Candidate Experience Survey: Questions, Examples & How to Improve Recruitment

A candidate's experience starts before the first interview. It includes every interaction they have with an employer, from finding a job advertisement and submitting an application to attending interviews and receiving a final decision.

A candidate experience survey helps employers collect feedback about these interactions and understand what candidates think about the recruitment process.

By asking candidates directly, HR teams can identify problems, improve communication, reduce unnecessary friction, and create a better hiring experience.

What Is a Candidate Experience Survey?

A candidate experience survey is a questionnaire used to collect feedback from job candidates about their experience during the recruitment process.

The survey can cover different stages, including:

Finding and viewing the job advertisement
Applying for a position
Receiving application updates
Communicating with recruiters
Screening
Scheduling interviews
Attending interviews
Completing assessments
Receiving interview feedback
Receiving a job offer or rejection

The purpose is not simply to find out whether candidates are satisfied.

A useful candidate experience survey should help HR answer three questions:

What is working well?
Where are candidates experiencing problems?
What should we improve?

SHRM recommends collecting candidate feedback at important stages of the hiring process because it can help employers identify strengths and weaknesses in their recruitment process.

Why Is a Candidate Experience Survey Important?

Candidates are evaluating an employer throughout the recruitment process.

A complicated application, unclear job description, slow communication, or poor interview experience can affect how candidates view the company.

Candidate feedback can help HR identify problems that may not be obvious from recruitment metrics alone.

For example, HR may notice that many candidates are dropping out after interviews. Survey responses could reveal that candidates are waiting too long for feedback or do not understand what happens next.

SHRM's reporting on candidate experience research has highlighted poor communication, lengthy hiring processes, and lack of feedback as common reasons candidates withdraw from recruitment.

A survey can therefore give HR another way to understand why candidates behave differently at different stages of the recruitment funnel.

What Should a Candidate Experience Survey Measure?

A useful survey should cover the main stages of the candidate journey.

1. Job Advertisement

Measure whether candidates understood:

The job responsibilities
Required qualifications
Working arrangements
Salary or benefits information, where provided
Application requirements

2. Application Process

Ask whether the application was:

Easy to complete
Clear
Reasonably short
Easy to navigate

3. Communication

Measure:

Response times
Frequency of updates
Clarity of communication
Information about next steps

4. Interview Experience

Ask about:

Interview scheduling
Interviewer preparation
Professionalism
Questions asked
Opportunity to ask questions
Understanding of the role

5. Assessment Process

If assessments or tests are used, ask whether:

Instructions were clear
The assessment was relevant to the role
Candidates had enough information to complete it
The amount of time required was reasonable

6. Final Decision

Ask candidates about:

How the final decision was communicated
Timeliness of the response
Clarity of the communication
Overall experience

CIPD recommends that employers clearly explain what candidates should expect from the selection process, including the process, timing, technology used, and assessments involved.

When Should You Send a Candidate Experience Survey?

There is no need to wait until the entire recruitment process is finished.

HR can collect feedback at different points in the candidate journey.

After the Application

Ask about the job advertisement and application process.

This can help identify problems such as confusing job information or an application that takes too long.

After an Interview

Ask about:

Interview scheduling
Interviewer communication
Professionalism
Clarity of the role
Next steps

After an Assessment

Ask candidates whether the instructions were clear and whether the assessment was relevant and reasonable.

After the Recruitment Process

Ask candidates to rate their overall experience and provide suggestions for improvement.

Collecting feedback at different stages can help HR identify problems while they are still closely connected to a particular part of the recruitment process. SHRM has recommended surveying candidates at different stages rather than only collecting feedback from successful hires.

Candidate Experience Survey Questions

The best questions depend on where the candidate is in the recruitment process.

Application Experience Questions

How easy was it to apply for this position?
Was the job description clear and easy to understand?
Was the application process easy to complete?
Did the application require a reasonable amount of information?
How satisfied were you with the application process?

Communication Questions

How satisfied were you with communication during the recruitment process?
Did you receive enough updates about your application?
Were the next steps clearly explained?
Did you receive responses to your questions within a reasonable time?
Was the recruitment timeline clearly communicated?

