Contact
Book a discovery call

Candidate experience is a brand decision with Tessa Fulla

How N Brown is getting candidate experience right | the rec hub
Candidate Experience

Candidate experience is a brand decision. Here is how N Brown owns it, with Head of Talent Acquisition, Tessa Fuller

Most businesses treat candidate experience as a process problem. N Brown treats it as a brand responsibility. We spoke to Tessa Fuller, Head of Talent Acquisition at N Brown Group, about what that looks like in practice, and why it matters more than ever as AI changes the shape of hiring.

Tessa Fuller

Tessa Fuller

Head of Talent Acquisition, N Brown Group →

Every time a candidate applies for a role, they are forming an opinion about your business. How quickly you respond, whether you communicate clearly, and how you treat people who do not get the job all leave a mark. 52% of job seekers have declined an offer because of poor communication during the hiring process, and 70% of rejected candidates say they would not reapply after a negative experience. At scale, those numbers represent a meaningful drag on talent pipelines and employer brand alike.

52%
of job seekers have declined an offer due to poor communication during the hiring process
70%
of rejected candidates would not reapply after a negative hiring experience
1 in 3
candidates share their hiring experience online, positively or negatively

So the question is not whether candidate experience matters to your business. The question is whether your TA team is set up to own it.

Part One

N Brown and the hiring challenge

N Brown Group is a retail and financial services business with brands including Jacamo and JD Williams. Founded in 1859, it has undergone significant transformation over the decades, and talent acquisition plays a pivotal role in the business as this transformation evolves. Recruiting across two distinct sectors, at varying volumes and for a wide range of roles, creates real complexity for the TA function.

For Tessa, the purpose of hiring has always extended beyond filling vacancies.

"Hiring supports the wider business by ensuring we receive the right people, not only from a skills and experience perspective, but from a cultural fit perspective too."

Tessa Fuller, Head of Talent Acquisition, N Brown

That framing shapes everything about how the team approaches candidate experience. Getting the right people in means making sure the right people want to apply, stay engaged through the process, and leave with a positive impression of the business regardless of the outcome.

Part One

What actually matters at volume

High-volume hiring puts candidate experience under the most pressure. When applications are coming in at scale, the temptation is to optimise for speed at the expense of quality of interaction. Tessa's view is that the two do not have to be in conflict, and that the fundamentals remain the same regardless of volume.

"Fairness, efficiency, transparency and pace. Those are the things that actually matter most when shaping candidate experience across different roles and volumes."

Tessa Fuller, Head of Talent Acquisition, N Brown

It is worth noting that N Brown's approach runs counter to a growing industry trend. In 2025, hiring became more top-funnel heavy as companies focused on automated screening, with nearly 70% of rejected candidates filtered out at the application stage without human review. At N Brown, the TA team and hiring managers review applications, a deliberate choice that reflects where the team places its accountability, until they are confident bias in AI screening has been removed.

Part Two

TA as a brand function

The TA team is often the first and only human contact a candidate has with a business. How that interaction goes shapes perception of the employer brand, and that perception travels. Research consistently shows that candidates who have a poor experience share it, whether with their network or publicly online, which means the recruiting function carries real reputational weight.

Treating the TA function as a brand function, rather than purely an operational one, changes how the team measures success. It is not only about time-to-fill or offer acceptance. It is about whether every candidate, including those who are unsuccessful, walks away with a fair and considered impression of the business. That rejected candidate may be a future applicant, a customer, or someone who refers others your way.

Part Two

AI and accountability

43% of organisations used AI for HR tasks in 2025, up from 26% in 2024, and adoption is accelerating. For TA teams, the efficiency gains are tangible: faster response times, more consistent communication, and the ability to personalise candidate journeys at scale. Tessa sees that value clearly.

"Speed of delivery for candidates, consistency. AI can add real value in terms of personalisation for a candidate and the overall experience."

Tessa Fuller, Head of Talent Acquisition, N Brown

But efficiency is not the whole picture. 67% of candidates are comfortable with AI being part of the screening process, provided a human makes the final call. The appetite for automation has a clear boundary, and most candidates draw it at the point where judgement is required. For Tessa, navigating that boundary comes back to organisational values.

"Be true to your EVP and business values. As a business that champions inclusion, we are especially mindful of the fact that AI can bring with it inherent bias in terms of screening, which presents genuine risks. AI cannot substitute real human connection."

Tessa Fuller, Head of Talent Acquisition, N Brown

It is a view shared by many practitioners working at the sharp end of volume hiring. Tomasz Iwanski, former Global Head of Volume TA at Volt, put it plainly on the Powered by People podcast.

"AI does take away some tasks, but it doesn't take away accountability."

Tomasz Iwanski, former Global Head of Volume TA, Volt

The technology changes the shape of the work, but it does not change who is responsible for the outcome.

Tessa Fuller
About

Tessa Fuller →

Head of Talent Acquisition, N Brown Group

Tessa began her career in fashion buying, working for retailers including River Island and Hobbs before moving into recruitment. She spent four years as a senior agency recruiter in London, covering buying and merchandising roles across brands including Burberry and Primark, before joining N Brown on a maternity cover basis. She was made permanent shortly after and promoted to Head of Talent Acquisition five and a half years ago, recruiting across retail and financial services throughout her career. During her time at N Brown she has recruited across all areas of the business, including product and trade, finance, financial services, tech, supply chain, procurement, audit and legal.

You might also like

Powered by People Podcast

If you want to go further on the topic of volume hiring, our latest episode of Powered by People is worth your time. Tomasz Iwanski, former Global Head of Volume TA at Volt, covers what high-volume hiring really looks like from the inside, the process design mistakes that cost companies thousands of candidates, and what good looks like when it comes to quality of hire at scale.

Listen here: youtu.be/sIhSoc1XyOE

Sources