Candidate experienCe Survey reSuLtS

intrOduCtiOn

as an Hr consultancy, we spend a lot of time talking

to our clients about how they can make their selection

processes more effective, efficient and engaging. an

important part of this is understanding what these

processes are like from a candidate’s perspective.

exploring what applicants want from a prospective

employer at this early stage enables us to provide

feedback to Hr professionals and recruiters on what

they are doing well and what can be done better.

in the second half of 2014 we carried out an international

survey to find out about people’s application experiences

and their views on what works best in selection

processes. the questions were available in english,

French, dutch and Spanish. We worked with a number

of our clients to promote the survey, segmenting

the responses in order for them to benchmark their

recruitment processes against the overall results.

the survey received over 1,000 responses from 65

countries. a significant number of these responses

came from individual client organisations, so in order

to avoid bias, the results presented here are based on

561 responses from a wide selection of candidates.

We’ve set out this report to focus on the findings of

the survey in five important areas; attraction, online

tests, interviews and face-to-face assessments, new

joiners’ expectations and overall candidate experience.

to close the report, we’ve included a few brief tips to

reinforce the key learnings from this study and help

employers explore how they can improve their approach

to selection.

if you have any questions about these results or

you’d like to talk to us about your people assessment

challenges please get in touch via info@cubiks.com.

Kind regards,Martin Smith, Cubiks CeO

1

Key FindinGS

attraction

• 43% of candidates indicated that training and

development and opportunities to progress are the

most important factors in attracting them to apply

for a role.

• Just 3% said salary is the most important factor

when they look to apply for a job.

Online tests

• around two thirds of candidates overall rated

their online tests as both relevant and engaging.

• the most frequently experienced online tests were

personality questionnaires and the least frequent

were inbox simulations.

• Situational Judgement tests (SJts) were rated as

engaging by 69% of candidates, with only 8% saying

they were not engaging.

• personality questionnaires were rated as relevant by

a large proportion of candidates, just 9% said they

were not relevant.

• Candidates rated this stage in the process lowest

for employer responsiveness. Over two fifths of

candidates said employers did not communicate

effectively at this stage.

interviews & Face-to-face assessments

• almost 90% of candidates said interviewers asked

relevant questions.

• 91% of those who didn’t start working for the employer

but had a good interview said they would apply again

in the future.

• Face-to-face assessments and interviews were rated

the most engaging types of assessment.

new joiners: Meeting expectations

• the majority of people were satisfied with their new

role’s work/life balance and felt the job matched their

skills and experience.

• the biggest area of disappointment for new joiners

is remuneration.

• Over a quarter of new joiners said the employer

didn’t meet their expectations when it came to

the development opportunities available.

Overall Candidate experience

• 82% of candidates felt the process was fair and 70%

left with a positive impression.

• Over half of candidates learned about their strengths

and development areas.

• Candidates who were given feedback were most likely

to say they felt they had been treated fairly.

• Over two thirds said the process was clearly connected

with the employer’s brand. those who saw the

brand connection were more likely to report a positive

experience than those who did not.

• When asked for open comments on what could

be improved in the future; feedback, information

and communication were frequently referenced, as

candidates felt they didn’t receive as much information

as they would have liked.

2

SuMMary

attraction

the survey’s key finding on attraction is that

development opportunities have a strong influence

when people consider applying for a role. after match

with experience, chances to grow and develop their

career are crucial factors that attract candidates to a

role. these findings are reinforced by the results from

Cubiks’ previous survey on development, which found

that in today’s workforce development opportunities

are a real priority.

the survey results appear to show that when attracting

candidates, salary has limited significance. it is difficult

to draw a clear conclusion about this from our research,

but it would be interesting to explore this area further;

asking questions about whether salary is a hygiene factor

and should be more clearly defined at an early stage.

assessments and interviews

On the whole, candidates reported that their

online tests were satisfactory; around two thirds of

candidates said they were both relevant and engaging.

this demonstrates that a large proportion of employers

are putting time and effort into ensuring their tests

offer an enjoyable experience for participants. On the

other hand, it still leaves around a third who, from the

candidate’s perspective, could be doing better. to tackle

this, we’ve made some suggestions based on these

findings at the end of this report.

at the face-to-face stage, candidates also reported

high levels of satisfaction. Candidates rated their

interviews particularly highly, with almost 90% saying

their interviewers asked relevant questions. it is

interesting to note that of all candidates, only 35% took

part in face-to-face assessments. this could be due to

the deployment of effective online tests. When

candidates are sifted early in the process, fewer reach

the later and more costly, face-to-face stages. it may also

reflect the fact that assessment centres are generally only

applied to a minority of job roles that require this level

of testing due to their seniority or complexity. although

some employers use assessment centres in other

contexts, for instance for graduate programmes, this

is still not common practice.

