The Process
How the CandE Candidate Experience Benchmarking Process Works
The CandE Benchmark Research Program is the only global candidate experience measurement and benchmark built for recruiting and hiring leaders. Now in its 15th year, the program has surveyed 2M+ candidates at 2,000+ companies, revealing the perception gaps between what your TA team believes and what candidates actually experience.
Methodology
From Registration to Actionable Insights
Register and Configure
After you register, you’ll complete an employer self-assessment survey. Then you’ll complete our candidate methodology survey that helps you identify which candidate populations you’ll want to survey, and what your minimum number of candidate responses will be. The CandE Benchmark team works with you to set targeting parameters and configure delivery channels. This ensures the research captures a representative view of your candidate experience.
- Complete the employer self-assessment survey
- Identify candidate populations and recruiting stages to target
- Receive distribution guidelines, survey messaging, and candidate survey links
- Schedule ongoing support and data review calls with the CandE research team
Collect and Analyze
Distribute the CandE candidate surveys to capture candid feedback across all hiring stages from pre-application to onboarding. The CandE Benchmark team holds regular check-in calls during the collection phase to review response rates, the candidate responses, answer questions, and ensure data quality. Once collection is complete, the benchmark team analyzes your data against all participating organizations.
- Survey candidates across all recruiting stages – pre-application, application, interview, offer, and new hire stages
- Regular check-in calls with the CandE Benchmark team during collection
- Data benchmarked against all participating organizations globally
- Segmentation by geography, job level, recruiting stage, and more
Reporting, Recommendations, Awards
The CandE team brings years of experience with how to benchmark candidate experience. They will conduct a benchmark review session with your leadership, walking through your results against the global benchmark. Your report includes Likert-scale ratings, NPS scores across the candidate journey, perception gap analysis, and demographic segmentation. Organizations scoring above average earn recognition as a CandE Award winner.
- High-level benchmark review session with your leadership highlighting key takeaways, strengths, weaknesses, and key recommendations
- CandE Score: cumulative NPS measurement across the journey
- Perception gap analysis: employer assumptions vs. candidate reality
- Near-to-above average CandE Scores earn CandE Award recognition
7-Step Process
How the CandE Benchmark Program Works
Award Criteria
How CandE Award Winners Are Determined
Near to Above-Average CandE Score
Your cumulative NPS across the candidate journey must be near-to-above average of all participating organizations.
Overall Candidate Rating
Candidates rate their overall experience using traditional 11-point NPS.
Likelihood to Reapply
Would candidates apply again? This measures whether your process builds loyalty or drives candidates away — even among those not hired.
Willingness to Refer Others
Measures whether candidates would recommend your organization as a place to work or apply, based on their hiring experience. Universally critical for B2B and B2C companies.
Business Relationship Impact
Tracks whether candidate experience affects brand affinity, purchasing decisions, and ongoing business relationships.
Minimum Response Threshold
Organizations must collect enough candidate responses with a balanced ratio of hired and not-hired candidates to ensure statistically valid results.
Program Calendar
Annual CandE Program Timeline
Data collection begins
Recommended to start ASAP. CandE team provides support with setup, targeting, and distribution.
Data collection ends
All candidate survey data must be submitted by this date to be included in the benchmark analysis.
Data analysis begins
CandE benchmark team analyzes your data against all participating organizations worldwide.
Winners announced
CandE Award winners are notified and publicly announced across all regions.
Benchmark final reporting sessions
High-level final benchmark reporting with your leadership team. Final report includes key takeaways, strengths and weaknesses, and key recommendations.
What Sets Winners Apart
CandE Award Winners Outperform on Every Metric
38% Higher NPS at Research Stage
CandE Award winners score 38% higher NPS at the research stage compared to all companies. The candidate experience advantage begins before the first application.
52% Higher Referral Willingness
Winners achieve a 52% higher willingness to refer compared to all companies. Candidates who feel respected and informed are significantly more likely to recommend the employer to others. This holds true even without receiving an offer.
52% Less Candidate Abandonment
CandE winners significantly reduce the number of candidates left waiting without communication. Faster disposition, clearer timelines, and proactive updates keep candidates engaged throughout the process.
Ready to Benchmark Your Candidate Experience?
Join 2,000+ organizations that have used the CandE program to measure, benchmark, and improve their candidate experience. The 2026 program is now open.