The Net Promoter Score is a widely used framework in marketing and customer experience. By asking one simple question, “How likely are you to recommend us?” organizations can measure satisfaction and predict future behavior. And the same is just as relevant in recruitment. After all, candidates are experiencing your brand and your processes, just like customers do. Because of that, Talent Acquisition teams have realized the potential of using Candidate Net Promoter Score (cNPS) to showcase their performance and predict future hiring success.
At its core, Candidate NPS measures how likely candidates are to recommend your recruitment experience to others. Tracking it gives you a simple, powerful way to understand and quantify how candidates feel about your hiring efforts and identify areas for improvement.
But Candidate Experience isn’t defined by a single moment. It’s built across a series of touchpoints, each one shaping how candidates perceive your company. That’s why it’s so important to measure cNPS at different stages of the hiring process, rather than only at the end.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the key stages of the candidate journey and share the Candidate NPS benchmarks you can expect at each point.
What Is Candidate Net Promoter Score?
Candidate NPS is based on asking candidates one key question:
- “Based on your recruitment experience, how likely is it that you would recommend someone else to apply to (Company)?”
To calculate candidate NPS, job applicants are grouped into detractors, passives, and promoters. Your cNPS score is the percentage of Promoters minus the percentage of Detractors, giving you a clear snapshot of candidate sentiment. The higher your cNPS, the more positive experiences you’re creating.
Example of an cNPS calculation:
Imagine you sent out 100 surveys and got the following cNPS scores:
- 60 scores between 0-6 (detractors),
- 12 between 7-8 (passives),
- 28 between 9-10 (promoters).
Now, if we use the cNPS formula:
cNPS = % Promoters – % Detractors
- Promoters: 28 out of 100 = 28%
- Detractors: 60 out of 100 = 60%
cNPS = 28% – 60% = -32
In this case, your score on a scale of -100 to +100 would be -32.
Find the full details of how to measure Candidate NPS, tips and examples here!
How to Get an Accurate Candidate Net Promoter Score?
Getting accurate feedback means addressing two big challenges: biased answers and survey fatigue.
- Biased answers happen when a candidate’s feedback doesn’t reflect their true experience. For instance, if a candidate is still in the running for a role and receives a survey, they may rate the process more positively, hoping it improves their chances.
- Survey fatigue occurs when candidates are overwhelmed with too many surveys. Instead of thoughtful feedback, you get rushed, irritated responses or no response at all.
To avoid these pitfalls, we recommend only surveying candidates after they have exited the recruitment funnel. Identifying different touchpoints of the candidate journey will help to understand the right moment to measure the cNPS score and send out the candidate surveys.
Imagine this: a candidate is midway through the interview process and gets a survey request. Naturally, they might hesitate to give honest feedback. But if you track cNPS for rejected, hired, and withdrawn candidates, you're capturing a more authentic reflection of their experience.
This approach also reduces survey fatigue. Instead of surveying candidates after every touchpoint (like every phone screen or assessment), you send one well-timed survey based on the last stage they reached. This means that scores for rejected candidates at early stages may seem lower, but it paints a much truer, actionable picture of your Candidate Experience.
Candidate NPS Across the Hiring Journey
Each stage sets different expectations and emotions for candidates. And naturally, candidate NPS scores can vary depending on where they are in the journey. Separating Candidate NPS by stage in the hiring funnel allows you to see where your process shines and where it needs work. Some companies provide a stellar experience to candidates who receive offers, but fall short when it comes to those rejected early on. Without stage-by-stage insights, it’s impossible to know.
Candidate NPS Benchmarks by Stage
Using benchmarks to evaluate performance will help you understand how your recruitment process measures up against industry standards and identify areas for improvement.
Every year, Starred collects cNPS data from thousands of job seekers and releases a Benchmark Report. By putting together cNPS data and first-hand candidate comments, the report provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges faced by TA teams in 2024, broken down by company size, candidate source and department. Find the full report here!
Here’s what the 2024 Benchmark data tells us about the Candidate Net Promoter Score for different touchpoints in the hiring journey:
- Candidates rejected after application: -14
- Candidates rejected after phone screen: -12
- Candidates rejected after assessment: -23
- Candidates rejected after interview: +1
- Withdrawn candidates: +40
- Hired candidates: +82
1. Application Process
cNPS benchmark for candidates rejected after application: –14
The application is more than just a form, it's your first real impression. At this stage, candidates are hopeful and curious, often forming their initial opinion about your company solely based on how smooth or frustrating the process feels. Some companies choose not to measure Candidate Experience this early, thinking it’s too soon because no one from the company has talked with the candidate yet. But a benchmark of -14 signals that this moment is frequently a point of friction.
Common complaints include long application forms, unclear job descriptions, and technical issues. When candidates feel like they’re wasting their time or being asked for irrelevant information, their enthusiasm drops fast and can result in negative word of mouth.
On the other hand, a user-friendly, transparent application process builds immediate trust and increases candidate satisfaction. Even rejected candidates are more likely to speak positively about your company if the process was simple and respectful.
2. Phone Screen
cNPS benchmark for candidates rejected after phone screen: -12
At this stage, candidates are investing more: preparing for conversations, doing research, and hoping to make a strong first impression. It's a turning point where their experience shifts from digital to human.
With a benchmark of -12, we see that this stage often leaves room for improvement. Candidates report feeling “ghosted” after initial contact or left in the dark about next steps. Automated messages and rushed calls also risk making the process feel transactional, not personal.