Communication and feedback

a third of candidates said that the employer’s final

decision was not clearly explained. this links with a

general theme in these survey results that candidates

would like more information at all stages. the free text

feedback to our question on what could be improved

in the process included a lot of references to a lack of

information and employers not replying to applications

or queries.

this theme carried through when it came to feedback,

as almost half of candidates said they didn’t learn about

their strengths and development areas through the

process. this indicates that employers are not taking

the time to offer feedback on how individuals performed

and why they may have been rejected.

responses to a number of questions suggest that

candidates would value receiving more detailed

information from employers. One example is that few

candidates said they received a brief or debrief on their

interview / assessment day, but 42% said they felt they

would have achieved better results overall if they were

provided with more information.

Fairness and perceptions

Candidates’ reviews of their recruitment processes overall

were fairly good, with 65% saying they were satisfied with

the end-to-end process. However, this means that around

a third of candidates left the process unsatisfied. this of

course, is something employers should take into serious

consideration. We’ve added some of our ideas on how

to improve the process in the final section of this report.

Overall, it appears that where employers assess

candidates, they do so in a fair way and ensure

participants feel valued. the majority of candidates said

they felt their recruitment process was fair, and 70% left

with a positive impression of the employer. the survey

results highlighted that when the recruitment process is

connected with the organisation’s brand this contributes

to a positive experience for candidates.

3

tHe detaiLS

aBOut tHe CandidateS

the top 10 countries candidates came from were; the uK, Spain, France, the uSa, Belgium,

netherlands, Finland, Malaysia, india and Sweden.

34% of candidates said they had less than 5 years of work experience, which ties in with the fact that

such a large proportion are under 29, and another 25% said they had 6-10 years of experience.

4

43%

27%

16%

8%

4%1%0% 1%

<21

21-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

>69

i’d rather not say

age

Female

Male

i’d rather not say55%

44%

1%

Gender

attraCtiOn

development opportunities matter

Match with experience was most frequently chosen

as the most important factor that attracted candidates

to apply for a role. The next most frequently selected

options were ‘career development and training’ (23%)

and ‘opportunity to progress’ (20%).

these results clearly show that the majority of

people prioritise opportunities to grow and advance

their career. this highlights the importance of putting

in place effective development programmes – as

highlighted by the Cubiks 2012 international survey on

development. this survey found that development is an

important part of retention; 93% of respondents said

they would stay longer with an organisation that invests

in their development*.

Only 4% of candidates said work/life balance was

the most influential. there are various factors that

may feed into this; changing perceptions of the

workplace and work demands, different working

styles and the economic climate could all play a part.

this is an interesting statistic and one that requires

further investigation to draw any concrete conclusions.

Around 1 in 5 candidates said that brand and culture are

the most important elements that attract them to apply

for a role. this is a significant proportion and may be

why an increasing number of organisations are making a

renewed effort to demonstrate their brand and values in

their selection processes. We have noticed that consumer

facing businesses in particular are leading the way in this

area, as they recognise that their candidates are likely to

also be their customers.

Just 3% of candidates said that salary was the most

important factor that attracted them to apply for a role.

this leads to some interesting questions, as it suggests

remuneration is not a priority for applicants. this could

be because people are used to not knowing the exact

salary at the initial application stage. Often salaries are

not advertised or are presented as a wide bracket, with

confirmed figures defined at a later stage. On the other

hand, salary could be seen as a hygiene factor. although

it is important, employers may not differentiate

themselves greatly on remuneration and therefore it

isn’t something that attracts candidates.

* results from the Cubiks international Survey on development, July 2012

5

Brand or reputation

Career development & training

Culture & values

Match with my experience & background

Opportunity to progress

Other (please specify)

remuneration package

Work / Life balance

23%

13%

6%27%

20%

4%4%3%

OnLine teStS

Only 44% of the overall candidates took part in

online tests.

Candidates were asked to rate each type of online test

in terms of how engaging and relevant they were.

the test types included problem solving / ability

tests, situational judgement tests (SJts), personality

questionnaires and inbox simulation exercises. For every

type of assessment, around two thirds of candidates

rated them both engaging and relevant.

