Europe’s top employers are falling short of job seeker expectations in an increasingly competitive talent market, according to Phenom’s 2025 State of Candidate Experience: European Edition. While 95% of leading companies boast well-written job descriptions and smooth mobile application processes, nearly all fail to personalise the candidate journey using AI.
Released by Phenom, an applied AI company revolutionising HR, the report evaluated 100 of Europe’s largest employers. The findings are clear: automation and personalisation remain major blind spots, preventing companies from effectively attracting, engaging, and converting top talent.
Candidate Expectations Are Growing—But Career Sites Aren’t Keeping Up
Modern job seekers expect more than just job listings. Today’s candidates demand:
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Multilingual support
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Hyper-personalised job suggestions
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Conversational assistance via AI chatbots
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Mobile-first, intuitive experiences
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Clear employer branding and value propositions
Despite this, the report reveals:
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97% of employers scored poorly in AI-driven personalisation
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96% lack a job recommendation chatbot
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94% fail to detect user location for local job suggestions
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93% don’t show recently viewed jobs
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59% offer minimal employer branding content
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51% fail to clearly present their employer value proposition
“Candidates want relevance, speed, and personalization,” said John Harrington, Sr. Director of Product Marketing at Phenom. “Companies that don’t deliver lose candidates before they even apply.”
Where European Employers Are Succeeding
There are signs of progress. Companies are improving in technical areas:
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95% offer strong, structured job descriptions
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95% provide mobile-friendly application options
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84% feature multilingual content
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60% boost type-ahead job search capabilities
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45% improve keyword-based search suggestion relevance
These improvements lay a foundation, but the lack of advanced AI integration is limiting their full potential.
Phenom’s Strategic Recommendations for AI-Powered Talent Acquisition
To bridge the gap between job seeker expectations and employer offerings, Phenom provides the following AI-centric roadmap:
1. Hyper-Personalise the Candidate Journey
Leverage AI to recommend jobs, content, and experiences tailored to candidates’ roles, skills, and locations.
2. Embrace Skills-Based Discovery
Move beyond rigid job titles. Let candidates explore opportunities aligned with transferable skills through a “skills-forward” career site.
3. Invest in Conversational AI
Use 24/7 AI chatbots to provide support, screen candidates, answer FAQs, and schedule interviews—all while reducing recruiter workloads.
4. Localise Content at Scale
Design multilingual, accessible career sites that respect cultural, legal, and compliance differences across European markets.
The Rise of Agentic AI in Talent Experience
Phenom highlights a transformative shift with AI Agents: dynamic, role-specific assistants designed to optimise each step of the hiring process. These include:
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Experience Agents to streamline the candidate journey
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Persona Agents to boost recruiter efficiency and candidate alignment
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Content Agents to automate branded, personalised content creation
These tools not only halve recruiter workloads but also increase conversion rates, ensure GDPR compliance, and build diverse, inclusive talent communities.
“There’s a growing divide between companies dabbling in AI and those strategically using it to redefine recruiting,” added Harrington. “The leaders are adopting AI not just for automation—but for building better relationships with talent.”
With Europe undergoing digital and workforce transformation—through initiatives like the EU Pact for Skills—companies must evolve how they attract and engage talent. Phenom’s report delivers a wake-up call: those who embrace AI and personalisation will lead; others risk falling behind.
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