But it’s also a stage with high potential. A friendly, well-structured phone screen, followed by timely updates, can significantly boost candidate confidence in your organization, even if they don’t advance.
3. Assessment
cNPS benchmark for candidates rejected after assessment: -23
Assessment tasks can feel like a lot of effort, especially if candidates don’t understand how they’ll be evaluated or never receive feedback afterward. Candidates might spend hours completing tests or assignments. If the process feels overly demanding, disconnected from the job, or lacking in communication, it will drive good candidates away and leave them with a negative impression.
This stage can also unintentionally filter out great talent. People may withdraw simply because the process feels unfair or overwhelming.
- Starred Tip: We looked into comments left by the unhappiest 25% of "candidates rejected after assessment", and communication (55%) was one of the biggest pains. So, give context. Let candidates know why you’re using the assessment, how long it will take, and what happens next. And always follow up with feedback, even a short explanation goes a long way!
4. Interview
cNPS benchmark for candidates rejected after interview: +1
By the time candidates reach the interview stage, they’re deeply engaged and expect you to be as well. They want to meet real people, get a feel for the team, and understand the company culture. This is where candidates form their clearest opinions about your Employer Brand and whether they see a future working with you.
A strong Candidate NPS here shows that your interviewers are well-prepared, respectful of candidates’ time, and create a welcoming environment. On the other hand, disorganized interviews, repetitive questions, or a lack of interviewer engagement can quickly turn candidates into Detractors.
5. Withdrawn
cNPS benchmark for withdrawn candidates: +40
Candidates who withdraw from the process often provide the most honest and detailed feedback. Since they made the decision to step away, they tend to be less emotional than rejected candidates, which makes their input especially valuable.
Sending Candidate Experience surveys to withdrawn candidates can highlight blind spots you may not hear from other groups. Our analysis of the bottom 25% of withdrawn candidates (all Detractors, scoring 0-6) revealed that 64% withdrew due to poor communication. Issues like lack of responsiveness (9%), unclear processes (11%), and misaligned salary expectations (8%) further contributed to their frustration.
6. Hired
cNPS benchmark for hired candidates: +82
No surprise here, hired candidates report the highest positive score in the funnel. They got the job, and if their experience was smooth, their sentiment will reflect that.
But keep in mind the positivity bias: hired candidates are naturally more inclined to focus on the good. If most of your responses come from this group, your average cNPS might look higher than it actually is. That’s why it’s crucial to look at the bigger picture and break down scores by stage or outcome. A high overall score doesn't always mean your entire process is working well.
You should use this stage to learn what you're doing right. Hired candidates offer a unique perspective – they’ve seen your full process, from application to onboarding. If something felt confusing or stressful along the way, they’ll remember, and those rough patches can be improved for future candidates.
Are you curious about the state of your current Candidate Experience? We have a free audit checklist that covers most of the aspects discussed in this blog that you can use to compare, evaluate and improve your recruiting process. Download it here!
The Context of Candidate NPS Benchmarks
It’s tempting to compare your results directly to others, but without context, it's hard to say what a "good candidate NPS score" is.
Your candidate NPS data will naturally vary depending on your industry, the types of roles you’re hiring for, volume of applicants, and your candidate communication strategy. High-volume roles can lead to more unhappy candidates, simply because there’s less room for personal interaction. In contrast, more niche or senior positions may see higher scores due to more tailored communication and fewer candidates per role.
Company size also plays a role. Larger organizations tend to have more standardized, automated processes that can feel impersonal if not balanced with thoughtful touchpoints. Smaller companies might offer more personal contact but risk inconsistency.
- If you want to see other benchmark data, including cNPS score divided by industry, company size, source and topics discussed by candidates, download our 2024 Benchmark Report.
Instead of looking at the number alone to set realistic improvement goals, focus on trends over time. Is your hiring team improving each quarter? Are certain departments scoring higher than others? Are you seeing drops at specific stages? That’s where the real value of Candidate NPS lies – allowing you to make data-driven improvements to consistently provide a positive Candidate Experience.
Building a Better Candidate Journey
Improving your cNPS isn’t about chasing high scores, it’s about creating consistently respectful, transparent, and human experiences across the board. When you know your cNPS benchmarks by stage, you can prioritize improvements where they matter most.
Small actions make a big difference:
- Clear communication reduces uncertainty and builds trust.
- Timely feedback, even when it’s a no, leaves candidates feeling valued.
- Streamlined processes show you respect candidates’ time.
- Well-trained interviewers reflect your culture and professionalism.
And don’t forget to close the loop. Measuring candidate NPS is only powerful if you act on it. Use the feedback to identify weak spots, educate your team, and drive improvements. Share learnings across departments and celebrate quick wins, whether it’s cutting down time-to-feedback or improving your rejection templates.
Over time, you’ll build a hiring process that not only attracts better candidates but leaves everyone, even the ones you don’t hire, with a positive impression of your Employer Brand.
Conclusion
By tracking candidate NPS at key stages and benchmarking your scores, you get a clearer picture of what’s working and where you’re falling short. Whether you're just starting to measure Candidate Experience or looking to take it to the next level, remember this: candidates talk and their experience becomes your reputation.
With Starred, the benchmarks are automatically part of your Candidate Experience and you can segment your cNPS scores by location, hiring manager, position and more. Talk to our team to get started!
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