Question 1

What is The Circle Back Initiative?

Accepted Answer

The Circle Back Initiative (CBI) launched in 2020 to encourage employers to respond to every job applicant and improve how candidates are treated throughout recruitment. Participating employers make a public commitment to communicate recruitment outcomes.

Question 2

What do CBI employers commit to?

Accepted Answer

Participating employers commit to treating applicants with respect and responding to every applicant, letting them know the outcome of their application whether or not they progress.

Question 3

What does it mean when an employer displays a CBI badge?

Accepted Answer

Official 2027 badges are only issued to approved Silver and Gold members. A badge shows that the employer has made the CBI commitment and been approved through the CBI membership process.

Question 4

Does membership guarantee every candidate will receive a response?

Accepted Answer

No. Membership reflects an employer's public commitment and approval through CBI's assessment process. It is not a guarantee that every individual application will always receive a response. If you believe a member is not meeting its commitment, please contact us.

Question 5

How does an employer become a member?

Accepted Answer

Choose a membership tier and complete the application. CBI then assesses the employer's commitment to responding to applicants. Once approved and payment is confirmed, the membership benefits become available.

Question 6

How do I pay the membership fee?

Accepted Answer

CBI will email you an invoice upon application. You can pay it by bank transfer or credit card. Membership benefits become available after approval and payment confirmation.

Question 7

What is the difference between Bronze, Silver and Gold?

Accepted Answer

Bronze (AUD $250) provides a directory listing and a Basic Employer Brand Assessment. Silver (AUD $500) adds the official Silver badge, licence to use approved CBI wording on job adverts, recruiter badges, a Detailed Employer Brand Assessment and CBI AI-Ready Verified Commitment. Gold (AUD $750) includes Silver's benefits plus the Gold badge, a BrandScore AI Visibility Report, two Candidate Experience workshops and TalentXP (formerly Benchmarcx) Lite automated Candidate Experience feedback benchmarked against industry data.

Question 8

Can Bronze employers use CBI wording on job adverts?

Accepted Answer

No. Licence to use approved CBI wording on job adverts, and official employer badges, are Silver and Gold benefits. Bronze members may link to their public directory listing.

Question 9

What happens if an employer does not meet its commitments?

Accepted Answer

CBI may review the membership. The detailed review process is set out in the membership terms and conditions.

Question 10

What is CBI AI-Ready Verified Commitment?

Accepted Answer

It is a 2027 Silver and Gold membership feature. CBI publishes and maintains a public commitment record for each eligible employer, with readable page content and structured data that search engines and AI-powered services can access. CBI keeps that record current while the membership is active.

Question 11

Will ChatGPT or Google cite my CBI profile?

Accepted Answer

CBI cannot guarantee indexing, AI mentions or citations. The record is designed to be discoverable and easy for automated systems to interpret accurately; how each service uses it is their decision.

Question 12

What are the BrandScore assessments?

Accepted Answer

Every employer membership includes an employer brand assessment powered by BrandScore. Bronze receives a Basic assessment, Silver and Gold receive a Detailed assessment, and Gold also receives a separate BrandScore AI Visibility Report.

Frequently asked questions