale below, how likely are you to
survey. refer someone to work at [company name]?”
Common ratings tools include Likert scales, which go from The answers range from “Definitely Not — I would actively
1-5, and Net Promoter Score (NPS), which uses a scale of discourage others from applying” to “Extremely Likely — I
0-10. Also common are Net Promoter Score (NPS) scales would actively encourage others to apply.”
– rating scales that go from 0-10, with 0 being the lowest
score and 10 being the highest score. Each year we run our global research participants (the
employers) through a comprehensive data analysis based
These kinds of ratings are especially important when on their job candidates’ satisfaction survey scores. Each
you’re asking your customers how likely they are to company commits to a statistically significant candidate
recommend your products, services, or brand to others. response rate, where the proportion of respondents who
It’s a critical business measurement and one that were not hired met or exceeded a set standard. The final
can help project growth over time, especially if you’re analysis includes four key questions that result in a final
increasing your positive ratings year after year. And in CandE Score (the Talent Board NPS-like scoring):
recruiting and hiring, referrals are critical to the business
and the brand.
We made a decision over nine years ago to not emulate

1. The candidates’ overall ranking of their
traditional NPS when the Talent Board Candidate
candidate experience (Likert scale)
Experience Awards Benchmark Research Program was
founded. Combined with multiple Likert scale ratings, we 2. Whether or not they would reapply to the
simplified three of our key ratings to 1) whether or not job organization in the future (4-point scale)
candidates would apply again, 2) whether they would refer 3. Whether or not they would refer other job
others and 3) how they would change their relationship seekers to the organization in the future
status going forward based on their experience. (4-point scale)
4. How the candidates would change their
These kinds of customer service business relationship status with the
ratings are a critical business organization going forward based on their
experience (4-point scale)
measurement that can help
project growth over time,
especially if you’re increasing your But what about those consumer-based companies that are
using NPS to measure their candidate experience these
positive ratings year after year. days, as well as their customer experiences? How would
they compare those continuous feedback NPS scores to
our annual benchmark research CandE scores?

First, a quick review about NPS. NPS asks people how We simplify it even further for our CandE Benchmark
likely they are to recommend a product or service on a Research and group results as follows:
0-10 scale.
• Amazing (scores above 50) are loyal candidates who
Respondents are then grouped as follows based on their will most likely keep referring others based on their
responses: experience.
• Promoters (score 9-10) are loyal enthusiasts who • Okay (scores between 0-50) are candidates who are
will keep buying and refer others, fueling growth. satisfied but may or may not be too enthusiastic
about referring others based on their experience.
• Passives (score 7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic
customers who are vulnerable to competitive • Not So Good (negative scores) are unhappy
offerings. candidates who can damage your brand and impede
growth through negative word-of-mouth.
• Detractors (score 0-6) are unhappy customers who
can damage your brand and impede growth through Any NPS score above 0 can be considered OK. The global
negative word of mouth. management company Bain & Co., the source of the NPS
system, suggests that anything above 50 is amazing, and
Subtracting the percentage of detractors from the above 80 is world class.
percentage of promoters yields the Net Promoter Score,
which can range from a low of -100 (if every customer So how do the CandE scores compare? We can convert
is a detractor) to a high of 100 (if every customer is a our scores easily, and because we use the 4-point scales,
promoter). the responses to answers 2 and 3 do not have anchors
with definitive answers (absolute “yes” and “no”) and are
ignored as neutral when calculating NPS. The percentage
who give a rating of 1 on the NPS question (detractors) is
simply subtracted from the percentage who give a rating
of 4 (promoters), and the resulting score can theoretically
be anything from -100 to 100 (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. North American CandE Referral Rating NPS Scores from 2017-2019
100
90
80
Amazing 66.7
70 62 62.6
56.9 60.2 61.5
60
50
40 30.6
27.6 28.8
30 22.6
Okay 18 18.2
20 12.4 10.2 10.7
10 1.6 2.7 1.4
0
-10
All Rejected/Hired CandE Winner All Rejected CandE Winner All Hired CandE Winner
Not So Good -20
Candidates Rejected/Hired Candidates Rejected Candidates Hired
-30
(90%+ Not Hired) Candidates Candidates Candidates
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
-100
2019 2018 2017

Note that in North America in the past three years (we’ll
share the other global regions in future reports), all
CandE-winning companies have
participating companies have a referral NPS of 16. Keep referral NPS scores that are much
in mind that 90% of these candidate responses were not
hired. CandE-winning companies, those companies that
higher — a 53% difference than
have the highest positive candidate ratings overall and all companies combined in 2019
those we acknowledge publicly each year, have referral
NPS scores that are much higher — a 53% higher
compared with all companies combined in 2019. When we break out the referral NPS scores by generation
in 2019, we see that Generation Z and millennials were
It should then come as no surprise that those hired highest, with the Gen Z referral rating being 38% higher
at companies participating in the CandE research than millennials for all employers, but only 6% higher for
have referral NPS scores in the 50s and 60s, which is CandE winners. Baby boomers have the lowest referral
excellent. Although these are new hires and therefore NPS scores among all other generations. The differences
may be experiencing the “halo effect” with their scores most likely have to do with lower expectations of younger
because they were hired, they are the people brought generations and the complexity of higher expectations,
onboard to grow and sustain these companies, and that’s higher salaries, more senior-level positions and the fact
business critical. that ageism is unfortunately alive and well in the boomer
and Generation X workplace, now dominated more by
It should also be no surprise that those candidates who millennials and Generation Z (see Figure 2).
were rejected have pretty low referral NPS scores, with
CandE-winner NPS scores that are again much higher — a
whopping 154% difference compared with all companies
combined in 2019. But they are all still above zero, and
that’s still a good thing.
Figure 2. North American CandE Referral Rating NPS Scores by Generation in 2019
100
90
80
Amazing 70
60
50
34 35 37
40 30
28
30 22
Okay 15
20 11
6 8
10
0
-10
Silent Generation Baby Boomers Gen X Millennials Gen Z
Not So Good -20
-30
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
-100
All Others CandE Winners

Similarly, the differences we see in the referral NPS
scores by job type also most likely have to do with lower
Contractors have NPS scores 76%
expectations of younger generations and the complexity higher than non-technical salaried
of higher expectations, higher salaries, more senior-
level positions and ageism that older generations are
positions for all companies.
experiencing. In addition, the flexibility that contractors
have over full-time employees may impact their NPS
scores for the better. Contractors have NPS scores 76%
higher than non-technical salaried positions for all
companies (see Figure 3). And the contractor NPS scores
are 49% higher than non-technical salaried positions at
CandE-winning companies.
Figure 3. North American CandE Referral Rating NPS Scores by Job Type in 2019
100
90
80
Amazing 70
60
50 41 43 41
40 29 29 29
28 26
30 22 19
Okay 16 14 15
20 13
6
10 1
0
-10
Interns Contractors Hourly Salary Salary Non- Salary Management Senior
Not So Good -20 Entry-Level Technical Technical Leadership
-30
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
-100

Another interesting finding for 2019 is the fact that
women have a 50% higher referral NPS score than
Women have a 50% higher
men for all companies, and a 15% higher referral NPS referral NPS score than men for
score for CandE-winning companies (see Figure 4).
While consistent with the data from past years, this is
all companies, and a 15% higher
counterintuitive to what many perceive and actually referral NPS score for CandE-
experience in recruiting and hiring today. It’s important to
note that there are many variables and gender differences
winning companies.
that we don’t measure and can’t account for in the overall
candidate experience, so actual differences will have
much more variance. For example, the fact that women
tend to struggle more with salary negotiations than men
do would lead one to believe that their overall candidate
experience should be lower than men, but our benchmark
data for 2019 in North America suggests that their
candidate experience is impacted by other factors.
Figure 4. North American CandE Referral Rating NPS Scores by Gender in 2019
100
90
80
Amazing 70
60
50
40 35
30
30
Okay 15
20 9
10
0
-10
Females Males
Not So Good -20
-30
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
-100

