In recent articles, webinars, and LinkedIn discussions I’ve highlighted what makes candidate surveys work. Today, I’ll share three key tactics to take your candidate surveys—and your recruiting—to the next level.
Candidate feedback isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential. A feedback-based recruiting strategy lets you:
- Tune your processes
- Align your team around real metrics
- Build a daily-ready hiring function
Ready to get started? Here are the three keys.
Key One: Tie Candidate Surveys to Recruiting Stages
Your hiring journey has many steps: visit, apply, screen, interview, offer, onboard, and beyond. Don’t lump it all into one big survey.
Instead, send short pulse surveys at key points. Tag them to each stage, so feedback is timely and relevant.
Stage | Survey Sample |
Career-Site Visitor | “Did you find what you’re looking for? How satisfied are you now?” |
Applicant | “Did you get confirmation after applying? How easy was it?” |
Phone Screen | “Was the recruiter on time? Clear about the role? Please rate satisfaction.” |
Interview | “Was the hiring manager prepared and respectful? How satisfied are you?” |
Offer Declined | “Why did you decline? How could we improve? How satisfied are you now?” |
This recruiter feedback form style keeps surveys short and sharp. You ask one question, get insights, and keep moving. Candidates don’t feel surveyed at length. You get real data tied to real steps.
Key Two: Gather Feedback in Real Time
One-off surveys—like annual candidate experience surveys or the Talent Board’s CandE program—are okay. But they come too late. They’re long, impersonal, and easy to ignore.
Remember your own job search. Could you clearly remember each step months later? Probably not.
Feedback must be fresh. After each recruiting milestone—like an application or interview—send a quick note:
- “How was that?”
- “How satisfied are you now?”
These mini‑surveys hit when candidates are still engaged. They lead to better response rates and sharper insight. Plus, they’re easy to set up with candidate surveys tools linked to your ATS.
Key Three: Make It Feedback, Not Surveys
Let’s talk words. Candidates don’t love “survey.” They do appreciate “feedback.”
Change your wording and your structure:
- Call them feedback forms, not surveys.
- Keep them short—one question + rating + open comment.
- Ask: “How was that step? How could we improve?”
This simple change—switching from a “survey” to a “feedback moment”—does two things:
- It shows respect. You’re asking for help, not dishing out a long feedback test.
- It urges people to share genuine thoughts.
You’re building a culture of feedback, not a culture of forms. Candidates appreciate that.
Why This Approach Is Game Changing
- Candidates feel heard. Short forms at each step show you value their voice.
- You get clear data. You see exactly where stages break—and why.
- You can act fast. Fix problems in real time, not after the fact
- Processes improve. You’ll identify gaps in tech, culture, and manager behavior.
- Stakeholders align. Recruiters, hiring managers, and leaders all work off common data
That’s the power of continuous recruitment feedback survey tactics blended into your hiring routine.
What to Do with All That Feedback
Once you get feedback, here’s how to use it:
- Track metrics: like satisfaction and completion at each step
- Report trends: see which stages drop in satisfaction over time
- Compare groups: like hiring managers or roles
- Pull comments: for real stories and ideas
- Train teams: fix stages with weak scores or low feedback
- Optimize ads: tweak job postings if candidates said they didn’t find info
All of this adds up to ongoing improvement. That’s real recruitment excellence survey work.
Bringing It All Together
Three keys to smart feedback hiring:
- Stage-based forms keep data tied to the right step.
- Real-time timing gets freshness and clarity.
- Feedback language turns forms into conversation.
This method helps everyone:
- Candidates feel respected
- Recruiters get clear signals
- Hiring managers see where they can improve
- TA leaders get easy-to-use data
- Your process gets better, faster
Final Thoughts
Switching from surveys to feedback isn’t just semantics. It’s a mindset shift. It makes candidate voice a core part of recruiting. And it yields better hires, faster processes, and stronger teams.
Start small. Pick one step—like the phone screen. Try your feedback form there. Then expand it across the hiring journey.
With time, you’ll build a recruitment engine that listens—and gets better with every candidate interaction.
Need help setting this up? I can help design forms, survey messages, or guide integration with your ATS.
FAQs
What is an example of feedback for a candidate assessment?
Help me understand your feedback: Did the test reflect the role? Was timing fair?”
What are the best questions for a candidate experience survey?
How satisfied are you now?”, “Was the recruiter prompt?”, “Was the interview fair?” Add an open-ended “How could we improve?”
What to say when a candidate asks for feedback?
Be direct and helpful: “Thanks for applying. You showed strong skills in X, but we chose someone with more experience in Y. We appreciate your interest.”
When to send candidate experience survey?
At each stage—resume drop, screen, interview, offer. Ideally within 24 hours of that activity.
How to use feedback to improve your technical recruiting?
Look at feedback after tech interviews: Were questions too tough? Too easy? Did the tool work smoothly? Then update the process based on input.