It is interesting to note that only 8% of candidates rated

SJTs as ‘not engaging’. this is likely because these types

of tests are often created specifically for an organisation,

so they reflect the company’s brand and the job role in a

realistic way. Maintaining this connection to the real role

helps make assessments engaging for participants.

In terms of relevance, personality questionnaires

received the smallest number of ‘not relevant’ ratings

from candidates, with just 9% saying they were not

relevant. With the growing use of work-based personality

questionnaires such as Cubiks’ papi™, candidates see

the very real link between these types of assessments

and their future job performance. employers can further

reinforce this link by providing thorough and professional

feedback on these assessments.

it is positive that a large proportion of candidates

rated their online tests as relevant and engaging, but

there were still around a third who said they were only

‘somewhat’ or ‘not’ relevant or engaging. this suggests

that there are still plenty of organisations using tests

that don’t challenge or inspire their applicants, or perhaps

just don’t explain the purpose of their assessments. if

these employers want to attract and select the best

talent, we would recommend they invest in exploring

how they can make improvements in this area.

Communication

The stage at which employers were deemed least

responsive was during online testing. Only 59% of

candidates said employers were responsive at this stage,

compared to 72% at the initial application and 88% at

the interview or face-to-face stage. the format of online

tests may have an influence on this. depending how

tests and invitations are designed and set up, candidates

may feel they have difficulty reaching a member of the

recruitment team to ask questions. also, because these

tests are often taken at home, candidates may feel this

distances them from the employer at this stage.

preparation

Almost half of candidates said they found practice tests

available to them when preparing for their assessments.

this leaves half who were unsure or couldn’t source

practice materials for their tests. these findings suggest

that either employers are unaware that practice tests

would be a useful resource for candidates, or they would

rather their candidates took the assessments without

practice, as that way they might perform more ‘naturally’.

We can distinguish assessments that measure

‘typical performance’ from assessments measuring

‘maximum performance’. Since personality questionnaires

measure an individual’s work style, drivers and motivation,

they provide insight into typical performance. As there are

no right or wrong answers due to the self-report nature of

these questionnaires, it is most important that the candidate

fully understands the process, instructions, and the objective

of completing the assessment. By reading proper briefing

information and trying out a few items, candidates will feel

more comfortable completing the test and this will reduce

the stress some of them may feel.

Ability tests are a well-known example

of assessments that measure maximum

performance. The tests are timed and

candidates need to answer as many

questions as possible correctly within that

given timeframe. Again, it is important that

the candidate can complete some practice

questions in order to understand what to expect. Becoming

familiar with the type of questions through such practice

can have a positive influence on a participant’s pace and

therefore the result of the assessment.

Hannah Olsen, principal Consultant, Cubiks uSa

The results suggest that candidates would appreciate

being provided with more information about the

selection process before taking their assessments,

to help them prepare. 42% of candidates agreed with

the statement ‘if the employer had provided more

information i would have done better’. Furthermore,

31% agreed that they would have achieved a better

result if they had been better prepared.

6

Was the employer responsive? - %who said yes

initial application

Online tests face-to-face & interview

1009080706050403020100

7

intervieWS & FaCe-tO-FaCe

56% of candidates took part in interviews as part of their

recruitment process. this may seem like a small number,

but as a percentage of the overall candidates it reflects

that many may have been rejected at an earlier stage. Of

these, 63% also participated in face-to-face assessments

such as role plays, presentations and group exercises.

intervieWS

Overall, it appears that organisations are running

high quality interviews, as 89% of candidates who

participated in an interview said their interviewers

asked relevant questions. this of course makes a

big difference to the individual’s perception of the

organisation and the process.

Of candidates who didn’t begin working for the employer,

91% of those who said their interview was relevant

also said they would apply again in the future. Of the

candidates in the same position who said their interview

wasn’t relevant, only 27% said they would apply again.