CandE-winning company NPS scores were the highest in CandE winners with centralized recruiting structures also
the services, education and health care industries, as well had the highest NPS scores. (see Figures 5, 6, 7).
as the company sizes of 501-2,500 and 10,000.
Figure 5. North American CandE Referral Rating NPS Scores by Industry in 2019
100
90
80
Amazing 70
60
50 40
34 37
40
28 27 25
30 22 21
Okay 15
20 11 12
7 7 8 8
10 2
0
-10
Consumer Financial Health Services Technology Education Energy Industrial
Not So Good -20 Goods Care Goods
-30
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
-100
Figure 6. North American CandE Referral Rating NPS Scores by Company Size in 2019
100
90
80
Amazing 70
60
50
40
28 25
30 22 20 22 23
Okay 19
20
4 7
10 2 1
0
-10 -1 -3 -2
Not So Good -20 Up to 500 501- 2,501- 5,001- 10,001- 25,001- 100,000+
-30
2,500 5,000 10,000 25,000 100,000
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
-100

Figure 7. North American CandE Referral Rating NPS Scores by Recruiting Structure in 2019
100
90
80
Amazing 70
60
50
40
26
30 19
Okay 18
20
10 4 1 4
0
-10
Centralized Decentralized Outsourced
Not So Good -20
-30
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
-100
As more and more companies look to NPS and other The sheer number of candidates employers reject during
rating types to measure their candidate experience, they the recruiting process can quickly impact the business
can’t hide from a negative candidate experience, because and the brand, both positively and negatively, and
again, those experiencing it are willing to share with their measuring candidate experience is the only way to know
inner circles, people they trust and talk with every day, truly what their recruiting strengths and weaknesses
and online in the form of employer reviews and social are. These are the individuals who will make or break
media posts. On the other hand, those who had a “great” your overall candidate experience NPS scores and your
overall experience say they’ll definitely increase their business.
employer relationships — they’ll apply again, refer others
and make purchases and/or influence purchases when
applicable. Kevin W. Grossman
This is why Talent Board recommends that employers President and Board Member
participate in our annual benchmark research program Talent Board
to measure their candidate feedback and to be able to
compare their results to that of other companies big and
small across industries, anonymously and confidentially.
Not only that, we recommend that they measure the
continuous feedback from candidates across all stages of
the recruiting process and dispositioning, as well as their
new hires.

Talent Board and the
Candidate Experience Awards
Talent Board and the Candidate Experience Awards,
founded in 2011, is the first non-profit research
This rigorous, scientifically
organization focused on the elevation and promotion of a supported data capture enables
quality candidate experience with industry benchmarks
that highlight accountability, fairness and business
companies to see how they’re
impact. The organization, the Candidate Experience doing, internally and relative to
Awards program and its sponsors are dedicated to
recognizing the candidate experience offered by
the rest of the industry.
companies throughout the entire recruitment cycle and to
forever changing the manner in which job candidates are
treated. “We’re excited to partner with Talent Board and
support the 2019 CandE program. At Mya, we are
Each year, participating companies send surveys to
very passionate about the candidate experience
hundreds of thousands of employment candidates (both
and the impact it can have on a company. Knowing
successful and not) to assess their experience during the
Talent Board is dedicated to recognizing the
recruiting process. This rigorous, scientifically supported
candidate experience was a natural partnership for
data capture enables companies to see how they’re doing,
us.”
internally and relative to the rest of the industry.
—Eyal Grayevsky, CEO and Co-Founder,
We believe that there’s no better source of real recruiting
Mya Systems
insight than crowdsourced candidate impressions. In fact,
these impressions help us all raise the bar — enabling us
to measure and set standards for the candidate experience
for the entire industry.
“I’ve always been such a big fan of the work The
Talent Board does to shine a spotlight on the great
work being done in our industry — and the very
obvious opportunities for improvement, straight
from the mouth of real candidates. We’re honored
to be able to support the work Kevin and his team
do.”
—Josh Zywien, Chief Marketing Officer,

SmashFly

Program and Scoring
Methodology
The Talent Board Candidate Experience (CandE) Awards
Benchmark Research Program accepts employers from
around the world (North America, EMEA, APAC and now The four key ranking and scoring questions that
Latin America). The CandE Awards and research are determined the winners:
composed of two rounds of evaluations: Round 1, the
employer survey, and Round 2, the candidate surveys. 1. The overall candidate experience ranking per
those candidates surveyed (on a Likert scale
Round 1 is composed of a multi-dimensional survey of 1-5)
designed to capture and evaluate the nominated 2. Whether or not the “Not Selected”
company’s recruitment processes and practices that candidates would reapply to the organization
affect the candidate experience. All companies that (NPS-like score based on four choices)
complete the first-round submission process receive
employer benchmark data. Those that met the 2019 3. Whether or not the “Not Selected”
awards’ baseline for candidate experience were invited candidates would refer other job seekers to
to participate in Round 2 of the competition, which the organization (NPS-like score based on
involved surveying a random sampling of the company’s four choices)
candidates. These candidates were given several 4. How the candidates would change their
questions about their recruiting experience, and were business relationship status with the
asked to rate their experience via 4- and 5-point scales. organization going forward based on their
experience (NPS-like score based on four
To qualify for a CandE Award, each firm had to commit choices)
to a specific, statistically significant candidate response
and a set standard for the proportion of randomly selected
respondents who were not hired. This means each
company had to first meet a minimum qualification for
responses based on the size of the candidate population We continue to see an increased
plus a minimum percentage of those not hired. These
candidate responses included multiple touch points from focus on candidate experience
the pre-application process to onboarding (if hired). and the value it brings to an
These were scored and then normalized to a standard ratio organization.
of those “Not Selected” versus those “Hired” (80/20)
to eliminate any “halo” effects. This means companies
could only include up to 20% of hired candidates in the
survey process (the “Hired” percentage could be higher
than 20%, but it would affect the final CandE score and
ranking).
The data was then run through a statistical analysis and

an algorithm that produces a final CandE score for each
company. After that, we stack rank the scores and select
the winners that have CandE scores above the lowest
winning CandE score from the year before. This is in
addition to the statistical analysis and algorithm applied
above and the selection of the top CandE winners.

Data Collection Overview
• North American Employer and Candidate Surveys
were open from March 1 to Aug. 31, 2019.
Contact
• Over 170 organizations registered for the North
Ron Machamer
American CandE Awards and Benchmark Program.
• 160 organizations completed Rounds 1 and 2. Talent Board
• 150 organizations qualified for the CandE Awards
based on the above criteria.
• 195,000 candidates completed the Round 2 Click here to learn more and participate in the Talent Board
Candidate Survey. Candidate Experience Awards and Benchmark Research Program.


2019 Global and North American CandE Sponsors
GLOBAL UNDERWRITERS
GLOBAL PLATINUM GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS

End the Candidate
End
Blackthe Candidate
Hole with
APPLICATION
COMPETITION RATE
Black
InstantHole with
Communication
Instant Communication REDUCTION IN
TIME-TO-INTERVIEW
Thanks for applying! I've

got a few more questions,
do you have time to chat?
Sure!
Great! How many years of

customer facing experience
do you have?
Mya.com | hello@hiremya.com
Two industry leaders. + One powerful vision.

