Know what is going on

Too many recruiters operate like passengers in the hiring process. If you want candidates to trust you, you need to actually own the process.

That means:

• Knowing your client or internal hiring manager well enough to answer questions without delay.
• Understanding the structure of the hiring process — how many stages, what each involves, who’s involved, and when decisions are made.
• Being aware of non-negotiables: budget ceilings, skill must-haves, internal politics. Don’t let your candidate find out about dealbreakers in the final round.
• Gathering feedback from hiring teams that’s actually useful and shareable.

Control builds confidence. Lack of clarity kills it.

Don’t go dark. Ever.

If a candidate has to message you first to ask “Any updates?”, you’ve already failed.

Proactive communication is not a nice-to-have — it’s the bare minimum:

• Even if there’s no real update, tell them that. A short message saying “still waiting, haven’t forgotten you” can go a long way.
• Candidates are not on standby forever. If they disengage, it’s incredibly hard to bring them back, especially if they’ve already emotionally moved on.
• Staying visible during the process is part of the job. If you disappear, you’re sending a message — and not a good one.

Make it a two-way street

Too often, feedback is something we give, not something we ask for.
Flip that:

• Ask how the candidate felt about the interview.
• Ask if their interest level changed.
• Ask if anything in their situation has shifted.

This does two things: it shows that you respect them as a person, not just a profile, and it gives you early warning signs if they’re getting cold feet. Silence is never neutral. It’s usually hiding something.

Bonus: send a short post-process survey. Most won’t reply. But those who do will often give you gold.

Celebrate the wins

Passed a stage? Treat it like a win — because it is.
A lot of candidates go through processes without knowing if they’re doing well or just scraping by. Take the time to say, “You nailed that round — they were impressed.”

It builds momentum, trust, and shows you’re on their side.

Stay with them after the offer

One of the most common drop-off points is after the offer is signed. That awkward limbo between "offer accepted" and "first day" is where doubts creep in.

Don’t vanish:

• Keep checking in.
• Offer help with onboarding questions.
• Be their fallback contact when they don’t know who to ask at the company.

The contract might be signed, but your candidate experience doesn’t end there.

To conclude

Candidate experience is about being responsive, honest, human, and reliable consistently.
Do that, and you’ll create a process people actually remember for the right reasons.

🚀 Is bad candidate experience hurting your hiring efforts? Let’s talk about how to fix that today!