Each year we highlight key takeaways from the Candidate Experience Benchmark Research, and for 2024, we’re highlighting 12 across the candidate journey from over 230,000 candidate responses. While many of these takeaways are North American centric due to a higher percentage of participating employers and concentration of collected candidate experience feedback data, the key themes in each takeaway resonate globally.
- CONTENTMENT IS DOWN, RESENTMENT IS UP, AGAIN
This year, the overall positive candidate experience, what we now call candidate contentment, continued to decline sharply. Candidate resentment, the very negative experience, increased everywhere, even in historically positive skewed regions like APAC and Latin America. Candidate contentment has always been the highest on average in APAC and Latin America (with some exceptions), and candidate resentment has always been the highest in North America followed by EMEA.
Resentment is a major indicator we track each year and it’s never been higher than in 2024. And globally the two industries with the highest resentment rates were Technology and Finance & Insurance. In North America, the resentment rates for these industries were 25%, while the average was 14%. Contributing factors included layoffs, fewer open jobs, and it taking much longer to get hired, especially for professional salaried candidates, and less timely communication and feedback loops. Candidate resentment impacts a business and its brand because candidates who report having a very poor recruiting experience are less likely to apply again, refer others, have any brand affinity, and/or make purchases if the employer is a consumer-based company.
- COMPANY VALUES TOPPED CANDIDATE RESEARCH, AGAIN
In 2024, CandE-Winning organizations have a 38% higher NPS rating at the research/attract stage (59 compared to 40 for all companies in North America). This includes providing content around company values – something continues to be the most valuable to candidates in our research. Values were again the number one type of marketing content consumed during research, with 46% of all candidates citing it as most important, up slightly from 2023. That’s followed by company culture at 30%, which is underscored by values. What’s clear in 2024 is that candidates wanted a high level of transparency regarding the organizations in which they were interested – especially on how they might “belong” through all the recent economic fluctuations and layoffs. The dismantling of DEI will also have a long-lasting impact on candidates’ perception of company values.
- CANDIDATE REFERRALS AND BRAND AMBASSADORS
While only 18% of candidates in 2024 cited referrals as a valuable research channel, down from 2023, referred candidates said they would increase their relationship with potential employers 35% more (apply again, refer others, make purchases if and when applicable), compared with those who conducted their own search or those who received unsolicited outreach from a recruiter.
And the more positive the candidate experience, the more likely candidates are to refer others – this year CandE Winners have a 56% higher willingness to refer others NPS rating (23 compared to 13 for all companies in North America), which is even higher than in 2023. Employers hire 20% to 40% of their workforce from referrals, so referrals are quite the critical competitive differentiator, especially today’s still highly competitive candidate market.
- TECHNOLOGY IMPROVED COMMUNICATION AND HELPED REDUCE BIAS
61% of CandE Winners said they used a text-based recruiting system in 2024, 8% more than all other companies combined in our research, and this has increased steadily since 2020. The difference was 16% in 2023, so it’s clear that more and more companies understand this as a communications differentiator. Job alerts and text-to-apply notifications can increase positive candidate sentiment and perception of fairness due to consistent communication.
Text-messaging deliverability is also more reliable than email messaging due to spam filters and hourly candidates not checking their emails regularly. Also, AI and other smart technologies are helping employers with a greater hiring volume improve their recruiting and candidate communications, and have definitely increased in utilization this year. 19% of all employers in 2024 said they’re utilizing conversational AI chatbots, similar to the CandE Winners. Like texting, more employers are realizing that it’s a competitive differentiator to communicate earlier with candidates, even before they apply.
- TIMELY DISPOSITIONS AND WAITING TO HEAR BACK
One of the biggest differentiators at the application stage is the fact that many of the highest-rated companies in our research (CandE Winners) are dispositioning or moving forward candidates within 3-5 days after they apply. At most, this process should take 1-2 weeks. Although the difference is smaller than it’s been in the past, in 2024 CandE Winners were still dispositioning more regularly at 3-5 days 5% more often than all employers did, but down from 2023 (11%). Employers who hold onto candidates until the job requisitions are filled are risking increased negative sentiment and a lower perception of fairness overall.
This is a tough spot for employers because, on average, most of those candidates who apply are not qualified for the job. But it’s still better to let them know and focus on those they are going to screen. Also this year, 29% of North America candidates reported that they had not heard back from employers 1-2+ months after they applied, which was down 19% from 2023. It’s true that disposition timelines will vary across job types, but 1-2+ months later and negative sentiment does increase dramatically. CandE Winners, however, had 52% fewer candidates waiting to hear back in 2024, which is a significant difference with less of a negative impact on business and brand.
- CHATBOTS, TEXT TO APPLY, AND MOBILE APPLY
Recruiting technology today definitely helps with prompting and engaging candidates at the application stage. When potential candidates were able to launch the application from a text in 2024, their application NPS rating increased dramatically, from 13 to 63. And when candidates had the ability to ask a chatbot questions during the application process, their application NPS rating increased dramatically as well, from 13 to 69. For CandE Winners, 18% more candidates were engaged by chatbots during the application process, and 24% more candidates launched the application from a text alert. Interestingly the difference was much smaller in 2024 than in 2023, with more employers making those application improvements.
