Between January and April 2025, One CoreDev IT® (CORE®) launched a targeted initiative to better understand how candidates perceive our recruitment process. By gathering direct feedback through a comprehensive survey, we identified what’s working, where improvements were needed, and how to elevate the overall candidate experience. These insights have since shaped key enhancements in our strategy, reinforcing our focus on a recruitment journey that’s clear, engaging, and candidate-centric.
The Importance of Prioritizing Candidate Experience in Recruitment
Recruitment today is no longer just about filling roles; it’s about building meaningful connections with candidates at every touchpoint. Today, how an organization treats its candidates during the hiring process directly influences whether top talent chooses to engage, accept an offer, or even speak positively about the brand. Every interaction, from the job discovery phase to the interview experience and follow-up communication, contributes to the overall candidate experience in recruitment.
Recognizing this, we launched an internal initiative to better understand how candidates perceived their journey with us. We wanted to identify not just surface-level impressions, but the motivations, frustrations, and expectations that shape a candidate’s view of our hiring process. This approach reflects a growing awareness across industries of the importance of candidate experience, not just as an HR concern, but as a strategic driver of employer branding, candidate conversion, and long-term talent engagement.
By examining every phase of the recruitment journey through the lens of the candidate, we aimed to uncover insights that could help us build a process that’s not only efficient, but also respectful, transparent, and engaging. Our case study began with a simple but essential question: What does a great candidate experience truly look like from the candidate’s perspective?
The Challenge: Understanding Candidate Perceptions
Several underlying questions guided our efforts in identifying gaps and uncovering opportunities for growth in the candidate experience in recruitment:
📌 What drives candidates to apply to CORE®? – We needed to understand the motivations behind applications to strengthen our employer brand and tailor messaging accordingly.
📌 How effective are our communication touchpoints? – Candidate drop-off and engagement inconsistencies pointed to the need for better communication strategies throughout the journey.
📌 Are candidates receiving enough information about the company and role? – Clarity of information directly impacts candidate confidence and satisfaction.
📌 How do candidates perceive our interview process? – We aimed to validate whether our interviews were respectful, professional, and reflective of our values.
📌 Would candidates recommend us? – Measuring this helped gauge the overall benefits of good candidate experience and pinpoint factors influencing advocacy.
These challenges formed our survey, designed to uncover how to improve candidate experience through informed, strategic changes. The data collected provided critical insight into what we were doing well and where there was room for enhancement.
The Solution: Implementing a Comprehensive Candidate Survey
Understanding how to improve candidate experience begins with listening to the people who go through your process. This survey evaluated key touchpoints across the candidate experience in recruitment, ensuring we gained actionable insights into the candidate journey.
We collected data from 45 respondents, targeting various aspects of the candidate journey, including:
✅ Initial Awareness: How candidates first discovered our company.
✅ Motivations: The key reasons that inspired them to apply.
✅ Interview Experience: Quality and effectiveness of the interview process.
✅ Information Clarity: Satisfaction with the information provided about the company and role.
✅ Likelihood to Recommend: How likely they are to recommend our company to others.
The Results: High Satisfaction and Areas for Growth
Overall, a data-driven approach gave us a clear view of how our efforts were resonating. Specifically, the survey results confirmed that CORE® was already performing well in key areas, while also offering guidance on where to improve.
Key Findings:
📈 High Recommendation Score: An average rating of 9.36 out of 10, indicating strong candidate satisfaction and positive overall candidate experience.
📈 Positive Interview Experience: Majority rated their interviews as “Excellent” or “Good,” reflecting our team’s professionalism and our commitment to creating a comfortable environment for candidates.
📈 Effective Information Dissemination: Candidates felt well-informed about the company and the roles they applied for.
📈 Motivations for Applying: Top reasons included specific job roles, growth opportunities, company reputation, and culture—all factors that contribute to a compelling employer brand.
📈 Influence of Online Presence: Over half of the respondents acknowledged that our website and social media content positively impacted their decision to apply, highlighting the importance of digital recruitment marketing.
Areas for Improvement:
📈 Enhancing Cultural Insights: Some candidates expressed a desire for more in-depth information about the culture and work environment at CORE®.
📈 Continuous Engagement: Ensuring consistent candidate communication throughout the recruitment process to keep candidates engaged and informed.
Visualizing the Data
Below are the visual highlights from the survey analysis:
1. Distribution of Recommendation Likelihood: A breakdown of how likely candidates were to recommend CORE® to others, illustrating the strength of our employer brand.
2. Satisfaction Level with Company and Role Information: Insights into how well-informed candidates felt during the process.
3. Interview Experience Ratings: Visual feedback on interview quality, showcasing candidate perception of professionalism and communication.
4. Motivations for Applying: A graphical look into what drew candidates to CORE®, from career growth opportunities to online reputation.
Testimonials from Candidates
Gathering and showcasing feedback is central to candidate experience management. By continuously listening to our candidates, we can identify what’s working and build on it. Real testimonials validate our efforts and highlight CORE® as a company that values transparency and respect during the hiring process.
Here’s what some candidates shared on Trustpilot:
⭐ “The detailed explanation about the role during my interview significantly boosted my confidence in CORE.”
⭐ “I appreciated the transparency and professionalism throughout the recruitment process.”
The Impact: Strengthening Our Employer Brand
The feedback gathered directly influenced our recruitment strategy and confirmed that a focus on candidate experience management leads to meaningful improvements.
✔ Refined Communication: Updated job postings and website content now provide clearer insights into our company culture and values.
✔ Training Enhancements: Recruitment teams have undergone additional training to ensure consistent and effective communication.
✔ Feedback Integration: Regular candidate feedback reviews facilitate continuous improvement in our talent acquisition efforts.
CORE® has strengthened its commitment to a streamlined, respectful, and engaging candidate experience that leaves a lasting impact. These efforts help us attract top talent and solidify our reputation in the marketplace as an employer of choice.
About CORE®
At One CoreDev IT® (CORE®), we do more than provide outsourcing solutions; we connect exceptional Filipino talent with global opportunities. What sets us apart isn’t just our service, but our deep commitment to excellence and putting people first. From recruitment to onboarding, we ensure every interaction is respectful, transparent, and meaningful.
Interested in the CORE® Difference?
We’ve proven that putting the candidate experience first leads to stronger engagement, higher recommendation scores, and a more trusted employer brand. Whether you’re applying for your next role or looking to refine your hiring process, our approach shows how impactful thoughtful, data-driven recruitment can be. Experience the CORE® difference—where every candidate counts.
