Cloudflare Talent Acquisition — March 2026

VP+ Candidate
Experience

Reimagining how we welcome, engage, and leave a lasting impression on executive-level candidates.

Jon Chadiha · Lee Sam · Jenn Islam

Our Guiding Principle

“The candidate is the customer.”

Every touchpoint is designed, not accidental. Map the journey the way a product team maps a user flow. — Inspired by AirBnB

  • Product, not process — Design every touchpoint deliberately
  • Anticipate, don’t react — Borrow from Ritz-Carlton and fine dining: fulfil needs before they’re voiced
  • Design the exit as carefully as the entrance — Even candidates we don’t hire should become brand advocates
  • Empower frontline staff — Give the concierge authority and budget to create magic in the moment
HIGH IMPACT

Context

VP+ Hiring at a Glance

2025 data — excluding confidential hires

14
VP+ Hires
Annual volume
11
Americas
79% of total
1
EMEA
7% of total
2
APJC
14% of total

Candidate Journey Map

Three Phases, Dozens of Touchpoints

Phase 1
Pre-Visit
  • AI-personalised video from Matthew Prince
  • Enhanced preferences form (lunch, drinks, recharge style)
  • Personalised Cloudflare Impact Deck or video
  • Premium travel & logistics coordination
  • Proactive accommodation outreach
Phase 2
Onsite
  • Concierge greets at building entrance
  • Staged room: refreshments, notebook/pen, artisan treat
  • Lunch from a curated restaurant list
  • Executive AMA with a current leader
  • Departure gift: premium tech accessory + note
Phase 3
Post-Visit
  • Handwritten thank-you from hiring leader
  • Designed rejection: personal call + detailed feedback
  • Offer package: CF outerwear + gift + redesigned letter
  • Candidate NPS & feedback loop

End-to-End Experience

The VP+ Candidate Journey

PRE-VISIT Days before the interview ONSITE Interview day POST-VISIT Days & weeks after CONCIERGE PRESENT THROUGHOUT AI VIDEO Matthew Prince Video Impact Deck Preferences Form Executive Portal Concierge Entrance Staged Room AMA Executive AMA C-SUITE DROP-IN Curated Lunch Departure Gift Handwritten Note ? Designed Rejection No OFFER “Welcome to the Family” Yes NPS Candidate NPS = High-Impact Moment = Designed touchpoint = Decision point

Core Concept

The Concierge Model

A single dedicated person — from recruiting or the hiring team — owns the entire candidate experience end-to-end. Like Ritz-Carlton, they are empowered to act.

  • Meet candidate at the building entrance — never a shared reception wait
  • Escort between interviews, proactively check in after each session
  • Small discretionary budget to solve problems or create surprises on the spot
  • Anticipate needs before they’re voiced — water, breaks, room temperature
  • Warm send-off with executive gift pack
WELCOME, SARAH TODAY'S SCHEDULE 4 sessions · lunch Preferences saved Concierge: Lee S. EXECUTIVE PORTAL

Pre-Visit

Before They Walk In

  • AI-Personalised Matthew Prince Video — A welcome video from Matthew, personalised for each candidate using AI. Requires Matthew’s permission, but creates an unforgettable first impression at scale
  • Cloudflare Impact Deck / Video — An AI-curated visual showing the scale of what they’d lead: traffic, customers, team size. Shared before interviews so the opportunity feels tangible
  • “11-Star” Preferences Form — Go beyond snacks: How do you recharge between meetings? Preferred lunch from a curated restaurant list? Dietary needs? Music or silence?
  • Proactive Accommodations — Don’t wait for candidates to ask. Proactively invite them to share any accessibility or accommodation needs early in the process
  • Bespoke Executive Portal — A private, personalised digital hub: schedule, interviewer bios, prep materials, and post-visit resources. Not a generic ATS link
AI VIDEO

Onsite

While They’re Here

  • Curated Room Staging — Room set up in advance: their chosen refreshments waiting, a quality notebook and premium pen for their use, and a small artisan treat (chocolates, macarons). Deliberately staged, not generic
  • Executive AMA — A mini Ask Me Anything with another exec at the company — not an interview, but an open conversation where the candidate gets unfiltered insights
  • Surprise C-Suite Drop-In — A brief, unscheduled handshake from a senior leader (CTO, CFO, etc.). Even 2 minutes of unexpected executive attention signals real investment
  • Lunch from a Curated List — Candidate chooses their restaurant from a curated shortlist. A proper meal with a peer-level leader — no interview questions, just connection
STAGE AMA VIP DINE

Post-Visit

After They Leave

  • Same-Day Handwritten Note — A handwritten thank-you from the hiring leader, posted same day. In a world of automated emails, this is remarkable
  • Departure Gift — A premium tech accessory (e.g. wireless charger, quality card wallet) paired with a handwritten note. Thoughtful, useful, and something they’ll keep
  • The Designed Rejection — A personal phone call (not email) from the hiring leader with specific, genuine feedback on what impressed us. Detailed and respectful — they leave as advocates, not detractors
  • “Welcome to the Family” Offer — Premium Cloudflare outerwear, an additional gift (TBD), and a beautifully redesigned offer letter printed on quality stock. Not just a DocuSign
  • Candidate NPS — Every VP+ candidate — hired or not — receives a brief survey. Track it, improve from it, share the score with leadership
  • Concierge Playbook + Wow Story Sharing — A pocket card (inspired by Ritz-Carlton Credo) as the team’s north star, plus post-process retrospectives to capture and share what went well
LASTING IMPRESSION

Go-To-Market

GTM Tailoring

  • Customer story showcase — case studies from their segment
  • Revenue dashboard preview — the market opportunity visualised
  • Meet a key customer or partner (with permission)
  • Family & partner support for relocation candidates

Engineering

R&D Tailoring

  • Live product demo of the stack they’d lead
  • Architecture deep-dive with a principal engineer
  • NOC tour or live attack dashboard (where location permits)
  • Innovation showcase — patents, research, or internal tools

Implementation

Rollout Roadmap

PhaseWhatTimelineCost
1. Quick WinsPreferences form, room staging, handwritten notes, concierge playbook cardWeek 1–2Low
2. Concierge LaunchBuilding entrance greeting, discretionary budget, proactive accommodationsWeek 3–4Low
3. Premium TouchesGift packs (TBD w/ Jenn & Jon), curated lunch list, exec AMA, surprise drop-insMonth 2Medium
4. Digital & AIAI Matthew video, Impact Deck/video, executive portal, candidate NPSMonth 2–3Medium
5. Full ProgrammeDept tailoring, NOC tours, “Welcome to the Family” offer redesignMonth 3–4Medium
$0
Quick Wins
~$150
Exec Lunch
TBD
Gifts & AI

Next Steps

Let’s Make This Real

  • Get Scott’s buy-in → then Kelly Russell
  • Finalise cost package per candidate
  • Compare notes with Ian Frost’s research group
  • Pilot with next 2–3 VP+ hires

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

Jon Chadiha · Lee Sam · Jenn Islam — March 2026