New report reveals gaps in areas that can boost candidate experience
More than four in five companies in the Fortune 500 are not living up to the hyper-personalisation expected from them by job candidates when looking through their career sites, according to a new report.
Phenom's State of Candidate Experience: 2025 Benchmarks Report defined hyper-personalisation as the utilisation of AI to adjust content, job recommendations, and engagement strategies based on candidate behaviour.
"While companies are increasingly investing in AI and automation for their career sites, many still struggle with creating the hyper-personalised experiences that meet today's talent demands," the report read.
It found that 87% of Fortune 500 firms failed to use AI and automation to hyper-personalise their career sites, while 88% did not suggest related job openings based on current job titles and skills.
It further revealed that Fortune 500 firms also:
"There is a clear divide between companies experimenting with AI and those truly harnessing its power to accelerate talent acquisition processes and transform candidate engagement through hyper-personalisation," said John Harrington, Senior Director, Product Marketing at Phenom, in a statement.
According to the Phenom report, their findings also indicate a gap between what candidates expect and what organisations can deliver.
A previous Phenom survey found that 47% of American individuals aged between 18 and 34 years want career sites that are able to learn what jobs they're interested in, similar to how the algorithm on popular social media platforms works.
Meanwhile, the report found that while there are gaps in delivering hyper-personalisation, Fortune 500 firms are improving when it comes to technical website performance and job descriptions.
More than nine in 10 firms had well-written job descriptions 96% and provided the ability to upload a resume and cover letter from mobile devices (91%).
Another 82% of Fortune 500 firms also provided an easy mobile-apply process in three steps or fewer. There were also increases when it comes to:
Grant Smith, Global Recruitment Marketing Specialist at TD SYNNEX, said creating a unified candidate journey has empowered them to proactively answer candidate questions and increase brand awareness.
"Companies that prioritise their talent experience strategy are likely to see increases in quality of hire, boosts in recruiter productivity and strengthened brand perception," Smith said.
One way to do this is by investing in conversational AI and automation that can handle candidate questions, recommend relevant jobs, and support applicants in their application and interview scheduling process, according to Phenom.
It is also important that organisations build a skills-forward site, where job descriptions showcase skills and competencies needed, and candidates can navigate opportunities based on transferable skills.
"In today's economy, AI-powered recruitment isn't just an advantage — it's survival," Harrington said.
"Organisations can automate up to 90% of hiring workflows while improving candidate experience. Those who resist this evolution won't just fall behind; they'll become irrelevant in a market where efficiency and speed directly determine viability."
