Most hiring decisions are made without the candidate present. That might sound obvious — but it’s also part of the problem. We plan campaigns, rewrite job ads, review funnels and analyse performance. There are always voices in the room: marketing, HR, recruitment, management.
But the one voice missing is the one that matters most: the candidate’s.
At Indeed, the world’s largest job platform1, they did something powerful to change that. In every meeting room, they added an extra chair.
It’s always empty. It’s always orange. And it’s a constant reminder that the job seeker deserves to be part of the conversation — even when they’re not physically present. Because if we say people come first, we have to act like they’re in the room.
The chair that speaks without saying a word
The orange chair isn’t a gimmick. It’s a cultural signal. A quiet, visual challenge to every person in the room:
Will this decision respect the person looking for a job? Would they understand this process? Are we treating them with fairness, clarity, and dignity?
At Indeed, this chair has shaped real decisions. In one meeting, a colleague sat in it — unaware. A senior leader asked them to move. “That seat is taken,” he said. “It belongs to the job seeker.”
That moment says everything.
Culture is built in the choices no one sees
Putting candidates first doesn’t happen in branding documents. It happens in the daily, invisible decisions:
- Choosing not to run an ad that clutters the job search
- Removing a misleading job post even if it costs revenue
- Prioritising clarity over cleverness in a job description
- Testing a thousand small things to make applying easier
Indeed runs over 2,000 live experiments on their platform every day.
But every test is filtered through a single lens: Does this improve the experience for the person looking for work?
That’s what a values-driven organisation does. Not just talk about user-focus — but structure itself around it. Are you ready to give it to them?
Respect creates relevance — and relevance builds trust
Job seekers spend more time on platforms they trust. Not because of clever UX. Not because of push notifications. But because they feel understood.
In Sweden, the average job seeker spends over five minutes per visit on Indeed — far more than other platforms. That’s not just engagement. That’s the result of a system built to serve, not to exploit.
Trust doesn’t come from slogans. It comes from removing friction, providing transparency, and treating people like people — not traffic.
A chair is just a chair — until it isn’t
What if you added an empty chair to your next hiring meeting? Not to make a statement. But to make a habit. A habit of asking:
- What would this feel like from the candidate’s side?
- Would they feel seen, respected, informed — even if they don’t get the job?
Small questions. Big shift in mindset. Because when we build processes that honour the candidate — we build workplaces that deserve the people we’re trying to attract.
And that’s what the orange chair stands for: Accountability. Perspective. And the responsibility to do better — even when no one is watching.
1Comscore, March 2024
