Only a few weeks ago, candidate resentment as we measure it was the highest we’ve ever seen in our 2024 CandE Benchmark Research, just like thermometers throughout the Northern Hemisphere. These candidates feel like they had a poor candidate experience and aren’t willing to apply again, refer others, be brand advocates, or even be customers for B2C companies.
The data’s coming in fast from all the companies benchmarking this year. A few weeks ago, we had less than 40,000 global candidate responses, and now we’re nearly double that! The ratings we capture fluctuate, but the closer we get to this year’s deadline of August 31, the more the benchmarks (or average ratings) will solidify.
It’s certainly not the candidate market it was two years ago. Fewer jobs are available today than last year—from 12 million to 8 million—even though unemployment is still low. Recruiting teams are leaner due to layoffs and churn; burnout is still prevalent.
Candidate frustration is higher than ever, and candidate resentment is still trending higher globally, as you can see from the chart below. EMEA is the highest right now, followed by North America. It’s like we’re under one big candidate experience heat dome.
Current 2024 Global Candidate Resentment
I know, I know. There is always so much resentment and sunburn (and heartburn) from the CandEs. When we talk about the ultimate outcomes of hiring and what happens across the candidate journey, employers with above-average ratings in our benchmark research consistently excel in areas like timely communication and feedback.
Let’s focus on the details. Each year, we ask candidates about the last step they completed in the recruiting process at the time of our survey. It’s clear that most resentment stems from being informed they didn’t get the job, and this sentiment is even higher in 2024. This rejection can further taint perceptions and deepen negative feelings.
Interestingly, in 2023, resentment from candidates who withdrew from the process was 54% higher than it is this year. Such resentment usually arises when candidates feel their time is disrespected during screening and interviews. It’s a positive sign that this has decreased, but we’ll see the final ratings by the end of August.
The lowest resentment rates come from candidates who completed new hire verification steps and those who accepted offers. This consistently results in a positive skew in our data year after year.
Resentment % Rates: The Last Recruitment Process Step
Overall, resentment is up across the end of the candidate’s journey, even for those who have accepted the job. No matter how well you deliver your candidate experience, informing candidates they didn’t get the job will almost always lead to negative ratings.
If you want to quickly calculate how much candidate resentment could cost you, check out our resentment calculator here.
To improve the candidate experience and, ultimately, your business, we recommend that recruiting teams and hiring managers invest in timely communication and feedback loops at the screening, interviewing, offer, and onboarding stages. Candidates and hiring teams are already investing significant time and energy. Here are some proven practices from our 2023 CandE Winners for these stages.
Structured Interviews and Next Steps
Employers that implement more candidate-friendly and fair interview processes, structured with a consistent process and set of questions across job types, help reduce bias, improve selection, and improve the candidate experience. In 2023, the highest-rated CandE Winners conducted structured interviews 19% more than all employers combined, and all CandE Winners conducted them 8% more often than all employers combined.
Structured interviews usually drive higher positive candidate ratings and a higher level of perceived fairness. Also, candidates’ willingness to refer others was 119% 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 (over 50% were
hourly candidates), it’s still a big differentiator for all companies and CandE winners. Recruiters and/or hiring managers at CandE Winner companies also establish follow-up dates with finalists and keep those dates 16% more often than all other companies combined.
Finalist Feedback Increases Willingness to Refer
The highest-rated companies in our research all provide some feedback to finalists, and CandE Winners overall gave 12% more feedback to finalists than all other companies combined in 2023. Here’s why giving feedback can pay off: When specific feedback was given to candidates, their willingness to refer others increased by 46% this year, and their willingness to increase their relationship with the employer increased by 47%.
Also 2023, 25% of all candidates were asked for feedback after being screened and interviewed, and 29% of CandE Winner candidates were asked. Those invited to provide feedback at this stage were 114% more likely to refer others. These relationships are always impacted by various other positive activities that impact experience. As always in our research year after year, if disruption is minimal, 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 crucial in recruiting, especially for the candidates who get the offers. In 2023, 61% of candidate respondents said less than one week elapsed between the last interview and receiving an offer letter, as in 2022. 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 119%, and their willingness to increase their relationship with the employer increased 122%. Also, CandE-Winning companies made the offers within one week of the final interviews, 6% more often than all companies combined.
Pre-boarding Engagement and Nurturing
Whether they’ve won a CandE Award or not, more employers struggle to invest in more communication and engagement preboarding activities with new hires before their start date. However, the percentage of candidates who received a text from their hiring manager before day one increased by 19% since 2021, from 21% to 25%. And the percentage of candidates who received a text from recruiters and/or HR before day one increased even more – 80% since 2021, from 15% to 27%. This aligns with the increase in text messaging and automated outreach we’ve found in our research.
Also, when employers provide multiple options to communicate goals, meet key team members, and answer questions before candidates’ start dates, these candidates were 137% more willing to increase their relationship out of the gate, compared to 110% higher just because they accepted the job offers. Again, the more nurturing and engagement that occurs before their start date, the greater the opportunity to improve new hire retention from the beginning.
The data we’re collecting for 2024 will differ from 2023. Still, in the end, this year’s CandE Award Winners—like all CandE Award Winners over the years—will always overdeliver and sustain timely and consistent communication and feedback. So, like our past CandE Winners, take a dip in the recruiting improvement pool and cool off inside the candidate resentment heat dome.
You can’t win a CandE if you don’t Benchmark your candidate experience! There’s still time to participate in our 2024 CandE Benchmark Research Program. The deadline is August 31 to complete all the steps and collect the candidate surveys, and companies can complete all our benchmarking steps in less than two weeks. Once the deadline passes, all participating companies will receive a detailed final report from our team. Learn more and register here.
