A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
I had to give a nod to Star Wars being the fan I am and the fact that May 4th just came and went.
Seriously, though, a long time ago in a past incarnation I ran the product marketing team for an HR Tech software company. We were hiring for two team members and our sole recruiter had identified a slate of candidates to interview.
The interview date was set and we had sequential interviews scheduled with myself and the rest of my team. This was a few years before running the CandE Benchmark Research Program, but I was still a candidate experience advocate (in fact, the company I worked for at the time was a CandE sponsor).
I got busy with some project work and lost track of time. I received a phone call at my desk from reception telling me that my first candidate had been waiting in the lobby for over 20 minutes. I looked at my computer calendar – the interview was scheduled for 11:00 am and it was now 11:20.
Of course I was overly apologetic and we got through the initial interview, but that lateness skewed the rest of our interview times through the rest of the day impacting the entire team, including my boss. I was also not fully prepared for each candidate and hadn’t reviewed their experience and background prior to the interviews. It showed.
This scheduling skew was easily avoidable if I had been paying attention to the time (I’m sure I blew off my calendar reminder that went off). I could’ve also been more prepared by reviewing their background ahead of time.
When we made an offer to one of the finalists, they declined, citing the scheduling skew and how it disrupted their day too much, and how I wasn’t prepared and was “all over the map” with my questions. That’s right – the people interested in working for you have their own lives and jobs and expect us to be prepared and on time.
This ripple effect happens again and again with hiring teams. The number one negative reason why candidates withdraw themselves from consideration is because their “time was disrespected during interviews and appointments”. This is true every year in our benchmark research.
Our recruiter did provide a short interview guide to us prior to the interviews, but we didn’t get any further training than that.
This year in our 2026 CandE Benchmark Research (that we’re still gathering data for through the end of August), 30% of participating employers only provide interview guides and/or training videos, and 37% of participating employers “provide periodic hiring manager interview training sessions in-person and/or virtually”.
8% said they don’t provide any interview training at all. And only 15% provide mandatory interview training with periodic refreshers, and only 2% provide certificated mandatory interview training with periodic refresher sessions.
Hiring managers have a tremendous impact on candidate experience and candidates’ willingness to refer others when it comes to the interview stage. This is why interview training is critical – from interview prep to execution to follow-up and finalist feedback.
Each year our benchmark research confirms that finalists who receive feedback about why they weren’t selected after their interview/s are 50%+ more likely to refer others to the very company that didn’t hire them. That’s a big business deal.
“Every day a candidate sits without an update, their interest decays” (see number 3 below). This line stuck with me after reading the latest How To: The Trust Tax by Brian Fink, an industry friend and longtime recruiting professional. In it he highlights why clear communication and feedback are vital between recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates.
This is especially true for finalists who have invested their time – and the recruiters and hiring managers have invested theirs as well. Those declined finalists could be the referrers you’ve been needing, especially when your 20%-40%+ of your hires come from referrals.
Here’s why regular hiring manager interview training is so critical:
1. It eliminates gut-feel hiring. Without regular training, even veteran managers tend to default to unstructured conversational interviews. Giving them a structured framework like objective scorecards reduces bias, ensures fairness, and creates a consistent baseline experience for every single candidate.
2. It bridges the disconnect with TA. A poor candidate experience usually starts before the interview even happens. When managers do not know how to partner with recruiters during the intake phase to define true requirements, it leads to misaligned pipelines and frustrated candidates who realize the role is not what was advertised.
3. It kills the post-interview black hole. We know the biggest spike in candidate resentment happens when finalists are left in the dark. Proper training establishes strict operational expectations like a 48-hour feedback rule. It also gives managers the actual scripts and confidence they need to respectfully close the loop with candidates quickly and safely (and legally safe).
Over time I got better at interviewing, but I never had any formal interview training, whether that came from inside or outside the organization. Talent acquisition teams can and should take the lead here to provide the interview training that ensures better candidate experiences – and helps both recruiters and hiring managers make better selection decisions.
These poor interview-experience ripple effects that happen within hiring teams and companies lose strong candidates again and again – and potential referrals – even from those who don’t get the final offers. Mandatory interview training leads to fair and positive ripple effects on your recruiting and hiring, and ultimately your business.
Quick Plug: Survale is launching a new Hiring Manager Certification built directly on our CandE Benchmark data. Rather than replacing standard HR onboarding or compliance training, this program builds on it. It fills the operational gap by giving managers the exact tactical tools they need (like 15-minute scorecards, legal guardrails, and rejection scripts) to execute a fairer and faster candidate experience.
Early Adopter enterprise pilots are currently underway, and a Recruiter Certification track will follow later this year. By training both roles on the same framework, the program creates a shared language and a true partnership designed for candidate experience success.
