We’ve run Q&As with the teams inside cord’s Hiring Leaders Awards winners, to understand the challenges, initiatives, and top tips they recommend to improve your candidate experience.

Read the full answers from Dexory, Sano Genetics, & Partnerize below, or read our summary of the key action points from all the companies involved.

Steph Wingrove, Dexory

Steph has over 12 years of experience in technical, product and sales recruitment ranging from start ups to larger corporate firms. She's a huge advocate for good candidate experience, brand visibility and high retention.

Dexory develops robotics and AI logistics solutions to drive better business decisions. Through the DexoryView platform they automate data collection and build real-time fed digital twin technology that unlocks insights across all levels of warehouse operations.

1) How do you measure the success of your candidate experience?

The main focus on candidate experience is to get feedback on the people that have come through our process; whether successful or not, we are always keen to hear people’s thoughts and learn from anything that is said, whether that be good or bad. We do this during culture fit stages so candidates have an opportunity to either feedback to us in person, over video or separately via email. The feedback we seek includes topics like: ease of application, communication & responsiveness from the team, interview experience, overall satisfaction.

We also use measurable metrics such as offer-to-acceptance rate and time to hire, as this provides data and learnings that we must take if not to our standard. If offers are not accepted, we track as to why and then can implement whatever we get from this, and what has not gone to plan.

2) What are the biggest challenges you face in being able to provide an excellent candidate experience? How did you overcome these?

Splitting this into two sections: firstly we have internal. Dexory is in a fortunate position where we are going through a large amount of growth, meaning we have more positions open which keeps us busy! That said, it also means workloads have increased and availability of hiring managers for interviews has become quite the challenge, which obviously can have a knock on effect on how engaged candidates are with us, the impression we give to them, and how successful we are at securing the right person. Our TA team update people going through the process as much as possible and is transparent with the time challenges we have. We have missed out on a couple of great people because of this, however it has served as a great lesson for us that managers really have to prioritise and carve time out to show they are committed to getting someone on board and in their team.

Externally:- Simply put, and tied in with the above; other companies have moved faster than us in certain circumstances and we have missed out in regards to securing people. But likewise with the above; the learn is to dedicate time and move as fast as possible.

3) What are the key initiatives you’ve implemented that have had the biggest impact on candidate experience?

Tied with the above, it is important people who interview know exactly what it is for so all details are given to them from the beginning in screening calls. This includes the full job description, benefits, working patterns, culture, the full interview process etc. If any changes need to be made (albeit rarely) then it is communicated straight away by phone/text or email if the previous are not possible. Our ARS system is also set for reminders to give feedback too.

We also want candidates to have as positive interview experience as possible, and our People team are very active with running training sessions with new team leaders, as well as refreshers for experienced managers to make sure we are interviewing well, fairly, informatively, but also challenging to give the candidates a real overview of us.

Internally, the TA team is targeted to a maximum time to hire (from when we first got in touch with the candidate/initial application through to offer and contract stage) as 30 days (this is less for some roles due to shorter processes) and we have been successful in this (average time to hire over the past year has been 23 days). How we have brought this about is to include this target in our overall business OKRs which are updated every 2 weeks, to ensure that all hiring managers know the context why this is important for candidate experience, as well as their own recruitment. It also has helped when opening the requisites that hiring managers now specifically carve out time even before we go to market for interviews and feedback so that there are no surprises either side. Sometimes, in certain teams like the Sales team that travel a lot and are called for last minute appointments, this is not always 100% achievable, but at least the plan is in place and we know what good looks like.

4) What are the top tips you’d give to other companies looking to improve their candidate experience?

Set up reminders/alerts/any prompts from any technology you use (i.e. ATS/CRM) to make sure every candidate gets feedback. It's so easy for people to slip through the cracks despite our best efforts.

Ensure anyone sitting in interviews (internally) is completely prepared. If they are new to interviewing, best to have someone who is experienced to sit in and make sure everything runs smoothly.

Despite needing comparisons, try to avoid making candidates wait too long in between stages and final decisions.

Miguel Da Silva, Sano Genetics

Miguel is a Talent Acquisition Expert with a background in identifying, attracting, and securing exceptional talent worldwide. He's currently spearheading talent strategies at Sano Genetics, leading efforts across all disciplines at the company. His background covers both hyperscale start-ups and large enterprises in the Tech space.

Sano Genetics is revolutionising the way personalised medicine research is conducted, making it more efficient and more human-centric! Their platform empowers Pharma, Biotechs, Population Genomics Initiatives, and Patient Organizations to run digital and at-home personalised medicine research that is faster, more cost-effective, and more diverse and inclusive than traditional methods.

1) How do you measure the success of your candidate experience?

At Sano Genetics, we prioritise delivering an exceptional candidate experience to attract and retain top talent. We ensure every candidate receives a response within two weeks (often within the first couple of hours), whether the outcome is positive or negative, showing respect for their time and effort. Transparency is key; we provide candidates with a clear view of the role, team, and company culture, setting realistic expectations to avoid mismatches. We communicate clear timelines and conduct regular check-ins to keep candidates informed and engaged. We measure our success through metrics like Time to Hire, Stage Duration, Candidate NPS, and Internal Survey Scores. By regularly reviewing these metrics, we make data-driven improvements, ensuring an efficient and positive process for all candidates.

2) What are the biggest challenges you face in being able to provide an excellent candidate experience? How did you overcome these?

Being a growing start-up, our primary challenge is team size. Managing the high volume of recruitment tasks with limited personnel is demanding. We addressed this by upgrading our ATS and using AI-powered tools to streamline processes, reducing the administrative burden. Coordinating interview schedules is another challenge, so we implemented robust scheduling tools and trained more team members to conduct interviews, increasing flexibility across the board. Ensuring a consistent and unbiased interview process is also essential. We standardised our interview process and provided comprehensive training, maintaining objectivity and consistency. These steps have improved our efficiency and ability to deliver a top-notch candidate experience which is reflected in our NPS of +96.

