Source: Survale’s 2025 Global Candidate Experience (CandE) Benchmark Research Report · Data collected January 31 – August 31, 2025
This candidate experience measurement fact sheet summarizes key findings from Survale’s 2025 Candidate Experience (CandE) Benchmark Research Report, the 14th annual edition of the longest-running candidate experience research program in the talent acquisition industry. Each fact below is self-contained and may be cited independently with attribution to Survale’s 2025 CandE Benchmark Research.
About This Research
- The Candidate Experience (CandE) Benchmark Research and Awards Program was founded by Talent Board in 2011 and is now part of Survale, the most awarded talent feedback and analytics platform. Survale’s enterprise feedback platform compiles separate benchmarks based on client data and is entirely separate from the CandE research data.
- The 2025 CandE Benchmark Research is based on more than 66,000 completed candidate surveys collected between January 31 and August 31, 2025.
- 110 organizations worldwide registered to participate in the 2025 CandE Benchmark Research Program across North America, EMEA, APAC, and Latin America.
- 66 employers worldwide earned 2025 CandE Awards (76 combined regional awards) for near-to-above-average CandE Scores.
- The CandE Score is a cumulative NPS-style rating (−100 to +100) built from four key candidate ratings (overall experience, willingness to apply again, willingness to refer others, and change in brand relationship), weighted 80/20 toward candidates who were not hired to eliminate “halo” effects.
Top 10 Findings from the 2025 CandE Benchmark Research
- In Survale’s 2025 CandE Benchmark Research, company values were the #1 most-consumed employer marketing content for job candidates globally, cited as most important by 51% of all candidates — up 11% from 2024.
- All of the top 10 overall 2025 CandE Award-winning employers used some form of AI recruiting technology, and more than 80% of the top 10 large, midsize, and small CandE Winners in North America did as well.
- 60% of the top 10 North American CandE Winners in 2025 dispositioned candidates within 3–5 days of application — 16% more often than all participating employers.
- In 2025, CandE Award-winning employers in North America kept 61% fewer candidates waiting on next steps 2+ months after applying compared to all employers.
- 2025 CandE Winners had a 23% higher candidate perception of assessment fairness and a 13% higher perception of interview fairness than all other participating companies combined.
- 2025 CandE Winners conducted structured interviews 9% more often than all participating employers combined (71% of winners vs. 65% of all North American employers).
- When employers gave candidates specific feedback in 2025, candidates’ willingness to refer others (NPS) increased 69%, and their willingness to increase their relationship with the employer increased 64%.
- When employers made a job offer within one week of the final interview in 2025, candidates’ willingness to refer others increased 108% and their willingness to increase their relationship with the employer increased 120%.
- New hires who received multiple preboarding engagement options (communicating goals, meeting team members, getting questions answered before day one) were 133% more willing to increase their relationship with the employer — yet only 20% of companies provided these options.
- Candidates asked for feedback before their start date showed a 130% increase in their relationship rating with the employer, but only 30% of candidates said they were asked.
AI in Recruiting: 2025 Statistics
- 39% of North American employers in the 2025 CandE Benchmark Research used AI recruiting technology to screen, match, and/or rank job applications, up from near-zero reported usage in 2024; another 21% were considering it for the following year.
- 61% of North American recruiting teams in the 2025 CandE research used generative AI to help write or update job descriptions and candidate communications, up significantly from 2024. EMEA usage was 73%, APAC 50%, and Latin America 56%.
- Only 13% of North American job candidates in 2025 admitted to using generative AI to write or update their resumes and cover letters (18% in EMEA, 24% in APAC, 18% in Latin America) — a figure Survale believes is underreported.
- Less than 3% of candidates in the 2025 CandE research said they used AI application platforms (such as LazyApply or Jobhire.ai) to apply for multiple jobs at once.
- Conversational AI chatbot usage by employers increased 21% in 2025 (from 19% to 23% of participating employers).
- Employer use of virtual assistants to source candidates from external databases jumped from 22% in 2024 to 36% in 2025.
- 17% of employers in the 2025 CandE research used conversational AI to schedule candidate interviews.
