Context — Candidate Experience Journey Inputs and Gap Protocol

The Gap Protocol

This is the most important section in this kit. Read it before every build.

A gap is any required piece of content that the source material does not provide. Gaps are not problems to solve by guessing — they are signals to stop.

When you identify a gap:

1. Record it in the gap report (see format below)
2. Stop the build
3. Present the gap report to the advisor
4. Wait for the advisor to resolve each gap — through client follow-up, a targeted extraction session, or a documented decision
5. Proceed only after every gap is marked resolved

What you must never do:

• Fill a gap from the golden example (the golden example is a design reference, not a content source)
• Fill a gap by inferring from the client's industry or size ("they're a nonprofit so the tone should be warm and mission-driven...")
• Fill a gap from a journey built for a different client or search
• Fill a gap with generic recruiting communication best practices
• Fill a gap without advisor acknowledgment and sign-off

Why this matters: A candidate experience journey with invented touchpoints creates commitments nobody agreed to. If the journey says candidates receive a status update every week and the practitioner doesn't deliver, every candidate who goes silent has a broken promise from the organization. The experience design must reflect what the practitioner will actually do — not what would be ideal.

Gap Report Format

When gaps are identified, produce a gap report before building. Format:

JOURNEY: [Role name] — [Client]
DATE: [YYYY-MM-DD]
SOURCE MATERIAL: [What was provided — extraction interview transcript, prior templates, communication examples]

GAPS IDENTIFIED:

1. [Gap name]
   Required for: [Which stage/touchpoint needs this]
   What's missing: [Specifically what information is absent]
   Resolution needed: [What the advisor needs to find out]
   Status: OPEN

2. [Gap name]
   ...

RESOLUTION LOG:
[Gap 1] — Resolved [date] by [method]: [What was determined]

Do not start the build until every gap status is RESOLVED.

Required Inputs by Stage

The candidate experience journey is organized by stage. Each stage has touchpoints, and each touchpoint requires specific inputs.

Stage 1: First Contact

This stage covers the candidate's first interaction with the search — whether through passive outreach, a referral, or a direct application.

Passive outreach (practitioner-initiated):

Referral entry:

Direct applicant entry:

Gap trigger: Any entry path without a defined first communication → STOP. A candidate who enters the process and hears nothing is a candidate who forms a negative impression. Every entry path must have a defined first response.

Stage 2: Screening

This stage covers the candidate's experience during the initial screening — typically a phone or video call with the sourcer or recruiter.

Gap trigger: No defined rejection communication for screened candidates → flag. A candidate who had a conversation with a person and then hears nothing has a worse experience than a candidate who never got a response to a cold application. Personal interaction raises the obligation for personal closure.

Stage 3: Practitioner Interview

This stage covers the candidate's experience during the in-depth interview with the recruiting lead.

Gap trigger: No defined post-interview communication → flag. The gap between "interview happened" and "candidate hears next steps" is where most candidate experiences break down.

Stage 4: Team Interview Preparation

This stage covers the candidate's experience as they're prepared for the team interview round.

Gap trigger: No candidate package defined → flag. Candidates who arrive at a multi-person interview without knowing who they're meeting, what the format is, or what's expected of them are set up to underperform. The package is what sets them up to succeed.

Stage 5: Team Interview and Evaluation

This stage covers the candidate's experience during the team interview round.

Stage 6: On-Site Visit (if applicable)

Gap trigger: Visit described as "informational" but participants are asked for feedback → misalignment. The candidate's understanding of the visit's purpose must match reality. If it's evaluative, call it evaluative.

Stage 7: Final Interviews

Stage 8: Decision and Offer

Gap trigger: No defined communication for candidates not selected after final interviews → flag. A candidate who made it to finals and hears nothing has the worst possible experience. This is the highest-stakes rejection communication in the entire journey.

Stage 9: Post-Decision

Gap trigger: No close-out communication for candidates still in process when role is filled → flag. These candidates are waiting to hear back. Silence after a placement is the organization ghosting them.

Cross-Stage Requirements

Source Material Types and What They Provide

Extraction Interview (Primary Source)

The extraction interview provides:

• Every touchpoint the practitioner currently manages
• The actual communications used (not idealized versions)
• Timing and cadence commitments
• Who owns each communication
• What breaks and why
• The practitioner's philosophy about candidate treatment

Prior Communication Templates (Supplementary Source)

Prior templates provide:

• Language and tone patterns
• Format and structure
• Channel preferences (email vs. phone vs. text)

Prior templates do not provide:

• Whether these communications are actually sent consistently
• The sequencing and trigger logic
• What happens when the standard communication doesn't fit
• Candidate response patterns and how they're handled

Reference Data (Required Supplement)

Every name, organization name, and tool name in every candidate communication must match the reference data file.

What the Golden Example Provides

The golden example is a design reference only.

Use it for:

• Touchpoint completeness (what a fully mapped journey looks like)
• Communication tone patterns
• Cadence specifications
• Package contents structure

Do not use it for:

• Specific communication language (that comes from the practitioner's voice and the client's brand)
• Timing commitments (those come from what the practitioner will actually deliver)
• Any content that should come from the extraction interview