I recently interviewed with Zalando, and while I wasn’t chosen in the end, I want to highlight something that stood out: their candidate experience. It’s rare to walk away from a recruitment process feeling genuinely positive, but they nailed it. Here’s what they got right: First, they set me up for success. When I was invited to interview, they sent over a document that covered everything: company values, locations, benefits, and more. Simple, right? But it meant we could skip the small talk and focus entirely on the interview itself. Second, they made it human. Everyone I spoke to—from start to finish—was warm, friendly, and open. They shared personal anecdotes, asked meaningful questions, and made the interview feel like a conversation, not an interrogation. Finally, communication was on point. I was kept informed at every step of the process, got quick responses when I had questions, and even received detailed feedback when I wasn’t selected (spoiler: someone with more relevant experience and already local got the role). Here’s the thing: none of this requires a big budget. It’s just about treating candidates with respect and creating a process that feels human. Any company could and should be doing this. So, a big shoutout to Zalando for getting it right, and to the people who made the experience so great: Radboud Fluttert, Mareike H., Katrin Fox, Kristin Dolgner, Sharon Kaur-Schuelke, SPHRi, IHRP-CP—thank you! If you’re working in recruitment or employer branding, let this be your reminder: candidate experience matters. A lot. Have you had a standout candidate experience recently? Share it below—I’d love to hear about the companies that are getting it right. 👇 #EmployerBranding #CandidateExperience #HiringDoneRight
That's a great story and you're right—it should be seen more often! I have doubts about this part though: 'none of this requires a big budget. It’s just about treating candidates with respect and creating a process that feels human. Any company could and should be doing this.' I think this kind of thinking is part of the problem. It does take budget because it takes time. Good candidate experience means taking time to be considerate, taking time to reply, taking time to arrange processes well, and taking time to analyze what the company’s values are and how to get them right in the recruitment process. As long as there’s this belief that good candidate experience doesn’t require time or budget, we recruiters won’t get paid for it, and it won’t be included in planning the headcount needed to do the job well. Thinking that good candidate experience is only a matter of the recruiter’s goodwill feels a bit unfair, and that’s why these discussions unfortunately (usually) don’t go anywhere—they don’t address the real issue. Anyway, it’s awesome to see companies getting a shoutout for amazing candidate experience, and I really hope it’ll become a standard soon. :)
It is truly refreshing to see companies prioritize a respectful and transparent approach during the interview process! Far too often, candidates experience prolonged interview cycles with little to no feedback or follow-up.. This team's human-centered approach sets a commendable example, and I hope it inspires other recruiters to adopt similar practices.
Candidate experience doesn't get nearly enough attention or prioritization from within the TA/HR community. Even topics at conferences focus more on sourcing tools, AI, analytics, automation, interview tools, etc - important yes, but all that is worth nothing without a good candidate experience. Your experience is how it should be everywhere.
Now this is authenticity in practice. What an amazing testament to the Zalando team in embodying their values to a point that got a candidate who didn’t get the job to post about it. Kudos 👏
This reminds me of my interview experience with Tesco, standout experience.
This is active not uncommon. I know many post this as a rarity but in my experience this is almost 100% of the time. I know many companies don't do this but my experience has been very different.
Happy to hear that a company is setting the standard with transparency, respect, and a human touch. Creating a positive process doesn’t take a big budget—just the right mindset.
Candidate experience is incredibly important, it sets the tone for how individuals perceive not just the role but the organisation as a whole. A positive experience reflects respect, transparency, and a commitment to excellence. It’s so great to hear that you’ve had such a positive journey! 😊
Didn’t get the role but now an advocate of the brand. 🙌. Thanks for sharing Leo Bentley and kudos Zalando team👏
Events Manager, Cartoonist, Officiant
13hI had a similarly amazing experience with a company last summer - they were warm, communicative, outlined the process... and then after the fourth and final interview (where the interviewers took me out for a long lunch) they ghosted me for several weeks. It was really strange - like, an A++ until the last crucial step and then a big fumble. I didn't get it of course (they told me they put it on pause) but it was kind of a red flag to have gotten all the way to the end and then.... pfft.