Let me say something that might sound a little wild in the age of AI and automation: How you treat candidates—every single one of them—can make or break your recruiting success.
I’m not talking about throwing swag bags at people or sending them a “Thanks for applying!” email template. I’m talking about real, human-to-human interaction that acknowledges the emotional ride candidates are on. Because here’s the truth: a thoughtful candidate experience doesn’t just help you find better talent—it helps you close better talent. And when done right, it builds a reputation that has people calling you months (or years) down the line, just because they remember how you made them feel.
It’s the Small Stuff… That’s Actually the Big Stuff
A couple of weeks ago, one of my clients—an HR executive I’ve worked with forever—was hiring for a VP-level HR role. We’d narrowed the list to five stellar candidates. And then he had to step out unexpectedly for PTO. You know how that could’ve gone. Radio silence. Candidates wondered, “Did they ghost me? Am I still in the running?” The usual.
Instead, he looped me in, and asked if I could message everyone to let them know he’d be in touch next week. That’s already more courtesy than most companies show. But then? Plans changed again. The company wanted to accelerate the timeline. He looped in a senior TA leader, who then followed up with every candidate individually, copying me on the emails.
What happened next is why I do what I do. Every single candidate responded with gratitude. And one of them sent me a note saying, “Even if I don’t get the job, this is the best experience I’ve had with a hiring team. They set the bar high.” All it took? Respect. Communication. A bit of coordination. And a shared understanding that these are people, not just names in an ATS.
In a World of Ghosting, Be the Exception
The bar for candidate experience is so low these days, you could trip over it. Ghost jobs, no feedback, endless loops of “We’ll let you know next week.” And somehow, we expect people to stay engaged, excited, and ready to jump at our offers.
Let me share another story. A candidate flew in from New York to St. Louis for a final interview. She was alone, unfamiliar with the area, and got stranded at a suburban coffee shop with no Uber in sight. Her recruiter—based out of state—was MIA. Panicked, she turned to a stranger (me, as it happened) and asked for help getting to her final interview.
So yeah, I drove her. She made it. in time. And hopefully, she got the job. But here’s the kicker: I didn’t tell her that I was a recruiter and I know she won’t even remember my first name, but I guarantee she’ll remember the recruiter who wasn’t there. All that effort, all that money to fly someone out for an interview, and the experience almost unraveled over a $30 Uber ride.
When people say “candidate experience matters,” they don’t always realize how practically it matters. Because if you’re not managing that experience holistically
—before, during, and after interviews—you’re leaving impressions to chance. And you might not get a second one.
How You Start Is How You Win
Let’s talk about trust. When someone gives notice, it’s a deeply human moment. Even if they’re leaving a toxic environment, even if they’re thrilled to start something new, there’s grief in that change. There’s a sense of loss—of team, routine, even identity.
I’ve seen companies treat new hires like transactions. “She starts on the 1st, so we’ll deal with her then.” No check-ins during the four-week notice period. No onboarding breadcrumbs. Just silence.
That is such a miss.
The best companies—the ones that keep the talent they hire—understand the emotional gap between the offer and day one. They send handwritten notes. They include new hires in team emails. They check in weekly, just to say, “We’re excited for you.” That’s the kind of attention that turns nervous candidates into committed team members before they even log in.
Recruiting Is Sales. Period.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: recruiting is a sales game. And candidate experience is your pitch deck. It’s your reputation. It’s the difference between someone saying, “Yeah, I guess I’ll take the offer,” and “I cannot wait to start.”
Case in point: I worked in a senior HR role with a client recently. We were down to five candidates. My client treated each one like a person, not a placeholder. They got updates. They got context. They got kindness. We didn’t even send flowers, but you’d have thought we did, based on the responses.
One candidate wrote, “Even if I don’t get this job, you all have set the bar for how it should be done.” That’s brand equity. That’s candidate experience ROI.
