Survale, a provider of talent feedback and experience management solutions, announced that registration is now open for the 2026 Candidate Experience (CandE) Benchmark Research and Award Program. The CandEs, now in their 15th year, are recognized as the industry's longest-running benchmark research program, providing organizations with critical data to measure and optimize their recruiting processes.
The program offers employers the opportunity to benchmark their candidate experience against a global standard. Using a time-tested methodology, it captures confidential feedback from job seekers at all stages of the hiring funnel—from pre-application to onboarding—revealing the impact of recruiting on employer brand and business outcomes.
“We are proud to kick off the 15th year of the CandEs, a program that has defined the standard for candidate experience excellence,” said Jason Moreau, CEO of Survale. “By combining this prestigious research with Survale's powerful analytics technology, we are giving talent leaders the actionable intelligence they need to not just measure sentiment, but to drive real operational change.”
Participants in the 2026 CandE Program receive access to a “lite” version of Survale’s analytics platform, enabling them to benchmark globally against aggregate data from hundreds of organizations, uncover perception gaps between recruiter views and candidate experiences, gain expert insight through one-on-one consultations, and earn recognition as a 2026 CandE Award Winner if qualifying satisfaction ratings are achieved.
“Candidate expectations continue to evolve, and in any competitive hiring market, understanding those expectations is paramount,” said Kevin Grossman, VP of CandE Benchmark Research at Survale. “The CandE Program goes beyond simple metrics; it provides a deep dive into candidate resentment, fairness, and the business impact of the hiring experience.”
Registration for the program is now open. For more details on methodology, benefits, and timeline, or to register, visit https://survale.com/candes/.
In honor of National Candidate Experience Day, Survale will host a webinar on January 21 at 11 AM PT presenting findings from the 2025 CandE Research Program. Register for the webinar at the provided link.