Marketing-Led Recruiting from the
First Touchpoint to the First Day
What happens when you create candidate-centric solutions through personalized career
sites, communicate quickly and efficiently via text, and make every interaction seamless
across the entire talent journey? You get qualified and engaged employees. The kind that
makes their workplaces better and invites all their friends to join. Those are our favorite.
Talemetry offers candidate-first experiences that modernize recruiting efforts through AI and
automation which means talent teams can spend time doing what they do best—building
opportunities that attract and connections that last.
Stop relying on old-world technology not intended for

candidates. And start learning how to optimize recruitment
marketing with Talemetry for 2020 and beyond.
RECRUITMENTMARKETING. RESULTS. SIMPLIFIED

1.866.824.4418 | info@talemetry.com | www.talemetry.com | @talemetry
To learn more visit: www.AllegisGlobalSolutions.com

Attract, engage, and retain
the best talent.
Onboarding
simplified.
Talent's New Operating System.

www.beamery.com vvvvvv www.clickboarding.com
Find &
Keep ®
Your
Talent
Entelo is the first all-in-one automated
source-to-hire candidate engagement
platform that’s changing the way
companies recruit globally.
ATTRACT - AI-Powered Talent Insights

ENGAGE - Diversity & Inclusion Sourcing
HIRE - Bespoke Candidate Engagement
PREBOARD - Digital Interviewing
- Smart Self-Scheduling
ONBOARD - Surveys & Analytics
RETAIN
We are the only recruitment

provider that can deliver
talent who care more, work
smarter and stay longer.
engage2excel.com/recruitment www.entelo.com
ENTERPRISE RECRUITING
SOFTWARE BUILT WITH
ONE PURPOSE IN MIND:
YOURS.
BE BOLD
CHOOSE HIRECLIX *
GR8 People is the One-Experience

Solving Your Toughest TA Problems
Talent Platform that powers recruiter
performance across the entire hiring
marketing | technology | people | process
lifecycle for more effective and
efficient talent acquisition results.
hireclix.com
GR8PEOPLE.COM *Oh, by the way, we just won the ReSi award for Most Innovative Recruitment Advertising Agency of 2019.
For candidate travel,

we’re your one-stop
PAVE THE WAY destination
For candidate travel,
FOR A BETTER we’re your one-stop
CANDIDATE destination
EXPERIENCE
WITH THE BEST-IN-CLASS
RECRUITING SOFTWARE
Expense Reimbursement
& Travel Booking
iCIMS.com
orionmobility.com/candidate
Regain control of your employer brand and attract talent
PathMotion is an online discussion platform that connects job candidates to
real employees via the company’s career website and through live chat events,
video content and social media.
Candidate Reimbursement Reimagined
Organisations like Orange, KPMG, Mars, AIRBUS, Deloitte and more choose
PathMotion to increase their qualified applicants by over 200% and improve
their job offer acceptance rate by 65%.

Reimbi issues over 90% of candidate
reimbursements the same day
the expenses are approved.
“We chose to
use PathMotion
because of the Reimbi delights candidates
ability it gave us to
reach such a wide in a highly-competitive job market.
audience”
Emma Britton, Citi www.reimbi.com
With trust and talent,

anything is possible.
Sevenstep’s unbounded vision and approach to recruitment
outsourcing delivers true business outcomes with every hire.
Our global delivery footprint spans six continents, and we work
with some of the world’s leading brand names to help them
find, engage and secure the best talent in the marketplace.
Our MSP services help organizations optimize their
contingent labor programs by improving visibility and control,
optimizing processes, and effectively managing costs. We
also deliver predictable recruitment analytics through our
TalentAI™ platform, and elevate candidate attraction strategies
with our employer branding services.
Contact: hello@sevensteprpo.com
www.sevensteprpo.com
How Not To Be
Conspicuously Absent
We attract. You hire.

> Branding
> Marketing & Communications Talroo uses the power
> Thought Leadership Content

of data to help
employers connect with
> Qualiﬁed Sales Leads
great candidates.
> Social Media Promotion
> Research
talroo.com
Get noticed. Be seen. Be heard.

Helping companies and individuals ﬁnd their voice.
talentculture.com
Text is
the new email
TextRecruit is a candidate engagement platform

that uses text message, live chat, and AI to help you
communicate with candidates the way they prefer and
improve the candidate experience. It’s the first and only
platform to centralize all talent communication, allowing
your team to manage relationships throughout the
recruitment lifecycle.
Visit TextRecruit.com to learn more.

About Talent Board
Talent Board and the Candidate Experience Awards, entire recruitment cycle and to forever changing
founded in 2011, is the first non-profit research the manner in which job candidates are treated.
organization focused on the elevation and promotion The CandE Awards also serve as a benchmarking
of a quality candidate experience with industry program to raise awareness of the benefits of a
benchmarks that highlight accountability, fairness positive candidate experience and highlight the
and business impact. The organization, Candidate processes, methodologies and technology that can
Experience (CandE) Awards program and its enhance the recruiting experience as demonstrated
sponsors are dedicated to recognizing the candidate by the winning organizations. More information can
experience offered by companies throughout the be accessed at https://www.thetalentboard.org.
Talent Board 2019 Board of Directors
Gerry Crispin Ed Newman

“The CandE Awards research has proven “Since founding the Candidate
that positive candidate experiences Experience Awards, we have amassed
lead to positive hiring outcomes, an unprecedented amount of data on
which often have positive business the hiring process and in effect worked
implications,” said Gerry Crispin, Talent to foster a community interested in
Board co-founder and principal and chief navigator at transforming talent acquisition practices,” shared Ed
CareerXroads. “This year’s CandE Awards winners have Newman, Talent Board co-founder and chair, founder &
again demonstrated their commitment to upholding this CEO at talentEXP, and former chief evangelist for Phenom
practice, and we are delighted to recognize their work People. “The 2019 Candidate Experience Benchmark
advancing the recruiting process.” Class understand the value of their candidate experiences
and are helping move the needle forward. Congratulations
Debbie McGrath to this year’s CandE Award winners.”
Debbie McGrath, board member and
founder and CEO of HR.com, shared, Kevin Grossman
“The CandE Awards programs have Talent Board President and board
helped demonstrate the business member Kevin W. Grossman
value of positive hiring practices by commented, “This year’s Candidate
advocating for the importance of the candidate experience Experience Award winners have raised
and the impact on recruiting. Congratulations to this the bar yet again by ensuring consistent
year’s Candidate Experience Benchmark Class for their communication and feedback loops at every stage of
proven commitment to promoting candidate experience the recruitment process. And each one knows that even
excellence.” the smallest of improvements with communication
and feedback can equate to a big impact on business
outcomes and the employment brand.”
“Since founding the Candidate Experience Awards, we have amassed an

unprecedented amount of data on the hiring process.”
—Ed Newman, Talent Board co-founder & chair

Connect with #TheCandEs
Media Contacts for Talent Board

www.thetalentboard.org Kevin W. Grossman
President & Board Member
(831) 419-6810
kevin.grossman@thetalentboard.org
Ron Machamer
(858) 413-8238
ron.machamer@thetalentboard.org

How to Get Involved in 2020
Participating as an Employer A little investment goes a long way to understand the
Registration for the global 2020 Talent Board Candidate impact of candidate experience on your business from pre-
Experience Awards and Benchmark Research Program application to onboarding.
is set to open in January 2020 for all regions — North
America, EMEA, APAC and Latin America!
Figure 1. Total CandE Research Investment
Registration Employer Self- Employer Candidate Total

Process Assessment Survey Methodology Survey Surveys Investment
Takes employer 1-3 Takes employer 30- Takes employer 1-3 Takes employers 1-2+ $500 registration fee
minutes 60+ minutes minutes hours to select candidates (can also be paid in
and distribute surveys other currencies)
Takes rejected candidates 3+ hours for employers

less than 5 minutes
5+ minutes for
Takes final stage candidates
candidates, offers and new
hires 5-10 minutes
Figure 2. Total CandE Research Return
Design
• Survey methodology and candidate targeting
resources
• API integration available to distribute via
Survale if needed
Data
Registration Employer Self- Employer Candidate Total
Process Assessment Methodology Surveys Return • Candid anonymous feedback from targeted
candidates
Survey Survey
• Confidential and anonymous aggregated
benchmark data
• Access to all benchmark data via secure
Survale account and powerful filtering tools
Insights
• 1-on-1 data review to understand overall
business impact
• Access to industry peers and experts on
candidate experience
• Employers with the highest positive candidate
ratings to receive public industry recognition
and a CandE Award

10 Reasons Why You Should Participate in
the 2020 Talent Board CandE Benchmark
Research Program:
1. Learn what your candidates want from your 6. Connect with peers and see other recruiting
recruiting and hiring experience. practices and candidate experience initiatives
in practice.
2. Identify strengths and weaknesses in your
recruiting process and your candidate 7. Understand that for consumer-based
experience. companies candidates are either customers
or potential customers and their candidate
3. Build the business case to develop experience impacts their purchasing decisions.
improvement strategies based on the candidate
feedback data you receive. 8. Understand that for all B2C and B2B
companies candidates are potential referrals
4. Track year-over-year changes and the return on and their candidate experience impacts their
investment on improvement initiatives you've referral decisions.
implemented.
9. And enjoy a very small investment overall...
5. Benchmark against other organizations
and gain valuable insights into your 10. For a very big return!
competitiveness in today’s tight labor market.

