Attracting and Securing Top Talent Through The Candidate Experience
A Candidate’s Experience Can Make or Break Your Hiring Success
The phrase “people make your company” has been around for years and with good reason. Hiring the right people is key to business success. That’s why we’ve built our tagline around it: “People Instincts”.
In 2025, recruitment is a two-way street. Candidates now assess employers just as much as employers assess them. It’s never been more important for candidates to feel valued from their first interaction with a potential employer. Yet, many companies still overlook how candidate experience shapes hiring outcomes, retention and even future referrals.
A great candidate experience builds trust, strengthens employer branding, and leads to stronger hires. It’s not just about filling a role; it’s about creating an experience that attracts ambitious, skilled professionals and keeps them engaged for longer.
The most successful companies see the candidate process as a chance to showcase their culture, values and respect for people and as an opportunity to influence a candidate's desire to work with them. Keep reading to learn how improvements to your recruitment process can lead to better hires, stronger reputations and help your business to stand out.
What is the candidate experience?
The candidate experience is the perception a job seeker has about a company or potential employer based on their interactions throughout the hiring process. The candidate or job seeker considers all touch points throughout the recruitment process such as the job search, application, interview stage and onboarding processes.
Why is candidate experience important?
The candidate experience in recruitment is important, and that’s not only because 70% of candidates state that a smooth interview process impacts their likelihood to accept the job. Not only does it impact their candidate interest in the job, it impacts employer reputations, talent acquisition and retention of top talent.
What are the benefits of a great candidate experience?
1. A Great Candidate Experience Strengthens Your Employer Brand
A whopping 82% of candidates research companies before applying, meaning poor reviews or feedback about candidate experience can deter top talent before they even apply. So, how do you get strong candidates to apply?
Strengthening your employer brand, through building a strong Employer Value Proposition (EVP) naturally draws in top talent. Candidates want more than just a job; they want a workplace that aligns with their ambitions.
What is an Employer Value Proposition?
An Employer Value Proposition (EVP) is the promise a business makes to its employees in return for working there. An EVP encompasses a unique set of benefits and rewards to the candidate for working there.
Unique benefits include:
- Career development
- Work-life balance
- Company culture
- Leadership development
- Rewards and recognitions
A compelling EVP highlights opportunities for career growth, a workplace culture that values people, and leadership that supports development. Companies that actively promote their values and culture attract professionals who align with their vision, leading to stronger, long-term hires.
At Ivory Group, we help businesses identify and articulate their EVP. Armed with real-time market insights and candidate expectations, we uncover what makes an organisation truly attractive to talent. When a company knows how to communicate its EVP, it doesn’t just attract employees, it builds engaged, motivated teams.
A business’s reputation isn’t just about what it offers customers, it’s about how it treats its people, including potential hires. A well-defined EVP strengthens brand perception, enhances candidate experience, and makes companies like yours, the obvious choice for top talent.
2. A Great Candidate Experience Attracts Top Talent
Markets shift, especially in Australia’s built environment sector, where economic uncertainty can impact demand, project timelines, and feasibility. At Ivory Group, we’ve seen firsthand how these changes influence hiring trends.
The companies that stand out are those that design a clear, values-led recruitment process. When candidates feel respected and engaged, businesses attract stronger, more aligned talent. Candidates often share their experiences with others, both online and in person, so creating a strong, positive process not only helps you attract top talent but also builds your reputation as an employer of choice. So, when the time comes to hire, you’ll be choosing from the best of the pack.
3. A Great Candidate Experience Improves Offer Acceptance Rates
Candidates who feel valued are more likely to accept your job offer. Research shows that as many as two in three candidates say a positive candidate experience influenced their decision to accept a job offer. A strong candidate experience reassures them that your company is a place where they will be respected and supported. At Ivory Group, we’ve witnessed success rates improve first-hand by introducing strategies to improve the candidate experience.
How to Improve Candidate Experience and Stand Out
- Go beyond ‘standard’ Interview Questions
There’s no shortage of information on how a candidate should prepare for an interview, but what about the hiring business? Make sure you outline the ideal candidate, questions you’d like to cover and your expectations. However, we recommend going one step further and getting to know the interviewee on a personal level.
Get to know the interviewee at the other end of the table or camera; make it clear that you care about getting to know them and how they’d benefit from working at your company. When you do this, the interviewee is more likely to experience a connection to your business and see the benefits of working with you. As a bonus, you’ll improve retention rates as the cultural fit will be aligned.
- Improving Communication at Every Stage
Silence after an application or interview leads to frustration. Updates like a quick acknowledgment of an application, a transparent timeline, and a follow-up message after an interview all contribute to a great candidate experience. The best businesses communicate openly and frequently, without leaving candidates guessing. 8 out of 10 candidates agree that employers can improve candidate experience by providing clear timelines to the recruitment process. This keeps the candidate engaged and retains your company as top of mind.
- Setting Realistic Expectations
Candidates are connected with authenticity, consistency, and honesty by employers. Unclear job descriptions, vague timelines, or last-minute changes set a bad first impression and create distrust. Being upfront about what the role involves, the hiring timeline and company expectations can prevent misunderstandings and reduce dropouts substantially by almost 60% in the recruitment process.
Elevate Your Candidate Experience to Secure the Best Talent
A great candidate experience isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s essential in a competitive hiring market and one that can set your business apart, as two out of three candidates say that a positive candidate experience influenced their decision to accept a job offer.
Candidates expect clear communication, respect, and transparency at every stage. A poor hiring process doesn’t just cost a business one hire, it damages referrals, lowers employer reputation, and makes attracting top talent harder in the future. A strong process builds trust, credibility, and long-term success.
Businesses that invest in a great candidate experience don’t just fill roles, they create environments where talented professionals want to stay and grow.
Want to enhance your recruitment experience? Speak with Ivory Group today.
Do you need help with your recruitment process?
At Ivory Group our expert consultants are here to help you.
Ivory Group specialises in recruiting those who strive for success when working in built environments. We support engineering, architecture, construction and government sectors with determination, tenacity, and a bit of grit.
We provide our clients with a tailored recruitment process to access the most suitable candidates. Our proven experience leverages our people's instincts to help you find and land the perfect long-term or project-based job candidate.
Get in touch with us today to discover how Ivory Group can future-proof your hiring process.
SHARE