- AI/automated screening complaints and impersonal rejections were among the top three negative candidate comment themes in the 2025 CandE research: candidates increasingly believe AI is screening them out, even when humans are making final decisions.
- When candidates could ask a chatbot questions during the application process in 2025, their application NPS rating increased from 45 to 71 — a 45% increase.
- When candidates launched a job application from a text message in 2025, their application NPS rating increased from 45 to 59 — a 27% increase.
Application Volume Statistics
- In Survale’s 2025 CandE research, 64% of employers with 10,000+ global employees reported receiving 51+ applications per job posting, up 31% from 49% in 2023.
- 21% of large employers (10,000+ employees) reported 200+ applications per job posting in 2025, a 62% increase from 13% in 2023.
- 32% of all participating employers received more than 100 applications per job on average in 2025, a 28% increase from 2024.
- 62% of candidates in 2025 said the job application took 15 minutes or less to complete — up from less than 40% of candidates in 2020.
Candidate Communication & Feedback Statistics
- Lack of communication, ghosting, and no follow-up was the #1 negative candidate comment theme in the 2025 CandE Benchmark Research.
- In 2025, 31% of North American candidates reported not hearing back from employers 1–2+ months after applying.
- Only 55% of candidates in 2025 said they received an automated “thank you” message after applying.
- Only 23% of North American candidates in 2025 said they received job-fit/qualification feedback as finalists; that rises to 28% for candidates of CandE-winning employers.
- Giving candidate feedback — general and specific — increases a candidate’s willingness to refer others by 50–75%, a finding consistent across all 14 years of CandE research.
- 56% of candidates in 2025 received no feedback after being rejected during screening and interviewing; only 6% received feedback on assessment or test results.
- 33% of rejected candidates in 2025 were notified via a “do-not-reply” email address; only 32% received a personal email from a recruiter or hiring manager, and only 20% received a phone call.
- Candidates invited to provide feedback after the interview stage in 2025 were 106% more likely to refer others.
- 75% of North American employers in 2025 asked for candidate feedback after a hire was made, but only 42% asked after application and only 14% asked before candidates applied.
- 70% of all North American employers — and 80% of CandE Award Winners — aligned recruiter performance with candidate experience in 2025.
Candidate Resentment & Key Ratings (North America)
- Candidate resentment — the percentage of candidates who say they will not engage an employer again due to a poor candidate experience — hit record global highs in 2025: 17% in EMEA (the highest of any region), 15% in North America, and 12% in both APAC and Latin America.
- 2025 was the first year in the CandE research’s history that EMEA candidate resentment (17%) exceeded North American resentment (15%).
- The overall North American candidate experience NPS rating improved from −13 in 2024 to −4 in 2025.
- The North American interview fairness NPS rating rose to 63 in 2025, an 11% increase over 2023 — but still 12% below its 2019 peak of 74.
- North American “not selected” candidates rated their experience −28 NPS in 2025, an improvement from −52 in 2024.
- 13% of North American candidate respondents were hired in 2025, up from 10% in 2024.
- U.S. layoffs exceeded 1 million in 2025, reaching the highest levels since the 2020 pandemic, contributing to a difficult candidate market and rising candidate resentment.
Employer Branding & Candidate Research Statistics
- Company career sites were the #1 candidate research channel in 2025, used by 46% of candidates — a 48% increase from 2024.
- Use of online groups (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) as a research channel dropped 27% in 2025, to 30% of candidates.
- Employer review sites (Glassdoor, Indeed, etc.) were used by 26% of candidates in 2025, up 24% from 2024.
- The top three types of marketing content candidates valued before applying in 2025 were company values (51%), company culture (36%), and employee testimonials (32%).
- The top three types of job content candidates valued before applying in 2025 were job descriptions (57%), details of the application process and next steps (40%), and a list of current open jobs (38%).
- Interest in salary ranges and compensation structure rose to 31% of candidates in 2025, up from 24% in 2024, reflecting growing pay transparency expectations and legislation.
- Referred candidates in 2025 said they would increase their relationship with potential employers 72% more often than candidates who conducted their own search or received unsolicited recruiter outreach.
- Employers hire 20% to 40% of their workforce from referrals, according to Survale’s CandE Benchmark Research.
