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Candidate experience before the application: a careers website journey map in 12 moments

02 November 2026

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Melanie Murphy CMO

A candidate experience journey map for your careers website in 12 moments before the application, from finding the job to the confirmation after applying. Each moment has a candidate question, a metric to track, how to calculate it and a fix to try.

Summary
Why start earlier
The 12 moments
What we measured
How to measure
Downloads
FAQ

12moments before the application

60large employer sites measured

81.7%have JobPosting markup

14.2smedian mobile LCP in lab tests

Executive summary

The careers website is the first candidate experience. Most guides start at the application. This one starts earlier, with 12 moments before the application, from finding the job to the confirmation after applying.
Each moment has a candidate question, a metric, how to calculate it and a fix to try. A downloadable tracker and a one-page map are free.
Our own measurements of 60 large employer sites show where some of these moments are thin: JobPosting markup on 81.7% of sites, validThrough on 18.3%, baseSalary on 16.7%, and a median mobile LCP of 14.2 seconds in lab tests.
Start with your own baseline. Pick the three moments where you are weakest and change one thing at a time. We give no benchmarks because we have none.
All numbers come from our own study of 60 large employer sites, run on 30 Oct 2026. No third-party statistics are used. No employer is named.

Why start before the application

Many candidate experience guides begin when someone applies. By then, the candidate has already decided whether the job is worth the effort. The careers website shapes that decision. If the job cannot be found, the page is slow, the pay is hidden or the proof is thin, the application never starts.

The 12 moments

#	Moment	The candidate asks	Metric
1	Find	Can I find this job?	Clicks and impressions for job searches; share of live jobs with complete job posting markup.
2	Load	Does the page open quickly on my phone?	Mobile Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), and bounce rate from search.
3	Orient	Is this the job I clicked on?	Share of visits that scroll past the first screen; time to first click.
4	Understand	What would I actually do?	Scroll depth to "what you will do"; time on page; exits from the page.
5	Practicalities	What will it pay and where will I work?	Exits after the practical details; share of jobs showing pay; questions about pay received.
6	Proof	Is it true what they say?	Employee story views per 100 job page views; share of apply starts that viewed a story first.
7	Fit	Is this for me?	Share of applicants who meet the minimum requirements; withdrawal after first contact.
8	Access	Can I use this site?	Automated accessibility score for top job pages and apply pages; keyboard walkthrough result.
9	Ask	Where do I ask a question?	Questions received per 100 job page views; FAQ views; unanswered questions.
10	Decide	Do I click apply?	Apply start rate.
11	Apply	How long will this take?	Apply completion rate; drop-off by step; median time to complete; phone versus desktop completion.
12	Confirm	What happens next?	Time to confirmation; time to first human response; job alert sign-ups from people who did not apply.

Moment 1: Find

The candidate asks: Can I find this job?

The candidate searches, and the job has to appear, with the right title, location and details.

Metric: Clicks and impressions for job searches; share of live jobs with complete job posting markup.

How to calculate: Clicks / impressions, from Search Console, for job pages.

Fix to try: Add complete job posting markup, keep closed jobs out, and write titles in the words candidates use.

Our measured data: JobPosting markup was on the job page of 49 of 60 large employer sites (81.7%). All required properties were present on 43 (71.7%). validThrough, which tells Google when a job closes, was on 11 (18.3%).

Moment 2: Load

The candidate asks: Does the page open quickly on my phone?

The candidate taps the result and waits.

Metric: Mobile Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), and bounce rate from search.

How to calculate: Field LCP at the 75th percentile, or a lab test on a throttled phone, for your top ten job pages.

Fix to try: Fix the slowest element on the page first: usually a hero image, a script or a font. Test on a phone, not a laptop.

Our measured data: In our lab tests of 60 large employer sites, the median mobile LCP was 14.2 seconds. 0 of 120 pages met the 2.5 second "good" threshold that web.dev publishes.

Moment 3: Orient

The candidate asks: Is this the job I clicked on?

The first screen has to confirm the job, the place and the next step within seconds.

Metric: Share of visits that scroll past the first screen; time to first click.

How to calculate: Visits with a scroll or click in the first 10 seconds / all visits.

Fix to try: Put the job title, location, working pattern and a clear first paragraph on the first screen.

Our measured data: Job page text was in the initial HTML on 49 of 60 sites (81.7%). The H1 was in the initial HTML on 34 (56.7%).

Moment 4: Understand

The candidate asks: What would I actually do?

The candidate reads what the job involves.

Metric: Scroll depth to "what you will do"; time on page; exits from the page.

How to calculate: Visits reaching the section / all job page visits.

Fix to try: Describe five concrete tasks, not a list of duties. Write for the person doing the job.

Our measured data: Not measured in our studies. Use your own baseline.

Moment 5: Practicalities

The candidate asks: What will it pay and where will I work?

Pay, hours, location and flexibility decide whether the candidate goes on.

Metric: Exits after the practical details; share of jobs showing pay; questions about pay received.

How to calculate: Jobs showing pay / live jobs.

Fix to try: Show pay and working pattern where you can, after taking legal advice for each market.

Our measured data: Job posting markup with baseSalary was on 10 of 60 large employer sites (16.7%).

Moment 6: Proof

The candidate asks: Is it true what they say?

The candidate looks for evidence behind the claims.

Metric: Employee story views per 100 job page views; share of apply starts that viewed a story first.

How to calculate: Visits with a story view / all visits.

Fix to try: Put the story next to the claim it proves. Include a hard part. See the employee story formats guide.

Our measured data: Not measured in our studies. Use your own baseline.

Moment 7: Fit

The candidate asks: Is this for me?

The candidate decides whether to carry on.

