A spotlight on candidate experience – How to improve the application process for IT talents

Your career page may be impressive. Your benefits may be outstanding. And your tech stack may be state-of-the-art – but if the application process isn't right, you'll still struggle to attract talent.

Let's look at the other side – suppose your recruiting brought in more applications, caused fewer dropouts and filled your tech teams faster. Not by spending more money – but simply because the application process is right. Sounds like wishful thinking? Not at all. It's actually the current reality.

Recent studies show that up to 60% of applicants drop out if the process is too long, too complicated or not optimised for mobile devices. IT candidates in particular are sensitive to a poor candidate experience – they are digitally savvy and know exactly how good UX works.

Candidate experience is not a buzzword... at least it shouldn't be. 

It is a reflection of your culture. If you let processes slide, you are sending a clear signal: we have more important things to do. And candidates can sense that.

In IT recruiting in particular, where competition for talent is fierce (which we don't need to tell you), the candidate journey determines whether you build trust or burn it. In this article, you'll learn what really matters today. And how to design the candidate journey to fit your culture. Not perfect, but human. Not smooth, but clear. And above all: convincing.

‍

What your application process reveals about your culture

An application process is never neutral. It promotes your attitude – through timing, language, technology and how you deal with feedback.

When feedback is not provided or is delayed for weeks, it doesn't just cause frustration. It also gives an impression of your priorities. Unclear or lack of communication not only looks unprofessional – it also allows conclusions to be drawn about your internal structures.

Technical stumbling blocks – such as forms that are not optimised for mobile devices, complicated registration processes or overloaded input masks – also send a crystal-clear message. Namely, how seriously you take digital excellence. Or not (Foxio 2024).

And if you don't receive a rejection after a personal interview, what remains is more than just an open application. What remains is an experience that will be passed on – consciously or unconsciously. Candidate experience is relationship communication. And it doesn't start on the first day of work, but with the first click (CareerTeam 2025).

‍

Touchpoints that IT candidates keep

Application processes are like user journeys – with clear breakpoints. If you know them, you can shape them. Those who ignore them lose talent before anyone even gets to know the team.

Most dropouts happen early on. During the first contact with the career page. When trying to fill out an application on a mobile device. Or in the time between the confirmation of receipt and the first real sign of life from you (Foxio 2024).

Candidates don't evaluate your process at the end – they do it in real time. Every stage is a touchpoint, every reaction a signal. Are you wondering why suitable applicants are dropping out? Take a look at the phases of the candidate experience at Foxio:

• Is it clear what is expected in terms of content?
• Can interested parties also apply on the go – without PDF cover letters and cumbersome registration?
• After clicking on ‘Submit application’, do you receive more than just an automatic email?

These little things make all the difference. Because what seems efficient from a company's point of view often comes across as unapproachable or off-putting from an applicant's perspective (moinAI 2024). Standards are particularly high in IT recruitment. Many tech talents expect simple, transparent processes – with clear steps, short response times and the opportunity to clarify questions directly. And they notice very clearly whether you understand these expectations (CareerTeam 2025).

Feedback on the process? Often not even requested. Or it ends up in a tool that no one evaluates. Yet this would be the perfect opportunity to measurably improve the candidate experience.

The good news is that every touchpoint can be optimised. Not with a lot of effort, but with smart solutions. With a clear process. With templates for personal responses. And with a willingness to think about the process from the applicant's perspective – not only from the recruiter's.

‍

What AI does well – and where humanity is more important

AI can do a lot. But it can't do everything. And above all, it can't listen.

Artificial intelligence opens up real opportunities in recruiting: automated CV analysis saves time. Chatbots answer questions, even at two in the morning. Matching algorithms can provide suggestions that a recruiter would not immediately think of (moinAI 2024).

But just because it works doesn't mean it's good.

When applicants have to click through three chat windows to ask a simple question, it doesn't feel like innovation. It feels like a ticket number. And when an AI system sends feedback that sounds like terms and conditions, nothing sticks (Foxio Consulting 2024).

In a tight market such as the one for IT professionals, the difference between ‘automated’ and ‘automatically indifferent’ is noticeable.

Does that mean AI should be removed from recruiting? Quite the contrary. The point is: it should be used where it takes the pressure off you – not where relationships are formed.

For example Chatbots for initial information on the career page: yes.

• Autogenerated rejections after a personal interview: no.
• Automatic screening for must-haves: useful.
• Matching without context understanding: risky.

The best processes do both. They use AI as an assistant – and keep the relationship in their hands (CareerTeam 2025). They create time slots for real conversations. And you ensure that no talent feels like they have to negotiate with a machine.

Because candidate experience means that you don't just want to find the right people quickly. You want them to stay.

‍

Accessibility is not an extra – it is part of excellence

Accessibility still sounds like a special topic to many people. But it has long been a mark of quality – both digitally and culturally. And in recruiting in particular, it shows how serious you really are.

After all, what good is the fastest chatbot if the application form is not screen reader-compatible? Or if the career page simply passes by applicants with visual impairments? (Foxio Consulting 2024)

Accessibility does not begin with obligation, but with attitude. It's about inviting people in – instead of filtering them out with technical or communication barriers. This includes:

• A website that can be read and used on mobile devices.
• Forms that can be navigated without a mouse.
• Language that doesn't exclude – but includes.
• Interview formats that take sensory, cognitive or time constraints into account.

The tools for this have long been available. What is often lacking is the awareness of this fact. And the willingness to see accessibility not as an additional feature, but as standard.

Companies that have understood this are opening themselves up to a larger talent pool – and gaining loyal, creative and diverse employees in the long term (Foxio Consulting 2024).
In IT recruiting in particular, where many potential applicants are neurodiverse or remote workers, a barrier-free process is not only a question of fairness. It is a real strategic opportunity to gain a competitive advantage. Because excellence is not measured by how many people you can reach. It is measured by how many you do not accidentally exclude.

‍

Candidate experience is not a special treat, but part of your promise

A good application process is not an end in itself. It is a cultural promise – visible in every click, audible in every conversation, tangible in every contact. That's how it has to be.

In IT recruiting in particular, it determines whether talented individuals gain confidence or jump ship. Whether they feel seen or slip through the cracks. What will get you ahead is not perfect software. It is a clear attitude: listen, simplify, respect. When you design processes to be fair, barrier-free and technically sound, you show more than professionalism. You show character. And that is what candidates are looking for today: not glossy promises, but genuine encounters on equal terms. The best IT talent is picky. And rightly so. Show them that you understand that.

‍

Want to know where talent is dropping out of your application process – and how you can improve the candidate experience in a targeted way?We support you with in-depth recruiting expertise, pragmatic optimisation suggestions and a clear view of culture, technology and communication.

Let's talk. We look forward to hearing from you.

‍

Sources

•  Foxio Consulting (2024): Candidate Experience: The reason why talent disappears – The 7 phases according to Foxio
•  Foxio Consulting (2024): Disability inclusion in recruiting: These tools will make your candidate journey truly inclusive
•  CareerTeam (2025): Candidate Experience = Corporate Culture in Real Time – Why many fail
•  moinAI (2024): Chatbots im Recruiting sinnvoll einsetzen‍
• alphacoders (2025): Inclusion in recruiting: how accessibility can give you a competitive edge