Candidate experience survey after interview: best questions for DEI fairness

Measuring candidate experience after interviews helps you understand if your hiring process treats everyone fairly and creates an inclusive environment. Gathering input through a candidate experience survey is the only way to see what DEI fairness looks like to job candidates, uncovering blind spots you might not notice from the inside. Here, I share the best questions (and precise follow-up intents) to assess bias, accommodations, and respectful treatment in interviews.

Questions to uncover bias perception in interviews

Candidates frequently spot subtle biases in interviews that internal teams overlook. In fact, 46% of candidates believe their time was disrespected during interviews—a sign that issues aren’t always visible from the employer side. [1] To pinpoint bias perception, I use targeted questions:

• Question: "Did you feel the interview questions were equally relevant to all candidates regardless of background?"
  AI follow-up intent: Ask for specific examples if they mention any concerns

• Question: "Were there any moments during the interview where you felt your background influenced the questions asked?"
  AI follow-up intent: Explore which questions felt influenced and why

• Question: "Did you perceive any biases—intentional or not—in the interview process?"
  AI follow-up intent: Probe for specific instances or interactions that stood out

• Question: "Were there parts of the process that didn't feel objective or fair to you?"
  AI follow-up intent: Ask them to describe the situation in their own words

Anonymous feedback is key—candidates will share openly when they know their input can’t be traced back. For even deeper, contextual insights, automatic AI follow-up questions can naturally ask sensitive follow-ups on uncomfortable topics, drawing out examples that static forms just can’t reach. [2]

Measuring accommodation effectiveness and accessibility

True inclusivity starts by removing barriers before candidates have to ask. Yet, 60% of candidates quit applications due to length or complexity—often because accessibility or required accommodations are missing or unclear. [1] Here are the best questions to gauge accommodation and accessibility in candidate experience surveys:

• Question: "Were you offered any accommodations for the interview process, and if so, how well were they implemented?"
  AI follow-up intent: If accommodations were needed, explore what worked well and what could improve

• Question: "Did you find the interview location or platform accessible to your needs?"
  AI follow-up intent: Inquire about specific accessibility challenges faced

• Question: "Were instructions about requesting accommodations clear and easy to act on?"
  AI follow-up intent: Ask about any confusing steps or unclear communication

Conversational surveys—where candidates describe their experience naturally—surface needs you might not expect. As needs vary, AI adapts follow-ups based on accommodation type, so feedback always feels relevant and personalized. Want to see how Specific handles these? Explore our Conversational Survey Pages and In-Product Surveys to fit any interview situation.

Assessing respectful treatment and cultural awareness

Providing respect isn’t just about being polite—it’s about acknowledging and valuing each candidate’s unique perspective. With 46% of candidates feeling their time was disrespected, microaggressions and unintentional slights are still too common. [1] I recommend these questions for surfacing issues of respect and cultural sensitivity:

• Question: "Did the interviewer(s) demonstrate cultural awareness and respect for your background and experiences?"
  AI follow-up intent: Probe for specific moments or interactions that stood out, positive or negative

• Question: "Were your pronouns and name pronounced correctly throughout the interview process?"
  AI follow-up intent: If not, ask how this impacted their experience

• Question: "At any point, did you experience comments or questions that felt insensitive or dismissive?"
  AI follow-up intent: Invite elaboration, seek to understand impact

• Question: "Did you ever have to repeat or clarify personal details that the interviewer should have known already?"
  AI follow-up intent: Ask how this affected trust in the process

Conversational AI surveys are especially helpful for surfacing microaggressions, as the format makes candidates comfortable sharing experiences that may feel awkward or risky to report. With AI survey response analysis, DEI teams can identify subtle but pervasive patterns across hundreds of responses—something nearly impossible with spreadsheets or static forms. [2]

Evaluating job-relatedness and fair assessment

Truly fair interviews stay focused on the skills and qualifications relevant to the role you're hiring for. Still, 58% of candidates have rejected offers due to poor candidate experience, often driven by off-topic or inconsistent questions. [1] The right survey prompts help you ensure every question serves a real, job-related purpose:

• Question: "How well did the interview questions relate to actual responsibilities of the position?"
  AI follow-up intent: Ask which questions felt irrelevant and why

• Question: "Were you asked any personal questions unrelated to the role or your experience?"
  AI follow-up intent: Explore how these questions made them feel about the process

• Question: "Did you feel all candidates were evaluated according to the same set of criteria?"
  AI follow-up intent: If not, ask for examples or evidence of inconsistency

Job-relatedness is your strongest guardrail against unconscious bias, as it keeps interviewers focused on what matters: actual ability and fit for the work at hand. When several candidates flag similar irrelevant questions, AI can quickly uncover these problem patterns and direct you to the root issues faster than traditional review cycles.

If you want to experiment with your own tailored questions, the AI survey generator from Specific lets you create surveys in plain language to fit any nuance of your process or job family.

Making your DEI fairness survey work in practice

Timing and method matter as much as the questions themselves:

• Send the survey within 48 hours of the interview—while candidates’ impressions are fresh

• Prioritize anonymity to increase honesty about sensitive or negative experiences

• Keep the initial survey tight (4-6 core questions); let AI scan for opportunity to dig deeper

Response rates matter if you want insights—not just noise. Conversational surveys feel like a real dialogue, which boosts completion even among skeptical or busy candidates. To handle delicate DEI topics, you can customize the AI’s tone to be extra sensitive and respectful. Multilingual surveys ensure every candidate’s voice is heard, whatever language they use.

Industry or cultural norms will shape your wording. With Specific’s AI survey editor, you can tune question phrasing and follow-up style by simply describing what you want changed—no technical skills required. Always examine responses by demographic groups, too: patterns by role, ethnicity, or gender often reveal hidden systemic issues you’d otherwise miss.

From candidate feedback to concrete DEI improvements

Gathering feedback only matters if you use it to drive change. With AI-powered analysis, you can surface themes like “15% of candidates mentioned feeling interrupted more frequently than other groups”—meaningful signals you’d never catch scanning responses one by one.

Conversational analysis lets you ask not just what happened, but why and how often:

“What types of accommodation requests have we received most frequently this quarter?”

Quick wins vs. systemic changes: Some feedback points to simple fixes (e.g., clearer accommodation instructions); others demand bolder process repair. Share anonymized, aggregated insights with hiring teams—not just leadership—so improvement becomes everyone’s responsibility, and no feedback is connected back to the respondent.

If you’re not collecting this feedback, you’re likely missing hidden opportunities to become more inclusive and prevent top diverse talent from abandoning you for more transparent competitors.

Ready to understand your candidate experience? Create your own survey tailored to your hiring process and company values with Specific.