Metric: Share of applicants who meet the minimum requirements; withdrawal after first contact.

How to calculate: Applicants meeting minimums / all applicants.

Fix to try: Say who the role is not for. Show the Get as well as the Give. Sell The Truth.

Our measured data: Not measured in our studies. Use your own baseline.

Moment 8: Access

The candidate asks: Can I use this site?

The candidate may use a keyboard, a screen reader, zoom or a slow connection.

Metric: Automated accessibility score for top job pages and apply pages; keyboard walkthrough result.

How to calculate: Pages passing the walkthrough / pages tested.

Fix to try: Test the job page and apply flow with a keyboard and a screen reader. Fix before you publish. Take legal advice on legal duties.

Our measured data: The median automated accessibility score across 60 large employer sites was 95.75. Ten scored 100 on both pages tested. Automated tests find only some issues.

Moment 9: Ask

The candidate asks: Where do I ask a question?

The candidate has a question the page does not answer.

Metric: Questions received per 100 job page views; FAQ views; unanswered questions.

How to calculate: Questions received / job page views x 100.

Fix to try: Answer the five most common questions on the job page. Make contact easy and say how long a reply takes.

Our measured data: Not measured in our studies. Use your own baseline.

Moment 10: Decide

The candidate asks: Do I click apply?

The candidate chooses to start.

Metric: Apply start rate.

How to calculate: Apply starts / job page views.

Fix to try: One clear button, repeated at the end of the page, that says what happens next.

Our measured data: Not measured in our studies. Use your own baseline.

Moment 11: Apply

The candidate asks: How long will this take?

The candidate fills in the form.

Metric: Apply completion rate; drop-off by step; median time to complete; phone versus desktop completion.

How to calculate: Completed applications / apply starts.

Fix to try: Remove every field you do not use. Let people save and return. Test on a phone with five people.

Our measured data: JobPosting directApply, which tells Google the candidate can apply on the page, was on 29 of 60 sites (48.3%).

Moment 12: Confirm

The candidate asks: What happens next?

The candidate has applied, or decided not to yet.

Metric: Time to confirmation; time to first human response; job alert sign-ups from people who did not apply.

How to calculate: Median hours from submit to first response.

Fix to try: Send a confirmation that says what happens next and when. Offer a job alert on every closed or unsuitable job.

Our measured data: Not measured in our studies. Use your own baseline.

What we measured at the front door

This chart uses our own checks of 60 large employer sites on 30 Oct 2026. It covers moments 1, 3, 5 and 11 only. The other moments need your own analytics.

Share of 60 large employer sites with each check in place

Our own checks, 30 Oct 2026. Covers moments 1, 3, 5 and 11 only.

Job page text in the initial HTML81.7%
JobPosting markup on the job page81.7%
employmentType in the markup73.3%
All required JobPosting properties71.7%
directApply48.3%
validThrough18.3%
baseSalary16.7%

Aggregate figures from our own study. No employer is named.

How to measure candidate experience

Pick one metric per moment, and write down how you calculate it.
Set a baseline before you change anything.
Fix the three weakest moments first, one change at a time.
Compare with your own baseline, not with another employer's number.
Where you ask candidates for feedback, take legal advice on privacy and consent.

Metric	How to calculate
Apply start rate	Apply starts / job page views
Apply completion rate	Completed applications / apply starts
Story reach	Visits with a story view / all visits
Question rate	Questions received / job page views x 100
Response time	Median hours from submit to first human response

Free downloads

Journey map and metrics tracker

Download the one-page journey map as a PDF and the metrics tracker as a spreadsheet.

Download the one-page journey map (PDF) · Download the metrics tracker (spreadsheet)

Frequently asked questions

What is candidate experience on a careers website?

It is how a candidate feels and what they can do from the moment they find a job to the moment they apply. This guide covers 12 moments before the application starts.

How do you measure candidate experience?

Choose one metric for each moment, for example apply start rate (apply starts divided by job page views) and apply completion rate (completed applications divided by apply starts). Set a baseline, change one thing and compare.

How do you calculate candidate experience?

There is no single number. Track a metric for each moment and compare against your own baseline. A single score hides where candidates drop out.

What is a candidate journey map?

A visual of the steps a candidate goes through, with what they are asking at each step. This one has 12 moments from finding the job to the confirmation after applying.

What affects candidate experience before applying?

Whether the job can be found, how quickly the page loads on a phone, whether the page says what the job involves and pays, whether there is proof, whether the site is accessible and whether the apply flow is short.

What is a good apply completion rate?

We do not give a benchmark because we have no measured data for it. Set your own baseline and improve it.

How fast should a careers website load?

web.dev publishes a good Largest Contentful Paint of 2.5 seconds or less. In our lab tests of 60 large employer sites, the median mobile LCP was 14.2 seconds.

Does candidate experience include accessibility?

Yes. Candidates may use keyboards, screen readers or zoom. Test the job page and apply flow, and take legal advice on legal duties in your markets.

Sources

Happydance study of 60 large employer careers websites (speed, SEO and accessibility), 30 Oct 2026. Aggregate figures only.
web.dev, Largest Contentful Paint: web.dev/articles/lcp

Limitations

Our measurements cover 60 large employers on one day. Lab speed tests are not field data from real candidates.
Only some moments have measured data. The rest need your own analytics.
The metrics and fixes are our framework. They are suggestions, not benchmarks.
Automated accessibility tests find only some issues.
This is not legal advice. Take advice on privacy, pay and accessibility in your markets.

Download the candidate experience journey map

Take the one-page map and the metrics tracker, pick your three weakest moments and change one thing at a time.

Get the journey map

Candidate experience before the application: a careers website journey map in 12 moments

Executive summary

Why start before the application