If you work in recruitment or talent acquisition, you’ve probably heard the phrase “candidate experience” thrown around more than ever recently, and for good reason. In a market where top talent often has multiple offers on the table, the experience someone has throughout your hiring process can be the difference between winning them… or losing them to a competitor.
But what actually makes a good candidate experience? And why are companies finally realising how powerful it can be for their brand, their reputation, and their bottom line? Let’s break it down.
1. Communication is everything
Ghosting isn’t just something that happens on dating apps! It still happens in recruitment, too. The fastest way to ruin a candidate’s impression of your brand is to leave them hanging. Whether it’s a quick update, feedback after an interview, or a simple “we haven’t forgotten about you”, candidates just want transparency.
Good communication doesn’t mean constant updates, it means clear, consistent, and human ones.
2. Respect people’s time
A great candidate experience values people’s time. That means streamlined interview processes (three rounds, not ten), clear expectations upfront, and avoiding unnecessary delays. Candidates should walk away thinking, “Even if I didn’t get the job, that was a really professional process.”
Remember: how you treat people in the interview process says a lot about how you treat people internally.
3. Personalisation goes a long way
Candidates can spot a copy-and-paste outreach message a mile away. The same goes for generic interview processes. A good experience feels tailored, even just a small nod to their background or a thoughtful interview question shows that you’ve done your homework.
In today’s world, recruitment is as much about engagement as it is about assessment.
4. Technology should enhance, not replace, the human touch
AI tools, chatbots, and automation have made recruitment faster, but they shouldn’t make it colder. The best companies use technology to remove friction, not connection. For example, automated interview reminders and feedback forms are great — as long as they don’t replace a real conversation when it matters most.
Automation is a tool. Empathy is the differentiator.
5. Feedback is gold dust
Feedback isn’t just for candidates, it’s for your business too. Asking candidates about their experience (through NPS surveys or short follow-ups) gives you a real insight into how your process feels on the other side.
Companies that treat candidate feedback seriously tend to hire faster, retain better, and build stronger reputations in their markets.
So why does all this matter?
Because in 2025, experience is your brand. Candidates talk and they share experiences on Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and within their networks. A smooth, transparent, and positive process doesn’t just help you hire; it turns candidates into brand advocates, even if they weren’t successful.
In short, the companies that invest in creating a thoughtful, candidate-first experience will win the best people, faster. And in a competitive market, it’s your biggest opportunity to stand out.