You could be losing top talent—while ruining their experience—without even realizing it.
Yes, you heard us right. It’s time to analyze this and talk numbers.
But measuring candidate experience is no easy feat.
So, we’re here to teach you exactly how to do so and reveal the key metrics you need to track.
Let’s get started!
How can recruiters use KPIs to measure candidate experience?
To help you measure the candidate experience, here are the top five KPIs you should keep track of.
1. Time-to-hire
Tracking the length of time from application to offer is a classic recruiter KPI that is significant for optimizing candidate experience.
Keeping track of your time-to-hire metric can help you understand how quick and efficient your hiring process is, as it shows candidates that you value their time and are serious about filling the role.
Conversely, the slower your hiring process is, the higher the chances of your candidates losing interest.
2. Interview-to-offer ratio
Interviewing can be highly time-consuming. If your interview-to-offer ratio is low, your investment is just not paying off.
You can consider strengthening the candidate screening stage.
Implementing pre-screening tools, such as skill assessments or personality tests, can help filter out unqualified candidates before they reach the interview stage, saving time and resources.
Tools like Harver, Pymetrics, and Vervoe can streamline this process, ensuring that only the most suitable candidates proceed to interviews.
3. Candidate drop-off rate
Appcast released a study reporting that 92% of candidates never finish an application they start if it takes longer than 15 minutes to complete.
This highlights the importance of a seamless application experience, which can help your company stand out and attract top talent.
A high drop-off rate signals the need to simplify and optimize the application process.
Enhancing the candidate experience by making forms mobile-friendly and reducing unnecessary fields is crucial for increasing engagement.
Additionally, testing shorter application times, improving the user interface (UI) of your recruitment website, and providing clear communication throughout the process can further encourage candidates to complete their applications.
4. Offer acceptance rate
A high offer acceptance rate results from good communication and a positive candidate experience.
Ideally, organizations should aim for an offer acceptance rate of at least 90%, depending on the seniority of the role and industry. To measure this ratio, divide the number of offers accepted by the number of offers extended.
Understanding why candidates turned you down is an excellent way to tackle low offer acceptance rates.
A positive candidate experience is the first step to persuading top talent to accept your offer.
Read more: 8 quick tips for highly effective candidate communication
5. Net promoter score
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a common metric used to gauge customer satisfaction, but today, recruiters use this metric to track candidate experience, too.
In short, NPS measures how candidates rate their experience with your company.
While calculating a Net Promoter Score might sound overwhelming, it’s actually quite simple. Candidates are asked to rate their experience on a scale of 1 to 10.
Those who give a rating of 9 or 10 are considered “promoters,” 1 to 6 are “detractors,” and 7 or 8 are “passive.”
The score ranges from -100 to 100. If all your respondents are detractors, your NPS will be -100, but if they’re all promoters, it’ll be 100.
An NPS of 50 or above is excellent, and the closer your score is to 100, the more promoters you have.
Beyond the score, NPS can reveal areas where your candidate’s experience needs improvement.
Read more: 8 free candidate experience questions & templates for use.
5 best practices to improve candidate experience through actionable feedback
1. Personalize communication
Applicants want to be dealt with personally, not just as faceless entries in a system.
Keep them informed about the stages, whether acknowledging their application or updating post-interview.
A quick email or call shows you respect their time and effort.
Don’t miss out: 10+ email subject lines recruiters can use to win over candidates [+5 super tips]
2. Practice transparency
It is important to let candidates know where they stand in the hiring process and what comes next. If there’s going to be a holdup, say so.
Transparency helps manage expectations and reduces anxiety, making the entire experience much more positive.
3. Provide feedback
Even for those who are not selected, constructive feedback is invaluable.
It shows that you value their effort and want to help them improve.
A simple yet well-thought-out message goes a long way and creates a positive impression on the candidates, which might encourage them to apply again in the future.
4. Simplify the process
Nobody likes a long, complicated application process.
Streamline it by removing excess steps and making it mobile-friendly. The easier it is to apply, the better their experience will be.
5. Train your hiring team
Your hiring team is the first contact with your company, so they should be trained to deliver a consistent, positive candidate experience.
This would involve communicating effectively, interviewing fairly, and representing your company’s values.
You might also like: 8 free templates for candidate experience surveys that give you the right insights
Frequently asked questions
1. Is it necessary to measure candidate experience for every role?
Yes, every role matters. Whether you are recruiting for an entry-level or senior position, candidates’ experience determines their perception of your company.
Measurement at all levels will help realize that nothing is being missed in the hiring process.
2. What are the common mistakes to avoid while measuring candidate experience?
While metrics are valuable, don’t ignore qualitative feedback from candidates.
The other pitfall is collecting feedback and not acting on it: closing the loop and implementing changes based on the insights you gain are necessary.
3. Can automation hurt the candidate experience?
When used thoughtfully, automation can improve the candidate experience by speeding up communications and smoothing processes.
Conversely, overusing automation without personal interaction can make candidates feel like just numbers.
4. What should I do in case I receive negative feedback from candidates?
Negative feedback is the goldmine of improvement. Never take it to heart; rather, take this as an opportunity to improve your process.
If possible, contact the candidate, thank them for their honesty, and make changes, if necessary, to handle similar issues in the future.
It shows that you value their input and are committed to improving.