The Legal Recruiter Who Isn’t a Legal Recruiter
Another quick story—this one about breaking into the legal recruiting world, almost by accident. A client—a law firm that had grown from a $3M practice to a
$12M one in under four years—came to me frustrated. They’d worked with legal recruiters who were just resume peddlers. They’d send over whoever was available, not who was right.
So I did what I always do: I learned their culture, listened to their goals, and headhunted accordingly. I didn’t float resumes. I hunted talent. Out of ten people I reached out to, nine replied. And these were lawyers, not your typical “always looking” crowd. They said, “I’m calling you because you have a real job. Not some recycled listing.”
One even told me, “Thank you for not making me feel like a pawn.” That candidate starts next week.
And now, other firms are calling. Word travels fast when you do it right. Turns out, even in the rigid world of law, people still crave humanity.
The Hire That Almost Wasn’t
Not every story has a happy ending. One candidate—rigid, structured, incredibly qualified—interviewed for a role she wanted desperately. But she came in hot.
Listed her vacation dates through 2027. Told the interviewers how she’d need to do things her way. Talked more about seniority than contribution.
Technically? She could’ve nailed the job. Culturally? She would’ve set the place on fire—in a bad way.
When I debriefed the client, they didn’t hesitate: “We can’t bring her in. The team would mutiny.”
This is where candidate experience cuts both ways. It’s not just what you do—it’s how candidates show up, too. And it’s our job as recruiters to guide both sides to a mutual “yes.” Or, in some cases, a respectful “no.”
Culture Fit Isn’t a Buzzword
You can teach a candidate new systems. You can coach them on org charts. But you can’t always coach humility. Or flexibility. Or how to walk by a full trash can and just… empty it.
That’s the thing about culture fit. It’s real. It matters. And the best hiring experiences make that fit obvious to everyone involved. Candidates should leave an interview saying, “These are my people.” And employers should feel, “We’ll be better with them here.”
But that doesn’t happen by chance. It happens through conversations, transparency, and a recruiting process that values more than just resumes.
The St. Louis Factor
I’d be remiss not to mention geography. In St. Louis, we’re a little behind the coasts when it comes to tech trends or layoffs, but we’re ahead in something else: connection.
I’ve been doing HR searches here for over 25 years. I know the companies that grow great people—and the ones that don’t. I know which HR teams are strategic partners and which ones are still stuck in the 1990s.
When a new CEO comes into town and says, “You’ve got 60 seconds—why should I work with you?” here’s what I tell them: We know this market better than anyone.
Not just the names. The reputations. The evolutions. The ready candidates, and the ones who will be ready next year. We know which companies develop talent and which ones burn it out.
That’s the kind of knowledge you can’t fake. And that’s what makes us different.
Candidate Experience Is Your Differentiator
At the end of the day, every recruiter says they care. Every company claims they respect their applicants. But very few prove it in the micro-moments: a well-timed email, a heads-up about delays, a ride to an interview when someone’s stranded.
The truth is, that candidate experience is where your reputation is built. It’s where trust is earned. And it’s where the best candidates decide if they’re going to say yes—or run for the hills.
So the next time you wonder why you’re losing great talent at the 11th hour, why people aren’t calling you back, or why your employer brand feels stuck… ask yourself this:
How are we actually treating our candidates?
Fix that, and a lot of other things will fall into place.
About The Author:
Jennifer Benskin co-founded Benskin & Hott Talent Partners, one of St. Louis’ most respected boutique recruiting firms. With over 25 years of experience in the industry, Jennifer has built a reputation for going beyond transactional hiring to create meaningful, lasting talent connections.
She leads with honesty, heart, and a sharp instinct for matching culture as well as capability. At Benskin & Hott, she specializes in HR, executive, and high-impact roles across the Midwest and beyond. Jennifer is fiercely committed to elevating the candidate experience because she knows it’s not just about finding talent but earning trust. When she’s not on the hunt for the perfect placement, you’ll probably find her mentoring new recruiters, navigating local coffee shops, or quite literally going the extra mile for a candidate.