If you’re like most companies, the honest answer is: not much. And I don’t say that to be harsh—actually, I admire recruiting teams who have gone to the trouble of tracking their Candidate Net Promoter Score (NPS) in the first place.
But let’s be honest: what is your NPS really showing you?
Sure, you may have a number. But does that number tell you what’s going wrong? Is it current? Do you know what it reflects? Why it went up or down? Or what part of your process it’s tied to?
For many companies, candidate experience surveys measure a broad feeling called “candidate experience,” and that’s where it stops. You may know how likely someone is to recommend your company to a friend—but not why they would or wouldn’t.
And here’s the problem: recruiting is a distributed process. Candidates come in through job boards, apply on your career site, talk to third-party recruiters, take assessments, go through multiple interviews, and finally get an offer. So what part of that process is your NPS really tracking?
Real-Time Feedback in Hiring Matters
Let’s start with the obvious: old data isn’t helpful. Candidate satisfaction can change fast. And those changes—up or down—are where you find your opportunities.
That’s why smart teams are moving toward real-time feedback in hiring. When your NPS is updated as candidates move through the funnel, you can actually measure success and see how process changes are impacting results.
Some teams only collect NPS from a career site exit survey. Others rely on outdated numbers based on past surveys with no link to any specific step in the hiring journey. Neither approach gives you much value.
You need stage-based candidate feedback tied to actual touchpoints—phone screens, interviews, offers. That’s where the useful data is.
Anchor NPS to the Candidate Journey
Let’s say a candidate comes from Indeed, lands on your site, applies, gets a phone screen, interviews with a manager, and gets an offer. That’s five steps right there.
You should be asking:
- Was the transition from the job board to the career site smooth?
- Was the application process clear and quick?
- Was the phone screen helpful?
- How did they feel after the interview?
- Were the offer terms clear and timely?
Each one of those steps can—and should—trigger a quick NPS survey. This lets you evaluate every part of the candidate journey and see where satisfaction is gained or lost.
That’s what real candidate experience optimization looks like.
Ask the “Why” Every Time
To really use NPS properly, pair every score with an open-ended question like:
“What went well, and what could we do better?”
That’s where the value is. These comments give you a map. When your score drops, you’ll know why. When it climbs, you’ll see what’s working.
You might find out:
- Hiring managers are turning off candidates
- Your application portal is frustrating to use
- Offer details are unclear or not competitive
- Your process is too slow to land top talent
Every one of these can be fixed. But only if you know they’re happening. And not through guesswork or asking your intern to “test apply.” You need real candidate experience analytics from actual applicants in real time.
When done right, candidate experience NPS becomes a powerful tool—not just for measuring candidate satisfaction, but for improving it step by step.
Don’t Worry About Survey Fatigue
Short, well-timed surveys at key points actually increase engagement. Candidates appreciate being asked for their opinion. It shows that you care about their experience—and that you’re willing to improve it.
Leading companies are already doing this. They’ve built candidate feedback integration into their recruitment process metrics. They track NPS continuously. And they use the insights to train hiring managers, streamline workflows, and strengthen their employer brand measurement.
If your recruitment NPS benchmarks are floating with no clear connection to the process, it’s time to rethink your approach. Don’t just measure NPS—make it useful.
FAQs
What is the NPS survey for candidates experience?
It’s a short survey asking candidates how likely they are to recommend your company to others based on their experience. It’s one of the most useful candidate experience surveys and helps you track overall satisfaction at different stages in the hiring journey.
What is a good candidate experience score?
A good candidate NPS score is generally +20 or higher. Top-performing organizations may reach +50 or more. What’s most important is knowing your baseline and working to improve it over time with candidate journey evaluation and targeted fixes.
What is the average candidate NPS score?
The average candidate NPS score varies by industry, but it usually falls between +10 and +30. To see where you stand, compare your score with published recruitment NPS benchmarks like those from the Talent Board.
How to calculate candidate Net Promoter Score?
Ask candidates to rate how likely they are to recommend your company (0–10).
- Scores of 9–10 = Promoters
- Scores of 7–8 = Passives
- Scores of 0–6 = Detractors
NPS = % of Promoters – % of Detractors. This gives you your candidate Net Promoter Score, a core metric in candidate experience analytics.