While there are strong relationships with these activities, they aren’t the only ones that drive higher ratings by themselves. Most likely, it’s a series of consistent practices that we outline each year that drive higher ratings, especially for CandE Winners. Candidates also want ease-of-use when they apply for a job and on the device of their choice. And while nearly all employers said they again offered mobile apply the past few years, only 40% of candidates said they applied via mobile, slightly higher than in 2023. Mobile apply jumped 28% for CandE Winners, which also had a much higher percentage of hourly candidates. This makes sense considering that these candidates’ personal phones are their primary personal computers, too.
- A HIGHER LEVEL OF POSITIVE PERCEIVED FAIRNESS
At this point in the recruiting process, most employers are engaging candidate semi finalists and finalists more consistently and fairly. Or at least, they should be, and based on all activities from pre-application to the interview stage, CandE Winners do engage in them more consistently. They have a competitive edge when it comes to candidates’ perception of assessment and interview fairness. While “fairness” is subjective, candidates who find any recruiting step and/or stage fair and positive are those willing to apply again, refer, and increase brand affinity.
In 2024, CandE Winners had a 36% higher assessment perception of fairness and a 21% higher interview perception of fairness than all other companies combined. Overall, the candidates’ willingness to refer others for all employers and CandE winners increased dramatically when they rated their interview fairness with 4- and 5-star ratings. CandE-winning candidates usually rate their overall fairness with more 4-and 5-star ratings, due to these employers investing in more timely and consistent communications and feedback.
- STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS AND NEXT STEPS
Employers that implement more candidate-friendly and fair interview processes, ones that are structured with a consistent process and set of questions across job types, help reduce bias, improve selection, and improve the candidate experience. In 2024, all CandE Winners conducted structured interviews about the same as all employers combined – actually a little less overall. The good news is that this could mean that more employers, at least in 2024, are investing in structured interviewing, which always reaps the benefit of a great positive candidate experience. Still, only two thirds of all employers said they delivered structured interview processes.
Structured interviews usually drive higher positive candidate ratings and a higher level of perceived fairness. Also, candidates’ willingness to refer others was dramatically higher when they were provided with information on their job fit and candidacy status at the end of the interview day. While a much smaller pool of candidates received this immediate feedback, and nearly 60% were hourly candidates, it’s still a big differentiator for all companies as well as CandE winners. Recruiters and/or hiring managers at CandE Winner companies also establish follow-up dates with finalists and keep those dates more often than all other companies combined, although the difference is smaller than ever.
- FINALIST FEEDBACK INCREASES WILLINGNESS TO REFER
Most of the highest-rated companies in our research this year provide some level of feedback to finalists, and CandE Winners overall gave 13% more feedback to finalists than all other companies combined in 2024. That may not seem like a big difference, but here’s why giving feedback can pay off: When specific feedback was given to candidates, their willingness to refer others NPS rating increased by over 50% in 2024. Their willingness to increase their relationship with the employer NPS rating increased by 20%.
Also, 27% of all candidates were asked for feedback after being screened and interviewed, and 30% CandE Winner candidates were asked, slightly higher than 2023. Those invited to provide feedback were 126% more likely to refer others. These relationships are always impacted by a combined variety of other positive activities that impact experience. And as always in our research year after year, if disruption is at a minimum, and the candidates feel the interview process was fair, they’re more willing to engage the business again and refer others.
- INTERVIEW TO OFFER TIME
Time is always a crucial factor in recruiting, especially for the candidates who get the offers. This year 64% of candidate respondents said that less than one week elapsed between the last interview and their receipt of an offer letter, up slightly from 2023. In addition to the bump in ratings when candidates are made offers in general, if employers make the offer within one week of the final interview, the candidates’ willingness to refer others increased dramatically, and their willingness to increase their relationship with the employer increased as well. Also, CandE-Winning companies made the offers within one week of the final interviews slightly more often than all companies combined. However, it’s clear that most employers are “all in” with their new hires, hence the smaller difference at this stage.
- PREBOARDING ENGAGEMENT
Even though only 20% of companies on average the past three years have provided multiple options to communicate goals to new hires, have them meet key team members, get questions answered, all prior to their start date, these candidates were significantly more willing to increase their relationship out of the gate, compared to those who accepted the job offers without those options. Again, the more nurturing and engagement that occurs prior to their start date, the greater opportunity to improve new hire retention from the beginning, at least in the short run, and to build the bridges from candidate to employee experience.
- NEW HIRE FEEDBACK
It’s still surprising each year how few companies ask new hires for feedback before they start day one, especially compared with what their candidates tell us. This year, only 41% said they ask for candidate feedback before day one, down 15% from 2023, but only 30% of candidates said they were asked, a difference of 31%. It’s about the same for CandE-Winning companies and their candidates. But for those who do ask for feedback from new hires, the benefits are always positive: Candidates who were asked to provide feedback prior to their start date had a dramatic increase in willingness to refer others and in their positive relationship with employers. And even though there is a bump in these ratings because these candidates were hired, asking for feedback can strengthen the affinity further.
These takeaways will be part of the comprehensive 2024 CandE Benchmark Research coming out very soon. You can find all our latest research here.