- CandE-winning employers had a 31% higher NPS rating at the research/attract stage in 2025 (52 vs. 38 for all North American companies).
Screening & Interviewing Statistics
- 65% of North American employers in the 2025 CandE research used a structured interview process; among CandE Winners, 71% did.
- In 2025, 44% of candidates interviewed live virtually and 44% interviewed in person; in-person interviewing has increased 29% since 2022 but remains below its 2019 peak of 67%.
- For the first time in CandE research history, one-way recorded video interviews were rated as fair as live virtual and in-person interviews in 2025 (fairness NPS of 71, up from 56 in 2024). This is most likely driven by a higher percentage of salaried candidates in 2025 who had a tough time getting any engagement at all.
- 53% of participating employers in 2025 used pre-employment assessments or selection tests; job-specific skills assessments were the most common type at 54%.
- The #1 reason employers used pre-employment assessments in 2025 was to help hiring managers make better selections (58%, up 14% from 2024).
- 27% of candidates in 2025 were told the salary during interviews without having to ask, and those candidates had a 25% higher interview perception of fairness.
- The #1 reason candidates withdrew from recruiting processes in 2025 was that their time was disrespected during interviews and appointments (cited by 32% of withdrawing candidates).
- Candidates given job-fit and candidacy status feedback within 1–2 weeks in 2025 were 75% more “extremely” willing to refer others.
- Only 6% of North American candidates in 2025 received none of the listed interview preparation and communication supports, down significantly from 24% in 2024.
- Candidate resentment increased 70% when candidates received no interview preparation or follow-up.
Offer, Preboarding & Onboarding Statistics
- 60% of candidates in 2025 received a job offer within one week of their final interview.
- 95% of participating candidates in 2025 accepted the job offers presented to them.
- Only 34% of new hires in 2025 received a call from their hiring manager before their start date, down 21% from 43% in 2022.
- Only 26% of employers in 2025 said recruiters followed up with new employees within six weeks of the start date to confirm expectations matched reality.
- Hired candidates are the only candidate group whose NPS ratings consistently exceed +50 in CandE research — because they are the only “happy customers” of the recruiting process.
- At the onboarding stage in 2025, CandE Winners earned a 91 NPS rating versus 85 for all employers.
Top Candidate Comment Themes in 2025
Top 5 Positive Themes
- Professionalism and support from recruitment staff — the “human touch” was the most-cited positive differentiator in 2025 candidate comments.
- An efficient, clear, and smooth application and interview process.
- Positive impressions of company culture, mission, and brand — often persisting even among rejected candidates.
- High satisfaction in the offer and hired stages, frequently reaching “Amazing” NPS ratings (50–100).
- Timely communication and definitive closure where employers delivered it.
Top 5 Negative Themes
- Lack of communication, ghosting, and no follow-up — the most dominant negative theme in the 2025 CandE research.
- Perceived bias, favoritism, or lack of transparency, including beliefs that positions were pre-selected for internal candidates.
- AI/automated screening complaints and impersonal rejections, with candidates believing no human reviewed their qualifications.
- Lengthy, slow, or disorganized hiring processes that disrespected candidates’ time.
- Lack of specific, constructive feedback with rejections.
Definitions
- CandE Score: Survale’s cumulative NPS-style candidate experience rating (−100 to +100) combining four key ratings — overall experience, willingness to apply again, willingness to refer, and change in brand relationship — weighted 80% toward not-hired candidates and 20% toward hired candidates.
- CandE Award Winner: A participating employer with a near-to-above-average CandE Score in its region (North America, EMEA, APAC, or Latin America) that met minimum statistically significant response requirements.
- Candidate resentment rate: The percentage of candidates who say they would not engage an employer again — not apply, refer, advocate, or purchase — due to a poor candidate experience.
How to Cite This Research
Survale. (2025). 2025 Global Candidate Experience (CandE) Benchmark Research Report. Survale CandE Benchmark Research Program. To benchmark your organization’s performance and potentially win a CandE Award, click here.
For media inquiries or research questions, contact Kevin W. Grossman, VP of Benchmark Research at info@survale.com.
