So what does a great candidate

experience look like?

• As an HR consultancy, we spend a lot of time talking to our clients

and looking at how they can make their recruitment processes more

effective, efficient and engaging.

• Less time traditionally (across all research in the market broadly)

has gone into asking for the candidate’s perspective.

• So we decided to ask! This research enables us to provide feedback

to HR professionals and recruiters on what they are doing well and

what can be done better.

Cubiks international

candidate experience

survey

Highlights

• 82% of candidates felt the process was fair.

• 70% left with a positive impression.

• 43% of candidates indicated that training & development and opportunities to progress

are the most important factors in attracting them to apply for a role.

• Around two thirds of candidates rated their online tests as both relevant and engaging.

• Face-to-face assessments and interviews were rated as the most engaging types of

assessment.

• Candidates who were given feedback were most likely to say they felt they had been

treated fairly.

• Over half of candidates learned about their strengths and development areas.

• Over a quarter of new joiners said the employer didn’t meet their expectations when it

came to the development opportunities available.

Section 1:

Bio data

Respondents

561 people responded to the survey in Dutch, English, French and Spanish.

55% were female and 44% male. The remaining 1% preferred not to say.

72% were based in Europe, 12% were based in America, 9% were based in Asia and

Oceania and 5% were based in Africa and 2% preferred not to say.

4%

43%

27%

16%

8%

1%

0%1%

<21

21-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

>69

I'd rather not say

Age Range

34%

0%

11%

4%

25%

21%

5%

<5

>40

21-30

31-40

6 -10

11 -20

none

Work Experience

1%

16%

2%

3%

2%

2%

6%

7%

6%

4%

24%

2%

6%

8%

9%

2%

Aerospace

Business services

Chemical/Petrochemical

Construction

Distribution

Energy/Utilities

Engineering and Projects

Finance

I'd rather not say

Manufacturing

Other (please specify)

Pharmaceuticals

Public Sector

Retail

Telecommunications and IT

Transport

Which sector does your organisation

primarily work in?

Section 2:

Initial

application

13%

23%

6%

27%

20%

4%

3%4%

Brand or reputation

Career development &Training

Culture & Values

Match with my experienceand background

Opportunity to progress

Other (please specify)

Remuneration package

Work / life balance

What was the most important thing that

attracted you to apply for the role?

Development opportunities matter

After match with experience, career development and opportunities to progress

were the most frequently chosen options.

Section 3:

Online tests

44% of respondents took part in

online tests

In your opinion, how engaging were the

online tests?

42%

26%

11%

21%

Personality questionnaire

47%

22%

8%

23%

Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs)

40%

25%

15%

20%

Inbox simulation

41%

20%

11%

28%

Problem Solving / Ability tests

Engaging

Highly engaging

Not engaging

Somewhat engaging

11%

40%

49%Don't know

No

Yes

Were practice assessments available for

you?

Half the candidates were unsure or couldn’t source practice materials for their tests.

50%

23%

27%

No

Unsure

Yes

Do you think it would have been possible

to cheat on the assessments?

Was the employer responsive?

The stage at which employers were deemed least responsive was during online

testing. Only 59% of candidates said employers were responsive at this stage,

compared to 72% at the initial application and 88% at the interview or face-to-

face stage.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Initial application Online tests Face-to-face & interview

Was the employer responsive? - %who said yes

• Perceived difficulty in reaching

the recruitment team (as online

tests)?

• Distanced from employer (due

to home completion)?

• Misinterpretation – lack of

contact interpreted as lack of

responsiveness?

Section 4:

Interviews &

face-to-face

assessments

71% of respondents took part in

an interview as part of their

selection process

What happened on the day of your

interview?

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

On the day of Interview

Single interview

Multiple interviews

Tour of the workplace

Briefing / debrief

Assessments in person (e.g. case study,role play, etc.)

Only 16% of candidates got a briefing or debrief on the day of their interview or

face-to-face tests.

What type of face-to-face assessments did

you take part in?

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Role play

Presentation

Practical skills test

Group exercise

Business case

Simulation exercise

None

Candidates rated the face-to-face assessments / interview stage as the most

engaging part of the process.

Although 71% of candidates found the online tests they took engaging, it is

difficult for these tests to rival the interaction offered by meeting in person.

Was adequate information provided about

the next stage?

• Candidates were broadly happy with the information supplied to

them at each selection stage, though this increased throughout the

process.

Initial application 60%

Online tests 67%

Interview & face to face Assessments 72%

Section 5:

The outcome

61% of candidates received a

job offer and of these, 91%

accepted.

Were expectations met?

31%

69%

Remuneration

No

Yes

The biggest area new joiners are disappointed in

is remuneration. Yet only 3% of candidates had

said remuneration was the most important factor

in attracting them to apply.

26%

74%

Career development & training

No

Yes

28%

72%

Opportunity to progress

No

Yes

In an earlier question, career

development & training and opportunity

to progress were rated as some of the

most important aspects that attract

people to apply for a job.

Yet over a quarter of candidates said the

employer did not meet their expectations

in these areas.

32%

68%

Did you agree with the final decision?

About the final decision

33%

67%

Was the final decision clearly explained?

No

Yes

75%

25%

Did the employer ask you for feedback on the process?

Candidates appreciate it when the

final decision is explained to them.

If the decision is clearly fed back to

the candidate and they are given the

opportunity to ask questions, they will

understand it better and be more likely

to agree. For those who received such

an explanation, 88% agreed with the

decision made.

44%

56%

Did you learn something about your development areas?

Through the process…

47%

53%

Did you learn something about your strengths?

No

Yes

Feedback is crucial if employers want candidates to find value in the process.

Just half of candidates said they learned about their strengths and development

areas through the process, suggesting that a large number of employers are not

offering candidates feedback after they apply for a role. Only 63% of candidates

overall said they found value in the process.

How can you

improve

candidate

experience for

your

organisation?

Top tips to improve your selection process

1) Highlight how you’re different. Demonstrate to candidates what you’ll do

for their career by showcasing your development programmes – attract

them with a future, not just a job.

2) Keep your promises. Don’t just say things to get new hires, act on them.

3) Use the selection process to promote your employer brand, culture and

values. It will make you stand out and you’ll be more likely to attract the

candidates you need and keep them.

4) Deploy robust online tests to sift applicants and spend the most time with

the best candidates.

5) Demonstrate how rigorous your online tests are, make sure they are

credible and candidates understand what is being assessed and why.

Top tips to improve your selection process

6) Enable candidates to prepare. Provide practice tests and briefing material

so they know what to expect when taking assessments.

7) Communication and transparency are crucial. If you’re transparent you

treat people as equals, put them at ease and enable them to perform at

their best.

8) Respond in a timely manner at all stages to all candidates. If this isn’t

possible, use software to generate automated, yet personalised responses.

9) Provide value through feedback. Give candidates a return for their time

investment.

10)Learn where you can improve by asking your successful and rejected

candidates for feedback.

Questions?

www.cubiks.com

Nina Baum

Nina.baum@Cubiks.com

+44 1483 544 298