Sponsor Opportunities
Founded in 2011, Talent Board is the first non-profit Sponsoring the Talent Board CandE Awards is one of the
research organization focused on the elevation and best ways to connect and engage with human resources
promotion of a quality candidate experience with industry and talent acquisition leaders around the world who care
benchmarks that highlight accountability, fairness and about recruiting and candidate experience. These buyers
business impact. and influencers are key additions to any prospect network.
CandE sponsors also enjoy year-round visibility and lead
Talent Board is supported solely by the generous generation through Talent Board symposiums, awards
donations of industry solution and service providers, galas, research reports, workshops, webinars and more.
individual donations and corporate donations. This allows
us to keep our research accessible to all and to provide
the talent acquisition discipline with benchmarks and best CHECK OUT THE CHECK OUT THE
practices that empower continuous recruiting innovation CandE Sponsors! CandE Case Studies!
and a better overall candidate experience — all of which
has the potential to impact your bottom line.

CSAA INSURANCE GROUP CASE STUDY
2. Why did you decide to make changes to how

CSAA Insurance Group offers automobile, candidates were being treated? What data or
homeowners and other personal lines of insurance evidence prompted you to make a change?
to AAA members through AAA clubs in 23 states Being part of the AAA family means that we put members’
and the District of Columbia. needs first. Customer experience is ingrained in our
culture, and we know that every job seeker we interact
with is either a member or a potential member.
1. What changes have you made to your candidate It was a natural transition to assess our candidate
experience recently? What improvements are you experience to ensure it mirrored the same top-tier service
most proud of? How do you know that your changes a member would expect when doing business with us.
are making a difference? A few years ago, we began looking for ways to measure
and get feedback from our candidates on how they were
Utilizing Survale’s platform, we are gathering data at experiencing our company and the hiring process, which
several points in the candidate journey: career site ultimately led to our work with Survale. We’ve built robust
experience, application, recruiter screen, post-interview surveying and analytic capability in partnership with
and post-offer. With the real-time data, we’ve been able Survale, enabling us to measure results and hear from our
to increase awareness of the importance and impact of candidates as they go through the hiring process.
candidate experience on our company brand.
We understand that every interaction a person has with
The insights and learnings have helped us align our us impacts their impression about our company and our
recruiting processes and evolve our interview process products and services, and is critical to our long-term
to make for a more consistent, comfortable candidate success. The way a candidate experiences our company
experience. They have also contributed to a new will impact their decision to work here, what they tell
and improved career website and better quality job their friends about us, whether they will buy insurance
descriptions. We have been educating and coaching from us or even if they will be a AAA member. By making
leaders and interviewers about candidate experience the best experience possible, we believe CSAA Insurance
and the lasting impacts on our brand and how we are Group will stand out as an employer of choice, a good
perceived. Understanding what is working well for our community partner and a great insurance company.
candidates, as well as where we fall short, has given us
opportunities to continuously improve and come up with With unemployment rates at an all-time low, candidates
new resources to lead our teams in cultivating a positive have many options, and we are focused on helping CSAA
candidate experience. Insurance Group stand out. One of our talent acquisition
team’s greatest sources of learning comes from our
One of the benefits for our internal talent acquisition candidates.
team is that we are working more effectively together and
creating repeatable, consistent processes that work across The ability to listen, learn and pivot to take advantage
the group. We have a better understanding of the effects of what we are hearing about their experiences gives us
of our actions within the processes. the unique opportunity to improve. The feedback shows
us that our employer brand is strong, and in order to get
We know the changes are making a difference based better, we must continue to re-evaluate our processes and
on the feedback we receive from our candidates, which find ways to ensure the candidate experience is great.
includes winning a CandE Award for the first time this
year.

3. How did you build support and commitment “Our goal for our candidates is to
within your team and the broader organization?
How did you demonstrate the importance of
walk away feeling good and like
candidate experience? they still want to do business with
We’ve built support and commitment within our talent us, whether they were offered a
acquisition team and across the enterprise. Candidate
experience surveying requires vulnerability on the part position or not.”
of the talent acquisition and interviewing teams, as it
We’ve partnered with Survale to expand capabilities to
enables you to look under the hood in real time to see
share the insights that allow our recruiting team to view
what’s working and what can be improved. We established
the responses. We’ve included facts and statistics on the
an environment where the team understood that the data
impact of attrition to help demonstrate the importance of
was intended for continuous improvement.
In addition, we met with business leaders and interview
In addition, to help demonstrate the importance of
teams to discuss the connection between customer
candidate experience and its effects on the organization’s
experience and candidate experience. We shared talent
bottom-line revenue, the Talent Board created a candidate
acquisition’s priorities and reinforced the simple behaviors
experience resentment calculator that calculates the
and changes leaders could demonstrate to have a positive
business impact assumption. We’ve also received
impact. These included speed, follow-through, adhering to
feedback from candidates that specifically demonstrates
the interview guides and using a conversational interview
the financial impact their experience has on our bottom
style to create a comfortable and inviting interview
line.
experience.
Our goal for our candidates is to walk away feeling good
We have developed and deployed tools to guide
and like they still want to do business with us, whether
these leaders’ thinking and we have updated working
they were offered a position or not. In the words of Maya
agreements so that everyone knows how their support
Angelou, “People will forget what you said, people will
impacts the recruiting process and candidate experience.
forget what you did, but people will never forget how you
made them feel.”
4. How do you measure candidate experience?
How do you report on your recruiting process?
How do you use that data to demonstrate financial
impact as well as manage recruiter and hiring
manager behaviors?
Our candidate experience is measured through surveys
that are triggered at specific touch points throughout the
candidate journey — apply, screen, interview and offer.
Each survey includes a set of questions specific to each
touch point to help us better understand the candidate
experience.
We filter the information to evaluate how each recruiter,

hiring manager, location, business line, etc., are doing
in aggregate or at the requisition level. We then use that
information to help us better understand what is working
and where we have opportunities to improve.

DR. REDDY’S LABORATORIES, INC. CASE STUDY

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories is a multinational candidates were being treated? What data or
pharmaceutical company based in Hyderabad, evidence prompted you to make a change?
Telangana, India. A few years ago, the focus of Dr. Reddy’s North American
talent acquisition team was to communicate our employer
value proposition (EVP). At that time, Dr. Reddy’s was a
top employer in India and well known in the U.S. generic
1. What changes have you made to your candidate pharmaceutical industry; however, our organization
experience recently? What improvements are you had limited visibility with the overall talent market in
most proud of? How do you know that your changes our region. It was clear that Dr. Reddy’s had a lot to
are making a difference? offer employees — great policies and benefits flexibility
and meaningful work — so we focused on sharing this
We have made a number of changes to the candidate
information with the public.
experience that have helped make a difference:
Soon Dr. Reddy’s was attracting more applicants, and our
• We only require candidates to complete a full
name was being recognized across industries. For us, the
application once they come onsite for a face-to-face
next logical step was to examine our recruiting processes,
interview.
both through internal surveying of hiring managers and
• On our career site, we are transparent regarding our through participation in the 2018 CandEs. The results of
application process, and this is also communicated the 2018 CandEs helped us confirm that our interview
in the automated notification from our ATS to each process was going well, but there were opportunities for us
candidate that applies. to treat candidates better in many areas, such as during
• We made our rejection notifications more friendly our application process.
and personal to explain the various reasons why a
candidate may not be selected.
• Our recruitment team made a commitment
The results of the 2018 CandEs
to follow-up with considered candidates in a helped us confirm that our
reasonable timeframe, even if the job has not been
filled. interview process was going well,
• Our recruiter directly spoke with candidates not but there were opportunities for
selected at the interview phase — by phone
whenever possible.
us to treat candidates better in
• We provide a single point of contact during onsite
many areas.
interviews to ensure interviews are kept on schedule
and any candidate needs can be addressed.
We have candidates that have declined an opportunity

with us or not progressed in the process but nonetheless
have referred us to other candidates. This was indicative
to us that our changes were positively making a difference
in the candidates’ experience.