Interview Experience Questions

How would you rate your interview experience?
Was the interviewer prepared for the interview?
Did the interviewer explain the role clearly?
Did you have enough opportunity to ask questions?
Did the interview feel professional and respectful?
Were the next steps explained after the interview?

Assessment Questions

Were the assessment instructions clear?
Was the assessment relevant to the position?
Was the amount of time required reasonable?
Were you given enough information to complete the assessment?

Overall Candidate Experience Questions

How satisfied were you with the overall recruitment process?
Did the recruitment process meet your expectations?
Did you feel respected throughout the recruitment process?
How likely are you to recommend this company to another job seeker?
Would you consider applying for another position with this company?

Open-Ended Candidate Experience Survey Questions

Rating questions make results easier to compare, but open-ended questions can reveal issues that numbers cannot explain.

Consider asking:

What did you like most about the recruitment process?
What could we have done better?
Was there anything that made the process difficult?
Was there any point where you felt unclear about what would happen next?
What is one thing you would change about the recruitment process?
Is there anything else you would like to share?

For example:

What could we have done to improve your recruitment experience?

This type of question gives candidates an opportunity to explain their experience in their own words.

SHRM recommends including open-ended questions because they can provide more detailed feedback than rating questions alone.

Candidate Experience Survey Rating Scale

A consistent rating scale makes survey results easier to analyse.

For example:

How satisfied were you with the recruitment process?

Very dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very satisfied

You can use the same scale for different stages of recruitment.

For recommendation-based questions, you can use a 0–10 scale:

How likely are you to recommend this company's recruitment process to another job seeker?

The important thing is to use a consistent approach so results can be compared over time.

Candidate Experience Survey Template

HR teams can use this simple candidate experience survey template and adjust it based on the recruitment stage.

Survey Question	Response Type
How easy was it to apply?	1–5 rating
Was the job description clear?	1–5 rating
How satisfied were you with communication?	1–5 rating
Were the next steps clearly explained?	1–5 rating
How would you rate the interview experience?	1–5 rating
Did the interviewer explain the role clearly?	1–5 rating
Did you feel respected throughout the process?	1–5 rating
Was the recruitment timeline reasonable?	1–5 rating
How satisfied were you with the overall process?	1–5 rating
Would you recommend the company to another candidate?	0–10 rating
What could we improve?	Open text

The survey does not need to include every question.

For example, a survey sent immediately after an application does not need questions about the final job offer.

How to Analyse Candidate Experience Survey Results

Collecting responses is only the first step.

HR teams should turn the feedback into actionable insights.

Calculate Average Scores

For questions using a 1–5 scale, calculate the average score.

For example:

Area	Average Score
Application	4.3/5
Communication	3.2/5
Interview	4.1/5
Overall Experience	3.7/5

In this example, communication has the lowest score and may need further investigation.

Compare Different Recruitment Stages

Review results separately for:

Application
Screening
Interview
Assessment
Offer
Overall experience

This can show where candidate satisfaction decreases.

Review Candidate Comments

Look for repeated feedback.

For example, if several candidates say:

"I did not know when I would receive an update."

HR may need to improve communication and set clearer expectations.

Compare Results Over Time

Track survey results monthly or quarterly.

For example:

Month	Overall Score
January	3.4/5
February	3.7/5
March	4.0/5

This can help HR determine whether changes to the recruitment process are improving the candidate experience.

SHRM recommends analysing candidate feedback alongside recruitment metrics so employers can identify obstacles within the hiring process.

How to Improve Candidate Experience Based on Survey Feedback

Survey results are only valuable when employers act on them.

If Candidates Say Applications Are Too Long

Remove unnecessary questions and simplify the application process.

If Candidates Say Communication Is Poor

Set clear response timelines and provide regular updates.

If Candidates Say Interviews Are Unclear

Give interviewers structured guidelines and make sure they understand the role and hiring requirements.

If Candidates Wait Too Long for Feedback

Set internal deadlines for recruiters and hiring managers to provide interview feedback.

If Candidates Say the Job Description Is Unclear

Review job advertisements and make responsibilities, requirements, working arrangements, and expectations clearer.