FaCe-tO-FaCe aSSeSSMentS

Out of candidates overall, only 35% took part in face-

to-face assessments. in recent years, online assessments

have become more advanced and better at selecting

in the best candidates. this may have an impact on the

proportions reaching the face-to-face stage, as a

greater number are sifted out earlier in the process.

this could also be influenced by the nature or level of

the roles candidates were applying for. the majority

were from younger age groups and had only a few years

of experience, so they may not have been applying for

the more senior and complex roles typically associated

with assessment centres. although some employers use

assessment centres in other contexts, for instance for

graduate programmes, this is still not common practice.

engagement

in terms of levels of engagement, the stage at which

they took part in face-to-face assessments and

interviews was rated the most engaging by candidates.

although 71% of candidates found the online tests they

took engaging, it is difficult for these tests to rival the

interaction offered by meeting in person.

in many situations it is simply not practical for recruiters

to meet every candidate in person, but this creates a

challenge in keeping candidates enthusiastic about their

application at the online stage. Creating and deploying

bespoke and interactive online tests can help alleviate

this problem, as well as implementing online solutions

that offer automated, yet personalised feedback for

candidates based on their performance.

Communication

According to the feedback from candidates, employers

are the most responsive and best at communicating

when candidates reach the face-to-face stage. this is

likely because by this time, there are lower volumes of

candidates and therefore it is easier to communicate

with them effectively. this was also the stage at which

candidates said they learned the most about the role and

the organisation. this demonstrates the value of face-to-

face interaction; individuals learn the most about a job

and an employer by meeting them and asking questions.

although the ratings were high for employer

responsiveness and availability of information at this

stage, it is concerning that only 16% of candidates got a

brief or debrief on the day of their interview or face-to-

face tests. When employers make the process transparent

and ensure the candidate knows what to expect, this

helps put candidates at ease and can contribute to better

performance in tests and interviews.

What types of face-to-face assessment did you take part in?

role play

prese

ntatio

n

practic

al skills

test

Group exerc

ise

Business

casenone

Simulatio

n

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

8

neW JOinerS: MeetinG expeCtatiOnS

in this section of the survey we asked those candidates

who began working for the employer to rate how far their

expectations were met once they began work. When it

comes to retaining new recruits, these factors can play

an important part.

The biggest area new joiners are disappointed

in is remuneration. this is interesting, as in an earlier

question, only 3% of candidates had said remuneration

was the most important factor in attracting them to

apply. perhaps candidates need to give this area greater

priority earlier in their application process, exploring the

compensation and benefits offered by their potential

employer. Or possibly employers need to outline these

more clearly earlier on, managing expectations through

transparency.

in an earlier question, career development and training

and opportunity to progress were rated as some of the

most important aspects that attract people to apply

for a job. it is significant therefore, that in both of these

areas over a quarter of candidates said the employer did

not meet their expectations. this is a cause for concern,

as development was identified as a major priority for

candidates and it appears that some employers are

letting them down.

it is important to note that development initiatives can

be a valuable tool for retaining people. according to

Cubiks’ international research, 93% of employees will

stay longer with an organisation that invests in their

development. the majority of people also say they

would choose a new development opportunity above

a pay rise or extra holidays*.

as development is so important, employers need

to ensure that the promises they make during

recruitment processes can be upheld. it is likely that

clearer information would also help ensure that new

recruits aren’t disappointed, as if candidates are better

informed it will be easier to manage their expectations.

* results from the Cubiks international Survey on development, July 2012

after beginning employment, did the organisation meet your expectations in terms of:

Brand o

r

reputa

tion

Caree

r dev

elopm

ent

& trai

ning

Culture

& v

alues

Job m

atch

with

exp

erie

nce &

bac

kgro

undO

pportunity

to p

rogre

ss

Work

/ li

fe b

alan

ce

remuner

atio

n

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

88%

12%

26% 21% 15%28% 31%

20%

74% 79%85%

72% 69%80%

no

yes

FeedBaCK

Just over half of candidates said that through the

selection process they learned about their strengths

and development areas. this relates to the fact that only

63% overall said they found value in the process. So there

are a significant number – over a third, who reported that

they didn’t learn anything from the process. this would

suggest that a large number of employers are not offering

candidates feedback after they apply for a role.

A third of candidates said the employer’s final

decision was not clearly explained, again suggesting

that employers are not responding to candidates’

applications or explaining to them why they are

unsuitable. Of those who said it wasn’t explained,

only 33% said they agreed with the decision. this

demonstrates how important this feedback is to

a candidate’s perception of the employer, as this

disagreement may well lead to dissatisfaction.

if the decision is clearly fed back to the candidate and

they are given the opportunity to ask questions, they

will understand it better and be more likely to agree.

For those candidates who received such an explanation,

88% agreed with the decision made.

employers may see it as an impossible or impractical

task to give individual explanations to every candidate,

but this feedback does not have to be given in person

every time. For instance, if candidates took part in online

tests, the explanation could be offered in the format of

an automated email that provides the candidate with

information on their performance and why it didn’t meet

the required standard.

it appears that this feedback also has a role in helping

candidates feel they were treated fairly and given an

equal chance. 89% of the candidates who received an

explanation of the final decision said they were satisfied

they had been given the chance to demonstrate their

suitability for the role.

