Setting up a candidate experience survey after interview shouldn't require manual work for every single candidate.
This article shows how to automate the entire process using ATS integration—so surveys go out at the right moment, every time.
How ATS integration triggers automated surveys
With modern Applicant Tracking Systems, there’s no reason to follow up with surveys by hand. Status changes in your ATS can instantly launch survey sends. In fact, 79% of organizations have integrated AI or automation directly into their ATS, making process automation a standard rather than a luxury. [1] Using an AI survey generator, you can craft dynamic, conversation-driven surveys that deploy when it matters most.
When candidate status changes to "Interview Completed"
When rejection decision is made
X days after final interview round
Webhook events from your ATS connect seamlessly to Specific's API. This eliminates the need for manual tracking—every candidate you interview is invited for feedback, no one is missed, and your process becomes scalable and reliable.
This workflow ensures you reach candidates at the exact right moments, providing a data foundation for continuously improving your candidate experience.
Landing page distribution with smart personalization
Each candidate gets a unique conversational survey link delivered via email, personalized and generated by your ATS. This conversational format, far more engaging than static forms, means higher response rates and richer feedback.
You can personalize surveys according to role, department, or interview stage. For example, feedback from a sales candidate versus an engineering candidate is captured separately—letting you spot patterns that matter for each group.
Generic surveys | Role-specific surveys |
|---|---|
Same questions for all roles | Questions tailored to each job family |
Bland feedback, less useful for action | Insight into what sales, tech, or product candidates really think |
Dynamic variables automatically pull the candidate’s name, position, and interview date from your ATS. Survey links can include UTM parameters, letting you track which roles or departments generate the most feedback and satisfaction.
Personalized, trackable distribution ensures you’re acting on the right signals, directly mapped to your hiring funnel.
Enable multilingual support for global candidates
Hiring across regions? Specific makes global feedback effortless. The platform automatically detects each candidate’s language preferences and adapts the survey to their browser language—no manual translation needed. Enable this setting in the AI survey editor with one click, and the AI survey handles the rest.
Language detection means candidates from different regions feel valued and included. A candidate in Spain gets a survey in Spanish, while someone in Germany sees German—right out of the box. This eliminates confusion or drop-off from language barriers and proves you take a global-first approach.
Transform feedback into hiring improvements with GPT analysis
Collecting feedback is just the start. With Specific’s GPT-powered engine, every response is analyzed for recurring patterns and actionable insights. Responses flow straight from your ATS into the analytics engine, where you can chat with AI about your survey results in plain language.
"What are the top 3 pain points candidates mention about our interview process?"
"How do rejected candidates describe their experience compared to hired ones?"
"Which interview stages create the most confusion or frustration?"
Sentiment analysis flags negative experiences with urgency—allowing for real-time intervention. That’s critical because only 25% of job candidates rate their candidate experience as “great”, and bad experiences spread fast. [2] You can also spin up multiple analysis chats to examine different themes—like diversity, technical interviews, or remote hiring—without exporting or building dashboards.
Data becomes impact: you get clear, prioritized themes so your next hiring round is stronger.
Best practices for candidate survey automation
Good practice | Bad practice |
|---|---|
Send survey within 24h of interview | Delay by several days or send in batches |
Personalize by role and outcome | Same generic invite to everyone |
Tag your surveys by department, role level, and interview outcome. This lets you analyze precisely where your process delights and where it misses the mark—making it easier to address specific pain points.
Response rate optimization comes from timing: send the survey within 24 hours—while the interview is still top of mind. According to industry research, 72% of candidates drop off due to lack of timely communication, so acting fast is key. [3]
Every completed survey can trigger **automatic follow-up questions** that dig deeper into important themes, handled by AI and never missed. See the AI follow-up questions feature for more on auto-probing. If you’re not collecting this feedback systematically, you’re missing insights that could reduce offer rejections—and transform your employer brand.
Start collecting candidate insights automatically
Transform your hiring process today—automate feedback collection with conversational surveys that are personal, timely, and AI-enhanced. Don’t wait to create your own survey and start acting on what candidates really think.