3) What are the key initiatives you’ve implemented that have had the biggest impact on candidate experience?

We’ve implemented several key initiatives to enhance our candidate experience. Upgrading our Applicant Tracking System was a major step. It improved communication and timely feedback, making the application journey smoother and more efficient. Refreshing our careers page was another significant move. We wanted to give potential candidates a clear and engaging picture of our company culture, attracting those genuinely excited about our mission. Building credibility on job boards by showcasing our hiring process and metrics also helped. Lastly, we standardised our recruitment process to ensure fairness and consistency, improving the overall candidate experience. These initiatives reflect our commitment to creating a positive, inclusive and engaging recruitment journey.

4) What are the top tips you’d give to other companies looking to improve their candidate experience?

My top tips would be as follows:

Be Honest and Transparent and provide candidates with a clear and accurate picture of what it’s like to work at your company. Be upfront about the role, the team, and the culture. Treat them as if they are already part of the team, and provide all the information they need to make an informed decision on joining you or not an interview works both ways.

Show Empathy and treat candidates with respect and acknowledge the effort they put into applying. Provide timely updates and extend this empathy to your hiring teams. A happy, well-supported team is more likely to create a positive experience for candidates when it comes to interviewing.

Prioritise Communication and keep candidates informed throughout the recruitment process. Communicate regularly and transparently to manage expectations and reduce anxiety. Even a well-communicated rejection is better than no response at all. Don’t ghost people!

John Rodriquez, Partnerize

With nearly 10 years of recruitment experience and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management, John has developed strong skills in high-volume recruiting, technical recruitment, and TA strategy. He has worked across multiple sectors including biotechnology, cloud-based financial technology, medical device, and SaaS.

Partnerize is the leader in partnership automation. The Partnerize platform is the only of its kind to deliver a fully integrated, comprehensive suite of discovery, recruitment, optimization, payment, brand safety and fraud prevention capabilities for marketers.

1) How do you measure the success of your candidate experience?

To measure the success of our candidate experience, we take a holistic approach that includes gathering feedback through surveys, tracking time-to-hire, and monitoring offer acceptance rates. We use post-hire surveys to understand candidates' impressions, while keeping an eye on how quickly we move from application to offer to ensure our process is efficient. We have a high offer-acceptance rate which suggests that we're meeting candidates' expectations well. We also look at where candidates drop off in the process to spot any issues, and we pay attention to reviews on various websites and social media engagement. Internal feedback from our interviewers and recruiters is crucial too. Additionally, we assess the diversity of our candidate pool and their onboarding experiences through surveys to ensure a positive and inclusive hiring journey. This all-around strategy helps us continuously improve and deliver a great candidate experience.

2) What are the biggest challenges you face in being able to provide an excellent candidate experience? How did you overcome these?

We face several challenges, with some remaining constant while others shift with the changing market dynamics. One of the biggest challenges in providing an excellent candidate experience is maintaining clear and timely communication. No one likes being ghosted. Candidates often feel frustrated when they're left in the dark about their application status. To tackle this, we've implemented automated updates, system reminders, and have set strict internal response timelines to ensure candidates are always in the loop. Another challenge is streamlining the interview process. For example, engineering candidates are often engaged in multi-round interview processes in addition to long technical assessments. It can be cumbersome and time-consuming, which can turn candidates off. We've worked on refining our process to be more efficient, cutting down unnecessary steps, and using technology to make scheduling and feedback collection smoother. Diversity and inclusion are also significant challenges. It's essential to ensure that every candidate feels valued and fairly treated. We've invested in training for our hiring teams and revamped our job descriptions and interview questions to be more inclusive, helping us attract a broader range of candidates. Lastly, gathering and acting on feedback can be tricky, but it's vital for continuous improvement. We've made it a point to regularly collect feedback from new employees and internal stakeholders, analyze it, and implement changes swiftly. This iterative process helps us keep improving the candidate experience.

3) What are the key initiatives you’ve implemented that have had the biggest impact on candidate experience?

One of the major initiatives this year was refining our interview process, especially for engineering roles. Finding a way to balance conducting a quality interview process while also being mindful of the overall time that a candidate will need to invest can be tricky. For example, for our technical positions, we partnered with the engineering department to refine our job descriptions, standardize interview formats, and create a new technical assessment that was more relevant to each role. We made it a point to restructure the amount of interview rounds required while still maintaining quality by increasing the meeting time for each round. With fewer meetings, we’ve worked hard to make each round feel more meaningful to the candidate and not just another meeting with another department head.

4) What are the top tips you’d give to other companies looking to improve their candidate experience?

Foster Inclusivity and Diversity:

• Review job descriptions and interview questions to remove language or biases that may unintentionally exclude certain candidates.

• Provide diversity and inclusion training for hiring managers and interviewers to ensure a welcoming and equitable experience for all candidates.

• Actively seek out diverse talent pools through targeted recruitment efforts and partnerships with organizations, like Cord, that promote diversity in the workforce.

Prioritize Communication:

• Implement automated updates and response templates to ensure candidates receive timely updates on their application status.

• Set clear expectations for communication frequency and responsiveness among hiring teams.

• Provide an email address for candidates to ask questions and receive prompt, personalized responses throughout the hiring process.

Streamline the Process:

• Audit your current hiring process to identify and eliminate unnecessary steps that may cause delays or confusion for candidates.

• Leverage technology to simplify administrative tasks such as scheduling interviews and collecting feedback.

• Standardize interview formats and evaluation criteria to ensure consistency and fairness for all candidates.

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