Talent Board, a non-profit organization focused on the promotion and benchmark research of a quality candidate experience, today released its primary 2021 candidate experience benchmark research report.

This year over 150 companies hiring around the world participated in the 2021 Talent Board benchmark research program (also known as the CandEs), which ultimately collected the feedback and experiences of nearly 200,000 job candidates. The largest study of its kind, the Talent Board benchmark research has evaluated responses from over 1,200 of global employers and over 1.25 million job seekers since 2011.

Talent Board's benchmark research covers recruiting and hiring experiences from pre-application to onboarding, what makes for positive and fair candidate experiences, how employers are delivering those experiences, and what CandE award winners are doing better – companies that have the highest positive candidate ratings in the Talent Board research.

Some of this year's key takeaways include:

• Candidate Resentment Is on the Rise. One thing is certain: Positive candidate experiences are on the decline, at least in North America and EMEA this year, and that impacts whether or not candidates are willing to apply again, refer others, be a brand advocate, and/or make purchases from consumer-based businesses. Positive candidate experiences initially increased during the pandemic (in all the regions we track), but unfortunately, candidate resentment has returned to pre-pandemic levels in North America and EMEA. In North America, candidate resentment rose from 8% in 2020 to 14% in 2021, a 75% spike. This is the largest increase since Talent Board began its research a decade ago.
• Artificial Intelligence Improves Candidate Experience. Top companies are more likely to have implemented artificial intelligence recruiting technology to improve their sourcing capabilities, their communication with candidates and to support recruiters in their roles. Automation can free recruiters up to work more efficiently, improving candidate experience outcomes.
• Feedback Loops Are Critical. Candidates for CandE-winning companies who were asked for feedback at every stage of the recruiting process indicated they were more likely to increase their relationship with the employer. And while all stages are important, those candidates who make it to the screening and interviewing phase are most likely to be encouraged to apply again in the future. 43% more candidates from CandE-winning companies were asked for feedback at the end of the interview stage than all other employers.

"No matter what the world looks like, each year we know that timely communication, expectation setting, feedback, transparency, and closure are competitive differentiators," said Ron Machamer, Talent Board director of global programs. "Communication and feedback loops at every stage of the recruitment process continue to be critical, can equate to a greater fairness for candidates, and can generate a positive impact on business outcomes and the employment brand."

"While the competitive candidate experience differentiators of communication and feedback remain unchanged each year, this is the first year we've asked candidates to self-identify their race and ethnicity," said Kevin Grossman, Talent Board president. "We found that women and people of color rated their 2021 candidate experiences much more positively than older candidates, male candidates or white/Caucasian candidates did. This may be due, in part, to the more inclusive language and examples of diversity that employers are bringing to their careers sites, candidate communications, job ads and other marketing collateral for their employment brands."

The primary 2021 Talent Board North American benchmark candidate experience research report can be downloaded today here. The 2021 EMEA, APAC, and Latin American research briefs will be available in early 2022. The 2022 Talent Board CandE benchmark research program opens in January.

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