We survey our hiring managers 4. How do you measure candidate experience?
each time a role is filled, asking How do you use that data to demonstrate financial
questions ranging from the impact as well as manage recruiter and hiring
intake process to the onboarding manager behaviors?
process and all the steps in- We have several data points we use to measure the
effectiveness of the talent acquisition process and the
between, which ensures that the candidate experience.
candidates’ best interests are • We report on metrics such as open/closed jobs, time
always top of mind. to fill, cost per hire and quality of hire (our newest
metric). This will be an important metric we report
on annually, as it shows that we are hiring quality
candidates and not just looking to fill an open role.
3. How did you build support and commitment Turnover also has a significant cost impact, and by
within your team and the broader organization? treating candidates well, we ensure we are hiring
How did you demonstrate the importance of the best and the brightest.
candidate experience? • We solicit feedback from candidates during the
Our recruiters complete intake sessions with hiring process and also share feedback with hiring
managers to align expectations and develop a clear managers to avoid unnecessary concerns or
recruitment plan. We also complete service level miscommunication.
agreements (SLAs) at this time, which both recruiter and • We will be implementing a monthly survey to
hiring managers are required to discuss and agree upon. candidates, both those selected and not selected,
This way we can collaborate with hiring managers, as to request their opinion of the process. We thought
we believe we are partners when it comes to candidate it best not to wait until the annual CandE survey to
experience. do this so we receive constant feedback and can
correct any concerns that arise before they become
To that end, we survey our hiring managers each time a an issue.
role is filled, asking questions ranging from the intake
process to the onboarding process and all the steps in-
between. This ensures that the candidates’ best interests
are always top of mind and the focus is on constant
improvement and excellence.

HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN CASE STUDY

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian is a not- candidates were being treated? What data or
for-profit regional health care delivery network evidence prompted you to make a change?
in Orange County, California, that treats nearly We have always surveyed our hiring managers to gauge
30,000 inpatients and 350,000 outpatients their recruitment experience but never our candidates.
annually. Last year was the first year we participated in the
Talent Board CandE survey, and we were surprised by
the comments and lack of engagement from our talent
1. What changes have you made to your candidate community audience. As a team we felt that it was
experience recently? What improvements are you our responsibility to create a positive and memorable
candidate experience for ALL applicants regardless of
most proud of? How do you know that your changes
whether they were hired or not.
are making a difference?
We made a significant amount of changes both internally 3. How did you build support and commitment
and externally. We trained as a team to become Recruiter
Academy Certified Recruiter (RACR) by Lean Human
Capital Institute. This was to establish a foundation point
so that we could remove waste from our process and look candidate experience?
at improving efficiencies within our workflow. Also, we We have an “own it” mentality that’s part of our ethos.
standardized our candidate screening process to establish It was important to our organization that we develop
consistency across our enterprise, so that the candidate recruitment processes that are reflective of our values and
experience would be the same no matter if you applied for culture. We are here to support the community, and they
a nurse position or a position in IT. deserve to have the same continuity of high-touch care in
all aspects of their interaction with the Hoag brand.
It’s hard to pinpoint just one improvement that makes us
most proud. However, the two major ones that created
the biggest impact was our “Talent Huddle” biweekly
newsletter and incorporating Modern Hire (Montage) How do you report on your recruiting process?
technology into our workflow. Our engagement/CTRs How do you use that data to demonstrate financial
skyrocketed, and we received an overwhelmingly positive impact as well as manage recruiter and hiring
response from our talent community regarding our manager behaviors?
newsletter. Our team was building and curating content
We look at a number of KPIs in our monthly talent
for job seekers that gave them the tools and resources
acquisition dashboard from visits, CTR, open rates
to improve their career search and job interviewing skills
on newsletters and campaigns, drop-off rates and
and inform them of overall market trends related to
conversions. We even incorporated an NPS-style survey at
professional advancement.
the end of every candidate phone interview to make sure
With regards to Modern Hire technology, this allowed our that we’re tracking feedback and recalibrating our delivery
team to increase productivity by 20%. We recruit a lot in real time. We’re not measuring financial impact yet,
of the people who work night shifts at other hospitals. but we are using the data as part of the team performance
Placing the freedom and flexibility of an on-demand video goals and level-setting expectations with hiring managers
interview into the hands of a candidate proved to be a about labor market conditions and candidate behavior.
game-changer for us.

KRONOS INC CASE STUDY
For example, we had made an offer to a candidate and,

while waiting for his response, his wife unexpectedly
Kronos Incorporated is a multinational workforce
needed emergency surgery. He called his recruiter
management software and services company
apologizing as he needed more time to respond to our
headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts. It
offer so he could attend to his family. The recruiter
employs nearly 5,600 people worldwide.
assured him to take the time needed to be with his
family, quickly notified the hiring manager so we could
adapt internally, and then had flowers sent to their home,
letting them know we are thinking of their family — after
1. What changes have you made to your candidate
all, that’s how we’d care for a Kronite facing a similar
experience recently? What improvements are you family situation. The candidate/recruiter relationship is
most proud of? How do you know that your changes most crucial at this point in the process, and because
are making a difference? of our high-touch candidate experience, this candidate
In 2018 Kronos launched the “Candidate to Kronite” and recruiter relationship was transparent, open and
(C2K) program — an initiative that continues to grow supportive. The candidate’s wife made a speedy recovery,
and evolve today — to map out priorities, expectations and we now have a new Kronite as he happily accepted
and job training throughout the new employee life cycle our offer. Enabling our recruiters to make these decisions
from initial candidacy through the first six months of is important based on the types of relationships they build
employment. Our goal with C2K is to engage new hires with their candidates — and ultimately their families.
before they even walk through our doors on their start date
to get them inspired, focused on the right priorities and
firing on all cylinders as a valued contributor as soon as
Above all, we treat day one in the
possible. recruiting cycle — that first touch
For example, our recruiters and hiring managers send point — as if the candidate is
recent news articles about Kronos and our culture to already part of the Kronos family.
candidates (which continues as they become new hires)
to give them a chance to learn a little more about who
we are, our key messages and what we stand for. After Stories like the one above are countless. Candidates will
receiving an article where our CEO Aron Ain was profiled, often share their appreciation that the Kronos experience
one candidate stated, “I continue to get more and more made a difference to them. Recently, we received a
excited about Kronos. Your CEO seems to really get the thank you note from a candidate who took a role at
critical effect employee engagement has on the overall another company. She stated that it was bittersweet as
success of an organization. Pretty inspiring and I’m sure a she became very fond of the Kronos team members she
huge draw for potential employees and customers.” These met with. She said, “Each of you have played a role in
types of inspiring and educational touchpoints can be making me feel important in this process, you’ve all
found throughout the C2K life cycle. helped create an EXCEPTIONAL candidate experience,
and for that I thank you!” Another candidate also used
Above all, we treat day one in the recruiting cycle —
that the word “exceptional” when talking about his experience,
first touch point — as if the candidate is already part of saying the Kronos TA team stood alone compared to
the Kronos family. That means our WorkInspired culture of others in terms of responsiveness, clarity of expectations,
caring, trust, and high performance extends to candidates. interview process and revealing how Kronos genuinely
As part of extending our culture to candidates, our treats employees. One candidate-turned-Kronite ran into
recruiters are empowered to provide personal information his recruiter recently. Afterwards, he sent a thank you for
to best connect with the future Kronite. being his first interaction with Kronos because if it wasn’t

for his genuine approach, he may not have made change, like being a long-lost relative that has rejoined the family
and it has been “a monumentally important move for my and is welcomed with open arms. It’s like a badge of
family.” honor.”
We keep that culture of a caring spirit alive as the

recruiter/candidate relationship shifts to the employee/
manager relationship — and that starts with a welcome candidates were being treated? What data or
gift. As soon as a new hire accepts an offer, a “Welcome evidence prompted you to make a change?
to Kronos” box is mailed to their home filled with gifts At Kronos, we believe great businesses are powered
tied to our workplace culture pillars of WorkInspired, by great people. Our CEO often states, “Employees
GiveInspired, and LiveInspired. These goodies include a join organizations because of what they hear about the
Kronos-branded PopSocket to attach to their smartphone, company — but they leave because of who they work
a Kronos-branded water bottle to help the new Kronite for (i.e. the manager-employee relationship).” We know
stay hydrated and keep wellness top of mind, and a candidates have choices, but we want them to apply to
charitable gift card that lets the new hire donate to any Kronos because of what they hear about us and our award-
cause and give back to the community where they work winning workplace — yet we need to follow through to
or live. Boxes are distributed to all newly hired Kronites deliver the employee experience that they expect, which
worldwide, regardless of location, function or level. starts on first touch.
Team members in our talent acquisition team are

