Press Releases

Talent Board 2017 North American Candidate Experience Research Report Now Available

Annual Report Explores the Latest Trends, Technologies and Practices that Lead to a Better Candidate Experience

SAN FRANCISCOFeb. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Talent Board, a non-profit organization focused on the elevation and promotion of a quality candidate experience with data benchmark research, today announced the release of its 2017 North American Candidate Experience research report. This signature research 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 2017 Candidate Experience (CandE) Awards and Be

nchmark Research Program, the report showcases the leading factors impacting candidate experience today from pre-application to onboarding.

2017 North American CandE Research Report“For the past seven years, Talent Board has been researching, measuring and sharing the business value of job candidates’ experiences. Its goal has been and continues to be providing real-world insight on the need for businesses to adopt positive and transparent recruiting practices that contribute to a strong candidate experience and help them to continually attract and engage the best talent,” said Gerry Crispin, co-founder of Talent Board and principal and chief navigator at CareerXroads. “Through our annual research report, Talent Board keeps a finger on the pulse of the candidate experience landscape, from the moment a candidate starts to research a company through onboarding, recognizing innovative practices and identifying where improvement may be needed.”

The North American Candidate Experience 2017 research report is based on 180,000 surveys of candidates who applied to positions at 200 companies, 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. Key takeaways this year include:

  • Take a Customer-Centric Approach: Corporate marketing and customer service aren’t the only teams today using social media channels and websites to serve “customers.” Savvy employers are making their recruiting teams available to answer questions during live chats on career sites and social media, as well as experimenting with chatbots to answer general employment questions. The latter frees up the recruiting teams to have more hands-on time with potential candidates already in play.
  • Communication and Feedback Continue to Be Differentiators: CandE Award winners continue to differentiate themselves from pre-application to onboarding, communicating more with candidates, giving candidates feedback earlier in the recruiting process, and asking candidates for feedback even before they apply for a job. Most candidates who have an overall “very poor” 1-star and 2-star candidate experience – representing tens of thousands of candidates in the Talent Board research – are getting very little if any consistent communication and/or feedback, a missed opportunity in a highly competitive talent marketplace.
  • The Business Impact Is Here for Good (Or Ill Will): The trend continues: candidates who believe they have had a “negative” overall experience say they will take their alliance, product purchases and relationship somewhere else. This means a potential loss of revenue for consumer-based businesses, referral networks for all companies and whether or not future-fit and silver-medalist candidates apply again. However, the good news is that those who had a “great” overall experience say they’ll definitely increase their employer relationships – they’ll apply again, refer others and make purchases when applicable. These aren’t just the job finalists either, or those hired, but the majority are individuals who research and apply for jobs and who aren’t hired.

“Each year, Talent Board takes a deep look at how employers are managing their recruiting and candidate experience, and how it impacts their business and employment brand,” said Kevin Grossman, president of global programs at Talent Board. “We deeply appreciate the candidates sharing their job search experiences with us and are grateful to all participating companies for opening themselves up to an in-depth evaluation of their recruiting practices. Their participation is what powers our research and provides the insights to help all businesses learn what they can do to continually improve the candidate experience.”

Registration for the 2018 North American CandE Awards Benchmark Program will open in March 2018.

The 2017 North American Candidate Experience research report is available for download at: https://www.thetalentboard.org/cande-awards/cande-results-2017/. The 2017 EMEA and APAC Candidate Experience research reports will also be available in February 2018.

About Talent Board
Talent Board is a non-profit organization focused on the elevation and promotion of a
quality candidate experience. The organization, Candidate Experience (CandE)
Awards program and its sponsors are dedicated to recognizing the candidate
experience offered by companies throughout the entire recruitment cycle and to
forever changing the manner in which job candidates are treated. The CandE
Awards also serve as a benchmarking program to raise awareness of the benefits
of a positive candidate experience and highlight the processes, methodologies
and technology that can enhance the recruiting experience as demonstrated by
the winning organizations. More information can be accessed at https://www.thetalentboard.org.

Media Contact:
Kevin Grossman
189736@email4pr.com
831-419-6810

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