If Candidates Say the Process Takes Too Long

Review each recruitment stage and remove unnecessary steps.

CIPD recommends making selection processes clear and transparent, explaining what candidates should expect, and avoiding recruitment processes that are unnecessarily long.

If Candidates Report an Unfair Experience

Review whether the recruitment process is consistent and structured across candidates.

CIPD's evidence review on fair selection highlights the importance of fair, structured, and transparent selection practices for both candidate experience and better recruitment outcomes.

Best Practices for Candidate Experience Surveys

Keep the Survey Short

Candidates are more likely to complete a survey when it is simple and focused.

You do not need to ask every possible question. Choose questions that can help you make decisions.

Ask Questions at the Right Stage

Do not ask candidates to rate an interview they have not completed.

Match the survey questions to the candidate's current stage.

Include Open-Ended Questions

Rating questions tell you what candidates think.

Open-ended questions can help explain why.

Ask Different Types of Candidates

Do not collect feedback only from successful candidates.

Candidates who were rejected or withdrew can also provide useful information about the recruitment process.

Protect Candidate Privacy

If possible, make it clear how survey responses will be used and whether feedback is anonymous.

Candidates may be more comfortable providing honest feedback when they understand that their responses will not affect their application.

Compare Feedback With Recruitment Data

Do not look at survey scores in isolation.

Compare candidate feedback with metrics such as:

Application completion rate
Candidate drop-off rate
Time to hire
Interview attendance
Offer acceptance rate

This can help HR understand whether a problem is affecting both candidate sentiment and recruitment performance.

Act on the Feedback

Do not collect survey responses simply to create a report.

Use the results to identify problems, make improvements, and measure whether those changes work.

Candidate experience should be treated as an ongoing improvement process rather than a one-time survey exercise.

Candidate Experience Survey vs Candidate Satisfaction Survey

These terms are closely related but can have different focuses.

A candidate experience survey looks at the candidate's interactions throughout the recruitment journey.

A candidate satisfaction survey focuses more specifically on how satisfied candidates are with the recruitment experience.

Survey Type	Main Focus
Candidate Experience Survey	The candidate's overall recruitment journey
Candidate Satisfaction Survey	How satisfied the candidate was
Interview Feedback Survey	The interview experience
Application Feedback Survey	The application experience

A candidate experience survey can include satisfaction questions, but it should also examine specific interactions and recruitment stages.

How Candidate Experience Surveys Can Improve Hiring

Candidate surveys can help HR connect candidate feedback with recruitment performance.

For example:

Survey Feedback: Candidates say interview scheduling is slow.

↓

HR Action: Improve interview scheduling and communication.

↓

Recruitment Result: Candidates receive faster updates and move through the process more smoothly.

The same approach can be applied to communication, application complexity, interviews, assessments, and other recruitment stages.

This creates a continuous feedback loop:

Collect Feedback → Identify Problems → Make Changes → Measure Results → Improve Again

The goal is not simply to achieve a higher survey score.

It is to create a recruitment process that is clear, efficient, consistent, and respectful of candidates' time.

FAQs

What is a candidate experience survey?

A candidate experience survey is a questionnaire used by employers to collect feedback about a candidate's experience during the recruitment process.

What questions should a candidate experience survey include?

Questions can cover the job advertisement, application process, communication, screening, interviews, assessments, recruitment timeline, and overall experience.

When should HR send a candidate experience survey?

HR can send surveys after an application, interview, assessment, or completed recruitment process. Collecting feedback at different stages can provide a clearer view of the candidate journey.

How long should a candidate experience survey be?

There is no fixed number of questions. Keep the survey focused and ask questions that can help HR make improvements.

How can HR improve candidate experience?

HR can improve candidate experience by simplifying applications, communicating regularly, setting clear expectations, respecting candidates' time, improving interviews, reducing unnecessary delays, and acting on candidate feedback.

Improve Your Recruitment Process

Candidate feedback can help HR identify what works and where the recruitment process needs improvement.

With AJobThing, employers can post job ads, reach candidates, and manage applications more efficiently throughout the hiring process.

Post your job with AJobThing and start reaching candidates today.