We also embrace high-performing empowered to go above and beyond to ensure that the
candidate feels cared for. And even if we determine that
former employees who would like the person is not a fit for Kronos, we offer career coaching
to rejoin our workforce, who we and counseling to help these candidates along in their
career journey — not because we feel obligated, but
call “boomerangs.” because we feel so passionate about candidates finding
their “right fit.”
One recent new hire, who had been at her previous
company for 10 years, was nervous about making a leap 3. How did you build support and commitment
after she accepted the offer from Kronos. ‘She said the
nerves disappeared a couple weeks before her start date
because “I received this box from Kronos that made How did you demonstrate the importance of
me feel like Kronos valued me.” Because of that, she candidate experience?
regained confidence in her decision, enjoyed her time off Kronos continues to build support to ensure candidate
between jobs, and arrived on her first day inspired and experience is important by offering education and tools to
free of doubt. all members of the organization. One of the tools we offer
is competency interview training. In addition to helping us
We warmly welcome more than just brand-new hires
as a hiring company, this technique leads our recruiters
— we also embrace high-performing former employees
to often act as talent advisers, helping candidates along
who would like to rejoin our workforce, who we call
in their career journey. This technique isn’t just beneficial
“boomerangs.” From the top, Kronos believes that “we
to the hiring company, but our recruiters often act as
don’t own employees’ careers — they do.” If an offer
talent advisors to help candidates along in their career
comes along that is a too-good-to-pass-up opportunity
journey not because we feel obligated, but because we
for the employee and/or their families, they should take
feel so passionate about candidates finding their “right
it. However, we tell high-performing Kronites leaving the
fit.” We also firmly believe that every Kronite deserves
company that if their ideal career opportunity knocks
a great manager — and we invest in holding people
twice at Kronos, we invite them to answer the door!
managers accountable via our Manager Effectiveness
As one of our boomerang Kronites put it, “A lot has
Index initiative, where Kronites rate their managers
changed since I worked for Kronos the first time; the
twice a year as part of our global employee engagement
level of training has grown, before there is a documented
survey. Managers then receive their MEI scores and are
onboarding process. I also feel that being a boomerang is

expected to (1) communicate the results to employees
and (2) discuss a path to improve areas of opportunity.
We have such a strong
We weave the four pillars of the MEI into our recruitment commitment to employee
and interviewing process by focusing on supporting,
developing, communicating and empowering.
engagement that it’s natural it
extends to candidates.
We have such a strong commitment to employee
engagement that it’s natural it extends to candidates. Using the data for recruiting/hiring manager behaviors:
After all, Ain recently wrote a book, “WorkInspired: How Between our own data and market data, we have deep
to Build an Organization Where Everyone Loves to Work,” insight into the recruiting process, including which roles
about how we used employee engagement as a growth take a longer time to fill or are less available in certain
strategy and saw revenue triple as engagement scores markets. With the benefit of aggregate data, recruiters can
reached record heights. Being in the business of HCM set expectations with hiring managers on the availability
software ourselves, the Kronos organization understands of specific skill sets and act as talent advisors to the
how important a specialized recruiting and onboarding business.
process is!
Every new candidate job search kicks off with a one-
4. How do you measure candidate experience? on-one meeting between the hiring manager and the
recruiter, which enables recruiters to help managers set
realistic hiring expectations based on the talent in the
How do you use that data to demonstrate financial market while providing the hiring manager the opportunity
impact as well as manage recruiter and hiring to talk about their ideal-fit candidate. This process can
manager behaviors? lead to adjusting compensation rates based on expertise
Measure: We administer surveys to candidates at various and availability, tweaking skills requirements to fit a wider
points in the process to ensure a great experience and variety of candidates, or helping to hone the messaging
gather data on how to improve. These surveys collect of the job description based on talent “competitors.”
information from candidates who did not receive an offer Additionally, our recruiters are experts in the market —
and those who accepted an offer, as well as feedback they know what their area looks like and can plan for
on the hiring manager experience. It’s important to pair historically difficult roles by pipelining high-potential
quantitative metrics, such as data points and ratings, with candidates. By keeping the recruiting pipeline fresh and
qualitative feedback to see the full candidate experience staying in touch with past candidates, our recruiters can
picture. build trust and loyalty with prospective candidates from
the moment they enter our talent pool.
Report: We report on our survey findings during global
TA calls so we can all collectively understand areas of To supplement personal assessments of the candidate’s
improvement and areas of success. Additionally, we skills and Kronos fit by the recruiter, hiring manager and
maintain and monitor a candidate experience dashboard interview team, we utilize a psychometric assessment
monthly to ensure improvements and a great candidate known as the Predictive Index (PI). This powerful
experience across all regions and teams. Our overall tool provides valuable insight to our TA and interview
recruiting process includes a variety of additional reports teams: A PI report is generated for each candidate and
and dashboards to help recruiters, recruiting managers includes an overview of their work preferences, style
and leadership understand capacity, headcount, and preferred management style, as well as motivators
forecasting, pipelines, data integrity and candidate and demotivators. Kronites on each interview team are
statuses. encouraged to use the candidate’s PI to tailor questions
that might draw out real-world examples of the strengths
indicated by the assessment as well as potentially address
any concerns someone might have about the candidate.

POINTCLICKCARE CASE STUDY
Our biggest change this year was the implementation

PointClickCare helps LTPAC (long-term and of our new ATS, Lever, which really helped us with
post-acute care) providers gain the confidence addressing this challenge. With Lever we were able to
they need to navigate the new realities of value- automate a lot of our recruitment workflows, which gave
based healthcare. our recruiters time to focus on things that truly matter.
Lever allowed us to add in customized email templates,
the ability to “mass email” candidates and integration
with Outlook, etc.
1. What changes have you made to your candidate Each candidate that goes through the recruitment process
experience recently? What improvements are you at PointClickCare receives status updates, and no one is
kept “out of the loop.” Through Lever we are easily able to
see which candidates have gone “stale,” which helps our
are making a difference? recruiters ensure that all candidates are being kept warm.
Our investment and focus on candidate experience really
began about three years ago, when we first got introduced We know our changes are making a difference, as we’ve
to the CandE Awards. Utilizing the research reports seen continuous improvement in our Glassdoor Interview
put together by Talent Board, we’ve continued to make ratings. These changes also led us to be ranked second in
changes and improvements to our candidate experience the CandE Awards this year.
initiatives.
More recently, we have really focused on one of the
candidates were being treated? What data or
biggest challenges that candidates face today: receiving
feedback. Candidates feel that they fall in a “dark hole”
evidence prompted you to make a change?
once they apply to a role. Partnering with Talent Board and the CandE Awards really
helped us understand the impact of candidate experience
on the success of our organization. We know that having
We know our changes are making a negative experience can have a significant impact on a
a difference, as we’ve seen candidate’s likelihood to reapply and/or refer their family/
friends to our organization.
continuous improvement in our
Given that most of our current employees were hired on
Glassdoor Interview ratings. These their second or third application and that 30% of our
changes also led us to be ranked roles are filled through referrals, it’s imperative to us that
our candidates receive the best experience so that they
second in the CandE Awards this can continue to reapply and refer their friends and family.
year. In a tight labor market, missing the mark on this can be
detrimental to our “top of the funnel” applications and
can easily increase time to fill.

3. How did you build support and commitment Partnering with Talent Board
and the CandE Awards really
candidate experience? helped us understand the impact
All of our employees who are involved in the interview of candidate experience on the
process are required to go through an internal training
called “Hire to Win.” This training program walks them success of our organization.
through the importance of providing an outstanding
candidate experience and of the impact it has on our
employer brand.
Ensuring that our team understands the impact candidate

experience can have on an organization has really helped
us gain the support and commitment from each member.

manager behaviors?
We continuously look at our Glassdoor interview scores
to measure our candidate experience year round.
Talent Board’s CandE survey helps us tremendously
to understand areas where we’re doing well in and the
areas we need to improve. Outside of the CandE survey
period, we also send out an internal survey (through
SurveyMonkey) to our candidates so that we can ensure
we’re always getting data on how we’re doing.
This data is constantly reviewed and analyzed by the

team, and needed themes and trends are shared with our
recruitment team and hiring managers.

