Questionnaires regarding candidate experience

The following candidate experience survey questions are provided with tips for evaluating the responses. Ensure that your candidate experience is improved by setting up an effective survey.

The experience of candidates should be measured

The candidate experience encompasses all aspects of a job seeker’s interaction with your organization. From the moment a candidate applies for a position with your organization until the moment he or she is rejected or extended a job offer. Set up a candidate experience survey to determine whether you leave a positive impression on candidates survey. You can benefit from candidate experience surveys in the following ways:

• Find out what your hiring process is doing anonymously. Candidate feedback directly. It doesn’t guarantee they’ll be honest, but they think your process is good. The anonymity of surveys facilitates candid responses from candidates. 

• Determine what needs to be improved. Recruiting combined with candidate experience surveys. Metrics give you a clear understanding of how your hiring process is performing as well as where improvements are needed Enhancement. 
• Enhance the employer brand of your organization. A request for feedback demonstrates that you are interested in what others have to say. Your hiring process should be improved by showing candidates that you value their opinions.
  

Questionnaire samples for candidate experience surveys

• Can you tell me about the position for which you interviewed?
• The interview process was:

(select as many as apply)

• Challenging and interesting
• Fast and fluid
• Rather boring
• Too long
• Other

• Please rate the following statement: “My phone and email communication with the recruiter was prompt.”

• Always
• Most of the time
• Sometimes
• Rarely
• Never
  
  
• After the hiring process, how well do you believe you understand the role?

• I got a very clear understanding of the role.
• I understood most parts of the role.
• I understood the basics of the role.
• I didn’t understand most parts of the role.
• I didn’t understand the role at all.

• How consistent was the job description with what was presented to you about the role

• during the hiring process?
• Very consistent
• Mostly consistent
• Somewhat consistent
• Barely consistent
• Not consistent at all

• Please rate the following statement: “My interviewers were well-prepared.”

• Strongly agree (for example, “They knew everything about my background and

what was covered in previous interviews.”)

• Agree (for example, “They knew most things about my background but asked a few things I had answered before.”)
• Disagree (for example, “They spent some time to review my application at the time of the interview” or “They hadn’t prepared their interview questions beforehand.”)
• Strongly disagree (for example, “They hadn’t read my resume at all” or “They

didn’t know we had an interview.”)

• You would have performed better in your assignment if you had:

• Detailed instructions
• Clarifications from the hiring manager
• More time
• N/A – I had adequate resources and time to successfully complete the assignment
• Other (Please explain: __________________)
  
• How likely are you to recommend our company as an employer?

• Very likely
• Likely
• Somewhat likely
• Not likely
• Not at all likely
  

• What do you think would make our hiring process better?
  
• Is there anything else you’d like to add about your experience with our hiring process?
  

How to design candidate experience surveys

Select appropriate survey software. Online survey tools like Typeform and Google Forms let you create simple and functional questionnaires. This way, you collect feedback anonymously, which prompts candidates to provide their honest opinions.

Use a mix of closed and open-ended questions. Candidates can quickly answer closed

questions (e.g. multiple choice) while they can better express their opinions in open-ended questions (e.g. “How can we improve our hiring process?”) Combine these two types of questions, but keep your survey short, with eight to 10 questions at a maximum. Send your survey to both candidates you reject and hire. You will gain different insights from candidates who reached different hiring stages. For example, you can learn whether you leave a positive impression even when you turn candidates down and if your recruiting is consistent end-to-end.

How to measure and use results from your candidate experience surveys

Look for patterns in candidates’ answers. Rejected candidates might leave bitter

comments or give you a low score if they’re disappointed they didn’t get hired. But, if you find that many candidates say the same things, consider improving specific areas of your hiring process. For example, if recruiters don’t respond on time, you could invest in an email management tool or an ATS with bulk email functionalities. Combine surveys with other sources of feedback. Jobseekers often leave reviews on Glassdoor, share their opinions on social media or contact recruiters after the hiring process ends. Check all these sources to get a well-rounded opinion of what candidates think of your company and recruiting. Act upon feedback you get. Measuring candidate experience is a good first step. Once you identify your recruiting strengths and weaknesses, use these results to revamp your hiring process, improve your communication with applicants and build a positive candidate experience.