Can you suggest anything that would improve

the process? Feedback, information and communication

were strong recurring themes in the free text responses

from candidates.

9

OveraLL Candidate experienCe

role informationprocess tests

communication

feedbackfocus quality

exercisesability

10

FairneSS and Candidate perCeptiOnS

45% said they were not completely satisfied that the

recruitment process gave them the opportunity to

demonstrate their suitability for the role. this is another

area that could, again, be linked with the fact that a lot of

candidates said they would have liked more information

and better communication from employers throughout

the process.

Candidates are more likely to report positive

experience when they understand why an assessment

tool is used as part of a recruitment process, how it relates

to the job and how decisions regarding their suitability are

made. To help achieve this, it is important that transparent

information is communicated to applicants upfront, during

and after the process. This should include the reasons why

the assessments have been chosen, some familiarisation

with what to expect and what to do during the assessment

process, where and when decisions will be made, and how

they will receive feedback.

A better candidate experience will result from this, which

is likely to lead to benefits for an employer such as a better

reputation, fewer challenges from applicants, and more

motivated candidates going through the process and

eventually joining the organisation

paul yarker, Managing Consultant, Cubiks r&d

Overall, 82% of candidates felt they were treated fairly

by the recruiting organisation, and 70% said they left the

process with a positive impression.

Fairness is a very important part of any recruitment

process, and every employer wants to provide an

objective process for candidates. the survey results

demonstrate that when an individual perceives that the

process enables them to demonstrate how suitable they

are, they will perceive the process to be fair, even when

they are rejected.

96% of candidates who were satisfied the process gave

them a chance to demonstrate their suitability for the

role also agreed that they were treated fairly.

eMpLOyer Brand

it appears that employers are increasingly aware of the

need to demonstrate their brand in the recruitment

process. 68% of candidates reported that the recruitment

process was clearly connected with the employer’s

brand. Of these, 89% said they left with a positive

impression of the organisation. although this appears

positive, there are still almost a third of candidates who

either didn’t connect the recruitment processes with

the organisation’s brand or were left with a negative

impression of the organisation and their brand.

How was the experience overall?

Overall, 65% of candidates said they were satisfied

with the end-to-end process. this leaves some room

for improvement, with over a third finding employers’

processes unsatisfactory.

a key indicator of whether an individual had a good

experience is whether they would come back for more.

Of those who didn’t start working for the employer,

71% said they would apply again.

Of the candidates overall, 77% said they would

recommend a friend to apply. it is positive that such

a large proportion would make this recommendation,

but this still leaves almost a quarter who would not.

it would be interesting to carry out some further

investigation into this area to discover why these people

wouldn’t recommend a friend to apply and the possible

impact that this could have on an employer’s reputation.

Cubiks international HQ, ranger House, Walnut tree Close, Guildford, Surrey, Gu1 4uL. t +44 1483 544 200 F +44 1483 544 230 e info@cubiks.com W www.cubiks.com

taKeaWayS

10 tips to improve your selection process

Email info@cubiks.com to find out how we can assist you with implementing outstanding

people assessment processes.

1. Highlight how you’re different.

demonstrate to candidates what you’ll

do for their career by showcasing your

development programmes attract them

with a future, not just a job.

2. Keep your promises.

don’t just say things to get new hires,

act on them.

3. Use the selection process to promote

your employer brand, culture and values.

it will make you stand out and you’ll be more

likely to attract the candidates you need and

keep them.

4. Deploy robust online tests to sift

applicants and spend the most time

with the best candidates.

5. Demonstrate how rigorous your online

tests are, make sure they are credible

and candidates understand what is

being assessed and why.

6. Enable candidates to prepare.

provide practice tests and briefing

material so they know what to expect

when taking assessments.

7. Communication and transparency are crucial.

if you’re transparent you treat people as

equals, put them at ease and enable them

to perform at their best.

8. Respond in a timely manner at all stages

to all candidates. if this isn’t possible, use

software to generate automated, yet

personalised responses.

9. Provide value through feedback.

Give candidates a return for their

time investment.

10. Learn where you can improve by

asking your successful and rejected

candidates for feedback. don’t forget that

the selection process is an extension of your

organisations brand.

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