PROCTER & GAMBLE CASE STUDY
Recruiters are now able to commit

Procter & Gamble is a multinational consumer
goods corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati,
much more of their time to
Ohio, that was founded in 1837 by William interacting with candidates.
Procter and James Gamble.
as quickly as they would have liked to because of the high
volume. We wanted candidates to be able to have their
questions answered instantly, so we looked to automated
1. What changes have you made to your candidate solutions and implemented the career site chatbot.
experience recently? What improvements are you
3. How did you build support and commitment
We recently re-evaluated our assessment process and
candidate experience?
made some key changes to improve the candidate
experience. Our previous process included two online Our recruiters are most passionate about spending
assessments and one proctored paper-and-pencil time with candidates and educating them about the
assessment. Candidates were required to travel to a opportunities at P&G. When we demonstrated how much
testing site or one of our office locations to take the of their time would be saved by moving to an automated
assessment, which could end up being quite a significant assessment process and a career site chatbot, it didn’t
time commitment. We now have a 100% online, mobile- take much to get them on board. They are now able
capable assessment process that allows candidates to to commit much more of their time to interacting with
complete our assessments on whatever timing works best candidates and ensuring that the experience is optimized
for them. We have seen the impact from this change, for each candidate.
as our total number of assessment completions has
increased. Additionally, we introduced a chatbot on our 4. How do you measure candidate experience?
career site to address common questions that candidates How do you report on your recruiting process?
had. We’ve seen great engagement with the chatbot since How do you use that data to demonstrate financial
we launched a year ago, and our recruiters are receiving
fewer questions via email.
manager behaviors?
2. Why did you decide to make changes to how We have a Net Promoter Score measure at the end of
candidates were being treated? What data or our standard assessment process to capture candidate
reactions to our assessment tools. We also capture data
from our complete candidate funnel and continuously
We were seeing higher initial dropout rates at the report it in our global talent scorecard. This allows us
assessment phase and hearing critical feedback from to monitor candidate dropout rates at each stage of the
candidates that the in-person assessment was a barrier to recruitment process and evaluate the impact of any
them completing the application process. This led us to changes we make to the process. We can also break these
investigate how we could update our assessment process numbers out by region, country, job segmentation (entry-
to give candidates more flexibility and increase our level vs. experienced hires), function, etc., to identify
chances of being able to recruit the best talent to P&G. groups for which candidate dropout rates may be higher
Our recruiters were also receiving a lot of basic questions and diagnose the issues so we can improve candidate
from candidates via email and were not able to respond experience.

STANTEC CASE STUDY

Stantec Inc. is an international professional
services company in the design and consulting
industry. Our goal of being the destination of choice for world-class
talent — to hire, develop and deploy the best talent — is
guided by our corporate strategy to build an inspiring,
inclusive work environment that attracts, supports and
develops world-class talent. This is one of the six strategic
1. What changes have you made to your candidate directives of the Stantec organization. We also aligned
experience recently? What improvements are you with the competitive marketplace. We are consistently
most proud of? How do you know that your changes growing and need to stay consistent with our processes in
talent acquisition. The TA transformation is a part of the
process improvement as well.
Our talent acquisition process underwent a total
transformation in 2017 to provide dedicated resources 3. How did you build support and commitment
including strategists, sourcing, operational leadership
and branding. This transformation helped enable the
business to identify talent externally and understand How did you demonstrate the importance of
the marketplace, which improved the experience for candidate experience?
both candidates as well as hiring managers during the We’ve conducted pulse surveys, looked at hiring trends
recruitment and application process. and monitored company review platforms such as
Glassdoor and Indeed to help build support within the
team and organization. We have been educating our own
Employee referrals continue to team and emphasizing the importance of hiring and
retaining top talent while making them more aware about
account for 30% of our organic the importance of candidate feedback.
hires and also introduced a new
interface for the referral process.
We have done more in-house training for our TA team to impact as well as manage recruiter and hiring
provide them with a consistent candidate experience. manager behaviors?
The Stantec talent acquisition model ensures we have
Analytics is a critical step in understanding the impact
the right people doing the right things for maximum
of talent acquisition on business operations and helps
effectiveness. Based on the specific needs of the business
us improve our outcomes. We use data to measure the
and the particular geography, we can ensure the right
efficiency of our recruiting efforts. Our descriptive analysis
support is assigned. Employee referrals continue to
provides us with a view into activity such as hiring volume,
account for 30% of our organic hires and also introduced
talent pool size, time to fill, source of hire and cost of
a new interface for the referral process.
hire. We use the results to help with our recruitment
process improvements, guide our recruiters’ sourcing
tactics and have more productive conversations with hiring
managers.

SYNEOS HEALTH CASE STUDY
These microsites, along with our Values, Why Work Here

and Meet Our Team pages, allow candidates who visit our
Syneos Health is a Nasdaq-listed multinational career site a chance to learn exactly why they should work
contract research organization based in for us, and in turn heighten their interest in our career
Morrisville, North Carolina. opportunities.
Since rolling these microsites out, we’ve seen overall

traffic increase on our career site. Candidates are
navigating to these microsites, and the time they are
1. What changes have you made to your candidate spending there is high. We can see that candidates are
experience recently? What improvements are you reading and digesting the information versus just clicking
in and out of the sites.
are making a difference? 2. Why did you decide to make changes to how
In 2019, we developed and launched what we feel are candidates were being treated? What data or
effective microsites within our career pages in order evidence prompted you to make a change?
to engage, provide details and guide our prospective
We wanted to create a seamless site for candidates
candidates toward a positive experience, and in return
and allow more functionality and further ease in their
drive more quality applicants to apply. These microsites
navigation of our site as well as ease in locating our jobs
include, but are not limited to, early career, interview tips
and the overall application process. Prior to developing
and preparation and learning and development pages.
these microsites, we felt prospective candidates weren’t
receiving key information about who we are as a company
and what it means to be an employee of Syneos Health.
With the microsites, candidates They also weren’t receiving the information or tools they
can now learn what experience may need to decide whether a career within our industry
was right for them.
is needed to step into a
With the microsites, candidates can now learn what
pharmaceutical sales role and experience is needed to step into a pharmaceutical sales
how to best prepare for seeking a role and how to best prepare for seeking a career in this
industry.
career in this industry.
We understand our candidates want to know why they

would want to work for Syneos Health, and they may
prefer communication that is personalized. These
microsites will allow our prospective candidates the
opportunity to receive more relevant information and
an overall candidate experience that is unique to them.

3. How did you build support and commitment If we are able to provide
prospective candidates more
candidate experience? information about our company
We approached both our recruiting teams and our culture and key characteristics
business units to explain how the development and launch
of these microsites would help us attract more quality about our workforce, that
candidates. could allow the candidates an
If we are able to provide prospective candidates environment where they are
more information about our company culture and key
characteristics about our workforce, that could allow the
entering the application process
candidates an environment where they are entering the with eyes wide open about us as a
application process with eyes wide open about us as a
company and the overall job itself. company and the overall job itself.
We explained to these teams the higher quality of
experience we would be offering to prospective candidates
and also invited these teams to participate through their
input and guidance in the building of these pages.

manager behaviors?
We participate in the annual Candidate Experience Awards
and use those survey results and data findings to identify
improvements and processes.

WALGREENS CASE STUDY
In addition, we take an extra step to introduce our

candidates to our company culture through a tour of the
work environment prior to presenting an offer to ensure
Walgreens is an American company for pharmacy,
the position is as much of a fit for them as it is for
photo and health & wellness products.
Walgreens.

