Immediate Candidate Feedback Pays Off

Here’s the thing: immediate candidate feedback pays off. It’s true. No fake news here.

In 2018, over 30,000 North American candidates who were interviewed and then given job-related feedback by end of that same day said they were 52 percent more likely to increase their relationship with the employer (apply again, refer others, make and/or influence purchases if and when applicable).

However, if feedback wasn’t given, the same candidates were more than twice as likely to sever the relationship. This was greater than even those who were given just recruiting process feedback at the end of the day (receiving next steps), which still included 41 percent of candidates more likely to increase their relationship.

This is one of many important takeaways from Talent Board’s 2018 North American Candidate Experience Benchmark Research Report. Our annual signature research – focused on the elevation and promotion of a quality candidate experience – covers the best practices, platforms and processes that enable companies to provide an exemplary recruiting experience to their job candidates. Presenting the key research findings from the latest Talent Board research, the report showcases the leading factors impacting candidate experience today from pre-application to onboarding.

The 2018 Talent Board North American Candidate Experience Benchmark Research Report is based more than 130,000 completed surveys from candidates who applied to positions at 200 companies across industries, most of whom did not get the job. Through these candidate surveys, Talent Board discerned the current state of candidate experience, as well as the tools, processes and technologies employers today use in their recruiting practices, and how they contribute to the candidate experience.

Here are 2 more of 10 key takeaways this year:

• Referrals Are Critical: It goes without saying that employers depend on referrals for quality candidates. And while 30 percent of candidates in 2018 still cited employee referrals as a valuable channel, down 17 percent from 2017, 42.7 percent of referred candidates were much more likely to increase their relationship with a potential employer (apply again, refer others, make purchases if and when applicable), more so than if they conducted their own search or if they received unsolicited outreach from a recruiter.
  
  
• Pick Up the Phone: The types of rejection communication candidates receive when they were no longer being considered after the screening and interview process can make a big difference in whether or not they apply again or refer others. According to our data, these included automated email replies (63 percent), personal emails from recruiters and hiring managers (21 percent), and personal phone calls from recruiters and hiring managers (only 7 percent). The positive candidate ratings jump upwards of 28 percent when they receive a phone versus the automated email rejection, a big difference that can go a long way.

Employers around the world can register for the 2019 Talent Board CandE Awards Benchmark Research Program starting March 1, 2019. This includes North America, EMEA, APAC and for the first time Latin America. Employers that recruit and hire in any country in these regions are encouraged to participate in the 2019 CandE program. Companies that have the highest positive candidate ratings in our benchmark research also qualify to win our coveted CandE Awards.

Download the 2018 Talent Board North American Candidate Experience Benchmark Research Report today at: bit.ly/2018TBCandEResearch. The 2018 EMEA and APAC Candidate Experience research reports will also be available in February and March 2019.

Kevin W. Grossman, President and Board Member, Talent Board