
Mastering Candidate Experience: Creative & Digital | COAR S2-E5
Ghosting, dropouts, slow feedback, messy shortlists, and clients who “just want the CVs” aren’t random problems. They’re symptoms of a process that doesn’t build trust early and doesn’t make the work visible. We’re joined by Ryan Kelly from Creative Natives to talk about candidate management and candidate control in a way that’s practical, human, and built for the 2026 recruitment market.
We get into employer value proposition and employer branding that actually moves the needle: turning a role brief into a 30-second video, distributing it on LinkedIn, and using it as both candidate attraction and free PR for the client. Ryan explains why his agency positions itself as a true 50-50 partner to both client and candidate, plus the impact-led choices that back up those values, including incentives for hiring return-to-work parents.
From there we go deep on content marketing for recruiters, inbound business development, and what to measure when likes don’t tell the full story. Ryan shares how webinars, newsletters, and community (including Slack groups) create a slower burn that converts passive candidates into warm, trusting relationships over time. We also cover the nuts and bolts that lift interview-to-placement results: weekly update meetings, presenting shortlists live, capacity limits, interview prep calls, and the follow-up email that too many candidates never send.
If you want a smarter retained recruitment process and a better candidate experience without grinding harder, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a recruiter mate, and leave us a review with your favourite takeaway.
· Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
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