1. What changes have you made to your candidate evidence prompted you to make a change?
experience recently? What improvements are you Due to the low unemployment rate, today’s job searches
most proud of? How do you know that your changes are very candidate-driven. This highly competitive market
not only increased our turnover but also resulted in lower-
than-normal candidate application activity. By analyzing
Our top priority is candidate experience. Follow-up candidate survey data, we learned quite a bit about
throughout the process is critical, so we have established the opportunities that may exist to increase candidate
strict parameters that our recruiters and hiring leaders satisfaction. As a result, we realized the need to create
operate within. We require all hiring leaders to provide a more convenient, fast and easy application process
candidate feedback, whether at the point of submission that recognizes unique situations specific to current
or after an interview, within 48 hours. Additionally, applicants, such as the utilization of technology to assist
our recruiters update candidates within 48 hours of with nontraditional work/personal schedules.
receiving hiring leader feedback. To ensure the candidate
experience remains best in class, we survey candidates
monthly. The survey data is then shared with our
recruiters to help them recognize areas of opportunities to
To ensure the candidate
improve that candidate experience. experience remains best in class,
An easy, fast and convenient way of applying for we survey candidates monthly.
or learning about an opportunity creates a positive The survey data is then shared
experience. At Walgreens we use technology to boost our
candidates’ experiences. Chatbots are used to answer with our recruiters to help them
basic questions prior to committing to the position.
Also, mobile-enabled, self-scheduling and automated
recognize areas of opportunities
interview technology provides flexibility for those to improve that candidate
unable to meet with recruiters during traditional hours.
Lastly, virtual career fairs help potential candidates get
experience.
more information about open positions, without the
commitment and scheduling constraints of attending a
live event.
We also try to familiarize candidates with Walgreens’

company culture early in the process. We do this through
sharing videos and team-specific content to build
enthusiasm and to provide insight into the innovative and
exciting projects we’re currently working on.

3. How did you build support and commitment Hiring managers are educated
to empathize with candidates
candidate experience? throughout the hiring process and
Our candidates are our customers, so the importance of the importance timeliness serves
a positive candidate experience is extremely important,
not only in situations where we hire a candidate, but more in creating a positive candidate
importantly in situations where we do not. We coach not experience.
only our recruitment team, but also our hiring managers.
Hiring managers are educated to empathize with

candidates throughout the hiring process and about
the importance timeliness serves in creating a positive
Speedy feedback drives positive results, whether it’s the

candidate joining the company or being allowed to move
on to other opportunities.

manager behaviors?
Measuring and analyzing candidate experience is critical
to helping us understand where opportunities exist to
update or optimize our recruitment process. Surveys are
sent both to candidates who are hired and those who
are still in process. Our survey approach allows for a
very quick and easy opportunity to provide candid and
customized feedback.
Additionally, we measure and track how quickly

candidates move through the recruitment process. If we
notice any themes that result in a slowing of candidate
movement, we can further investigate and take immediate
action to correct the issue.
Ensuring that candidates are moving through the process

as quickly as possible also allows us to fill positions faster,
ultimately resulting in a lower financial impact due to
vacant positions being open a shorter amount of time.

WASTE MANAGEMENT CASE STUDY

Waste Management is a North American
waste management, comprehensive waste and
environmental services company. We want Waste Management to be an employer of choice
and to provide white-glove experience throughout the
hiring journey, which begins at the candidate level.
Data showed that our candidates were spending 45
minutes or more on average simply applying, and we lost
1. What changes have you made to your candidate many candidates during the process, leading to many
experience recently? What improvements are you incomplete applications.
most proud of? How do you know that your changes In 2019, we are maintaining a level of excellence that
are making a difference? began in 2018 with the new apply form, minimizing the
Recently we have implemented several initiatives to amount of time that a candidate would need to spend in
improve candidate experience, including expanding applying for a job.
our internal careers team to allow candidates to get
We strongly believe this is an indication that we value
assistance, starting with the application and running
the candidate experience, because we originally took a
through the hiring process. Our careers team has improved
45-minute apply form and transformed it into a 5-minute
its response times, so we are resolving candidate issues
application.
faster, allowing candidates to feel engaged and valued.
In addition, we have further implemented the use of 3. How did you build support and commitment
Montage-automated video and voice recorded interviews. within your team and the broader organization?
This has improved the process because we no longer How did you demonstrate the importance of
require candidates to schedule and travel for an in-
candidate experience?
person interview for an initial screening. These automated
interviews allow more flexibility for candidates to Waste Management has embraced a commitment of
decide when is an optimal time to interview, as well as “Success with Integrity,” doing the right thing the right
streamlining the process for our internal stakeholders way. Talent has embraced that commitment and is
by reducing the coordination of calendar availability for dedicated to doing the right things the right way in our
initial screens. organization as well. We have expanded our careers team,
which shows a commitment to our candidates.
We constantly re-engage with We are also constantly re-engaging with our business
partners and other departments to ensure that we provide
business partners and other a white-glove experience, not only to our actual candidates
departments to ensure we provide but also to passive and potential candidates and internal
stakeholders.
a white-glove experience, not
only to actual candidates but to
passive and potential candidates
and internal stakeholders as well.

4. How do you measure candidate experience? The recruiting process is
calculated in various ways —we
impact as well as manage recruiter and hiring look at time to offer monthly to
manager behaviors? see how quickly candidates are
In addition to the annual Talent Board survey, we monitor
our analytics for our careers team to ensure that they are
being spoken to and how quickly
actively resolving candidate questions and concerns. requisitions are being closed.
Our careers team ensures that we meet the service
level agreement so that we are constantly engaged with
candidates.
The recruiting process is calculated in various ways

— we look at time to offer monthly to see how quickly
candidates are being spoken to and how quickly
requisitions are being closed.
We also send weekly reports to management to ensure

that there are no candidates that are stuck in the
recruiting process that should have been dispositioned
or should be moving forward in the process. And we send
weekly activity reports, where our team members provide
updates on what is occurring on each req and what is
occurring on each candidate within the req.
To demonstrate financial impact, there is a cost

associated with each job open. With the cost we also
recommend that the hiring manager consistently provide
interview feedback to provide higher ROI.

2019 North American CandE Award Winners

2019 North American Candidate Experience Report

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

2019 North American Candidate Experience Report

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

2019 North American Candidate Experience Report

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

2019

ATTRACT: Employer Branding,

RECRUIT: Screen and Interview 53

HIRE: Offer and Onboarding 64

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report i

2019 NORTH AMERICAN CANDE AWARD WINNERS 117

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report ii

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 1

Each year, companies participating in Talent Board’s

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 3

There has been a 40% increase

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 4

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 5

76% When asked for feedback prior to their

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 6

PROCTER & GAMBLE DR. REDDY’S

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 7

KRONOS INC POINTCLICKCARE

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 8

Candidates believe they have

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 9

Industrial Goods Health Care

Over 100,000 10,001-25,000

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 10

Table 1. Talent Acquisition Operational Model

2019 2018 2017 2016

Decentralized (division/line of business dedicated recruiters, org

Outsourced (RPO, HRO, third-party vendor) 16% 13% 8% 6%

Table 2. How Employers Describe Their Own Overall Candidate Experience

2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014

Improving 22% 25% 33% 30% 30% 20%

Improving - Winners 13% 12% 22% 12% 20% 18%

Competing 63% 60% 40% 43% 43% 49%

Competing - Winners 68% 67% 42% 44% 35% 48%

Leading 13% 14% 25% 23% 23% 27%

Leading - Winners 17% 19% 36% 42% 44% 30%

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 11

2019 Employers 2019 Candidates

Rejection Rating 3.1 2.4

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 12

Table 4. When Employers Ask for Candidate Experience Feedback

2019 2018 2017 2016

Before candidates apply 1% 1% 1% 2%

After candidates apply, but before the interview 5% 8% 7% 9%

After candidates are hired 13% 12% 22% 12%

All of the above 38% 36% 27% 23%

We don’t survey candidates about their experience 18% 14% 10% 7%

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 13

Table 5. How Candidate Experience Is Aligned to Recruiter Performance

It is regularly discussed in informal performance reviews with

It is regularly discussed in formal reviews but the measure

It is regularly discussed in formal reviews. Candidate experience

It is regularly discussed in formal reviews. Candidate experience

It is regularly discussed in formal reviews. Candidate experience

Table 6. Hiring Managers and Candidate Feedback

Internal External Referral

Yes, hiring managers provide approved detailed feedback. 86% 8% 6%

2019 North American Candidate Experience Research Report 14