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The 2018 Talent Board North American Candidate Experience Benchmark Research Report Now Available

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

SAN FRANCISCOFeb. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Talent Board, a non-profit organization focused on the elevation and promotion of a quality candidate experience, today announced the release of its 2018 North American Candidate Experience Benchmark 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 latest Talent Board research, the report showcases the leading factors impacting candidate experience today from pre-application to onboarding.

“For over eight years now, 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 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. Key takeaways this year include:

  • 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.
  • Immediate Feedback Pays Off: 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 purchases if and when applicable). Whereas, if feedback was not given, they’re more than twice as likely to sever the relationship (8 percent vs. 2.6 percent). This was greater than even those who were given just recruiting process feedback at the end of the day (next steps), which still included 41 percent of candidates more likely to increase their relationship.
  • 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.

“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 and board member 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. In fact, employers told us that candidate experience, employer branding, and recruitment marketing will be their top three recruiting initiatives for 2019. And talent acquisition leaders and their teams will accomplish these by improving their internal processes and efficiencies, followed by implementing new technologies, and keep current staffing.”

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.

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

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.

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