Candidate Experience Survey Questions
A short, optional survey after each hiring stage shows where the process felt unclear or slow. Ask stage-specific questions, send soon after, include people you did not hire, and fix one pattern at a time.
By ReadyATS Team · · 5 min read
A candidate experience survey is a short, optional set of questions you send after a hiring stage to learn how the process felt. The best candidate experience survey questions are specific to that stage, take only a few minutes, and go to more than the people you hired.
It sits beside our hiring process steps and 8 Things Hiring Managers Should Know About the Candidate Experience.
What is a candidate experience survey?
A candidate experience survey is a brief questionnaire that asks applicants how the hiring process worked for them, not whether they want the job. In a 2023 SHRM report on Talent Board research from 2022, only about one-quarter of nearly 200,000 candidates worldwide said an employer asked them for feedback at any recruiting stage (SHRM, April 11, 2023).
What candidate experience survey questions should you ask?
Ask a short, stage-specific set: a few ratings plus one open question about what to improve. SHRM advises typical surveys to cover the application, communication, and the interview, and to include an open question such as "If we can improve anything about our hiring process, what would it be?" Keep answers anonymous (SHRM, January 12, 2018).
Comparison table 1: scroll horizontally or focus the table region and use the arrow keys to read every column.
| Stage | Question | What a weak answer suggests |
|---|---|---|
| After applying | How clear was the posting about the work, hours, and pay? | Key details are missing |
| After applying | How easy was the application to finish? | The form is too long |
| After a phone screen or interview | Did you know what to expect and who you would meet? | The invite lacked an agenda |
| After a phone screen or interview | How easy was it to find a time that worked? | Slots may not fit employed hourly applicants |
| After a phone screen or interview | Did the questions feel relevant to the job? | The conversation drifted |
| After a decision | Did you hear from us in a reasonable time, and did the process feel fair? | Follow-up was slow or careless |
| Any stage | If we could improve one thing, what would it be? | Often the most useful answer |
Score ratings from 1 to 5, and read every open answer.
When should you send a candidate experience survey?
Send it soon after the stage it covers, while the experience is still fresh, and not only after someone is hired. In Survale's 2025 Candidate Experience (CandE) Benchmark Research (more than 66,000 surveys, January 31 to August 31, 2025), 75 percent of North American employers asked for candidate feedback after a hire, but only 42 percent asked after the application, and only 14 percent asked before people applied (2025 CandE fact sheet, published July 21, 2026). SHRM's 2018 interview notes the same bias: many companies survey only people who received an offer or accepted a role (SHRM, 2018).
Should rejected candidates get a survey?
Yes, if you have already sent a clear decision and you keep the survey short, optional, and separate from that message. Send a straightforward rejection email template first, then invite feedback in a later note so the request does not look like a condition of the decision.
The debate is: do you only ask the people you hired? Hired applicants are likelier to feel good about the process. People you turned down, or who withdrew, are likelier to tell you where communication stalled. In the 2025 CandE research, candidates invited to give feedback after the interview stage were 106 percent more likely to refer others (Survale, 2025).
How do you run a candidate experience survey?
Write one short survey for one stage, send it yourself, and fix one pattern.
- Choose one stage and write five to seven questions that match it, including one open question.
- Tell people the survey is optional, short, and separate from the hiring decision. SHRM recommends keeping responses anonymous (SHRM, 2018).
- Send it yourself, soon after that stage, with a simple email and a short form. ReadyATS does not include a built-in candidate survey tool, so treat this as a manual send.
- For people you will not hire, send the rejection first, then the survey.
- Read the answers each week, look for a pattern, and pick one fix, such as clearer hours, faster replies, or evening interview slots.
Comparison table 2: scroll horizontally or focus the table region and use the arrow keys to read every column.
| Approach | Risk | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Survey only new hires | Results look better than the process felt | A fine extra |
| Survey after interviews | You must still close the loop on the decision | The best first survey for most small teams |
| Survey after a rejection | Asking too soon, or with the no, can feel careless | A short follow-up after a clear rejection |
Why ReadyATS
A survey only helps if the process behind it is consistent. ReadyATS keeps posts, applicants, and follow-up in one place. Maya, the recruiter assistant in ReadyATS, handles the follow-through while you stay in charge of the decision. She applies only the knock-out rules you wrote, never rejects someone because of an AI score, can draft a self-schedule invite for you to approve, and can send reminders. Decline messages stay on Approve. Basic plans include Google Meet and Zoom.
ReadyATS Basic is $199 per month, with unlimited users and $0 per-user fees (ReadyATS llms.txt). No long-term commitment, cancel anytime.
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FAQ
What are good candidate experience survey questions?
Ask about the posting, the application, scheduling, whether the interview felt relevant, how quickly you followed up, whether the process felt fair, and one thing to improve.
When should you send a candidate experience survey?
Soon after the stage it covers, while the experience is still fresh, and not only after a hire (Survale, 2025; SHRM, 2018).
Should rejected candidates get a survey?
Yes, after a clear rejection. Keep the survey optional, short, and in a separate note.
How long should a candidate experience survey be?
Five to seven questions for one stage, including one open question.
Is NPS useful for candidates?
A 0 to 10 recommend question can be one item, but a small team usually learns more from one open question about what to improve.
References
Fetched November 13, 2026: SHRM, April 11, 2023; SHRM, January 12, 2018; Survale, 2025 CandE Benchmark Research (data collected January 31 to August 31, 2025; page dated July 21, 2026); ReadyATS, llms.txt.