Creating a candidate experience survey after interview helps you understand what job candidates really think about your hiring process. It’s the surest way to uncover gaps, frustrations, and strengths from the people who actually go through your funnel.
By measuring candidate NPS (Net Promoter Score), you can see whether people would recommend your employer brand—which impacts everything from online reviews to referral rates. Even one negative hiring experience can ripple through your reputation, so honest feedback is vital.
I’ve found that conversational surveys—where AI follows up naturally—dig far deeper than tick-box forms. These chat-style surveys clarify ambiguous responses and surface root causes, giving you actionable insight into every stage of the candidate journey.
What is candidate NPS and why measure it
Candidate NPS (Net Promoter Score for job candidates) asks candidates, “How likely are you to recommend us as an employer to a friend or colleague?” on a 0–10 scale. Responses segment into three groups:
Promoters (9–10): Advocates who’ll boost your reputation
Passives (7–8): Neutral or mildly positive, but not enthusiastic
Detractors (0–6): Disappointed, and likely to spread the word
Why does this matter? A weak candidate experience can directly hit your employer brand and future recruiting. 78% of candidates say candidate experience is an indicator of how a company values its people[1]. On top of that, 72% will tell others about a negative interview—a real threat to employer reputation[2].
Traditional feedback | CNPS measurement |
|---|---|
One-off feedback, hard to benchmark | Consistent, industry-benchmarked scoring |
Unstructured comments | Segmented by promoters, passives, detractors |
Low follow-up, easily ignored | Drives process improvement, loyalty, and referrals |
The benefits? You quickly spot where candidates get stuck, compare your results to industry norms, and see where you need to improve. Plus, a great CNPS is strongly linked to higher referral rates—66% of candidates who have a positive experience are more likely to refer others[1].
The core candidate NPS question
The heart of every candidate experience survey is a single key question:
On a scale of 0–10, how likely are you to recommend our company as a place to work to a friend or colleague, based on your recent interview experience?
When should you send it? Right after the interview—ideally within a day or two—while the experience is fresh but emotions have settled a bit. Wording is everything: keeping your question neutral and direct gives you more honest results.
Why 0–10 scale: This is standard for NPS—it keeps your data comparable over time and across companies, so you can see real trends. If you want to tweak wording or add your own touch, you can use the AI survey editor to customize it in seconds.
Tailored follow-ups for detractors, passives, and promoters
The magic of conversational CNPS surveys is that your follow-up questions are tailored to each response. AI follow-up questions let you dig for the "why" behind the score—not just the score itself.
Detractors (0–6): Focus on specific complaints or roadblocks.
Passives (7–8): Probe for “what would have made this a 9 or 10?”
Promoters (9–10): Capture what made their experience stand out and what they'll share with others.
Here are examples for each category:
Detractors (0–6):
What was the single most frustrating part of your interview experience?
Was there anything you felt was unclear, unfair, or poorly communicated during the process?
Passives (7–8):
What’s the main improvement that would have made your experience exceptional?
Was there a moment during the process where you felt uncertain or left waiting?
Promoters (9–10):
What did you enjoy most about your interview process?
What’s one thing that made our team or process stand out, compared to other companies?
These dynamic, score-based follow-ups transform your survey into a real conversation, surfacing honest insight and context behind every number.
Open-ended questions that uncover process friction
To see real friction points, I recommend always including a handful of targeted open-ended questions. Here are some that work:
How clearly was the interview process explained to you before your first meeting?
Were communications (emails/calls) clear and timely?
Did you feel the interviewer(s) were well-prepared and respectful of your time?
What part of the process took longer than expected?
Is there anything that surprised or disappointed you?
Each question uncovers a different facet: communication quality, speed, professionalism, inefficiency, or unexpected hurdles. It’s not just about collecting the data, but actively probing for what candidates might hesitate to say.
For analyzing these responses at scale, I use:
Summarize the most common issues candidates mention about our interview scheduling.
Which interviewer behaviors are mentioned positively or negatively?
With AI-powered response analysis, you’ll spot patterns and themes in candidate feedback instantly.
AI clarification: When candidates give vague answers (like “communication was slow”), the AI can immediately probe with clarifiers: “Can you describe which part felt slow—the scheduling, feedback, or something else?” This makes sure you pinpoint exactly where the process cracked. Covering touchpoints like scheduling, interview content, and follow-up is key for actionable insights.
Turning candidate feedback into hiring improvements
Once you’re collecting candidate NPS and open feedback, it’s time to turn your insight into action. Here’s how I do it:
Analyze CNPS scores monthly and watch for downward trends in certain roles.
Segment your data by job type, department, or interviewer to spot consistent friction.
For recurring complaints, create a playbook for hiring managers or TA teams—whether it’s speeding up communication, prepping interviewers, or clarifying timelines (remember, 72% of candidates drop out due to poor communication!)[3].
Share anonymized feedback with your hiring teams to align everyone on what matters.
The AI-driven analysis makes it easy to spot themes, run fast qualitative reviews, and act quickly—without drowning in spreadsheets.
Benchmarking progress: Tracking CNPS quarter-to-quarter gives you a real pulse on your hiring maturity. As the market heats up, if you’re not measuring candidate experience, you’re missing out on referrals, top talent, and a major employer branding edge.
Start measuring your candidate experience today
Better hiring starts with real, honest candidate feedback—so you can keep the process sharp, humane, and competitive. Create your own survey and start turning your candidate experience into your advantage. The best people are drawn to places that treat them right—even before day one.