Candidate Travel & Reimbursement: Survey Says…

5.22.19 | When a prospective employee travels for a job interview, their candidate experience becomes more involved. First, there's the trip - who books the air, hotel, and car?

What about the incidentals - luggage fees, meals, tips? Who pays for what and how?

How companies manage the process is likely to have a significant impact on the candidate experience. So, what are employers doing? To find out, we conducted a survey, and - spoiler alert - we were a bit surprised by the results.

Not surprisingly, most companies reimburse job candidates for out-of-pocket expenses. However, 80% of employers took up to three weeks or longer to reimburse candidates. What's more, TA teams often book travel, which can cut into their recruiting time. And while candidate reimbursement may or may not be seen as a TA burden, it's still another task on an ever-growing to-do list.

As employers compete for talent, it's important to leverage any opportunity to do two things:

1) improve the candidate experience and

2) focus on recruiting. Based on the survey, there are opportunities to do both. Data was gathered through a survey conducted by Orion Mobility in 2019. Participants included TA professionals with a manager title or higher, representing companies throughout the U.S