London, UK â We Are Social, a globally recognized social-first creative agency, has fundamentally transformed its talent acquisition strategy through a sustained partnership with Workable, a leading applicant tracking system (ATS). The collaboration, now in its fifth year, has streamlined the agencyâs complex global hiring processes, significantly reducing time-to-hire, enhancing candidate experience, and providing critical data-driven insights across its diverse international operations. This strategic shift from a fragmented, manual system to a unified, automated platform underscores the growing imperative for advanced technological solutions in modern talent management, particularly for dynamic, fast-growing creative enterprises.
We Are Social: A Global Creative Force in the Digital Age
Founded in 2008, We Are Social has emerged as a powerhouse in the creative industry, specializing in social-first content and campaigns that resonate at the intersection of culture, creativity, and data. With a formidable global footprint, the agency operates offices across multiple continents, serving an impressive roster of world-renowned brands including Adidas, Amazon Music, and Lucozade. Its distinctive approach, focusing on understanding and leveraging social dynamics, has positioned it at the forefront of digital marketing innovation.
The agency’s success is intrinsically linked to its ability to attract and retain exceptional talent. With just over 1,000 employees worldwide, We Are Social recruits across an exceptionally broad spectrum of disciplines. This includes creative roles such as content creators and community managers, alongside strategic positions like global heads of research and insights, data analysts, and account management professionals. This vast array of roles, coupled with the necessity of sourcing talent from diverse global markets, presents a significant and ongoing logistical challenge for its talent acquisition teams. The demand for highly specialized skills, often requiring a deep understanding of local cultural nuances and digital trends, necessitates a recruitment infrastructure capable of both broad reach and granular precision.
The Pre-Workable Landscape: A Symphony of Silos and Inefficiency
Before the implementation of Workable approximately four and a half years ago, We Are Socialâs recruitment operations were characterized by a decentralized and largely manual approach. The backbone of their talent acquisition efforts consisted of a patchwork of Google Sheets, a common scenario for many organizations grappling with rapid growth without a dedicated ATS. Candidate information was scattered across numerous trackers, often owned by different teams in various global offices and updated inconsistently. This fragmented system created significant operational friction and numerous inefficiencies.
The absence of a centralized platform meant there was no single, reliable repository for candidate feedback, making collaborative hiring decisions cumbersome and prone to delay. Ensuring process consistency across different regions and teams was virtually impossible, leading to disparate hiring practices and varying standards. Critically, the talent acquisition team lacked a clear, unified view of recruitment activities across the agencyâs global offices. This meant that identifying bottlenecks, understanding overall hiring performance, or making data-driven strategic decisions was largely based on anecdotal evidence rather than verifiable metrics.
The candidate experience, a crucial aspect of employer branding in a competitive talent market, inevitably suffered. Without a structured communication workflow, the timeliness and quality of interactions with prospective employees were uneven. Some candidates might have enjoyed a relatively smooth and well-managed journey, while others, unfortunately, could fall through the cracks, experiencing delays, lack of feedback, or inconsistent messaging. In an era where a negative candidate experience can quickly tarnish an employer’s reputation and deter future applicants, this was a significant drawback.
A key stakeholder, identified as Simon, highlighted the systemic challenges: "The hiring process before Workable was pretty slow. It was very clunky. We were looking for one source of truth, an opportunity to have everything in one place, and an understanding of what that looked like globally." This statement encapsulates the core problem: a lack of unification and visibility hindering strategic talent acquisition.
The Strategic Imperative for a Unified ATS
The decision to adopt a robust Applicant Tracking System was not merely about digitizing existing processes; it was a strategic imperative driven by the need for scalability, consistency, and competitive advantage. For a global agency like We Are Social, talent acquisition is not a back-office function but a front-line business driver. The agency recognized that its ability to deliver innovative campaigns for its high-profile clients depended directly on its capacity to efficiently attract and onboard the best creative, strategic, and technical minds worldwide.
The market for top talent, especially in specialized digital and creative fields, is fiercely competitive. Delays in hiring can lead to increased vacancy costs, lost opportunities, and a diminished competitive edge. Moreover, as the agency expanded, the administrative burden on recruiters managing a global talent pipeline through manual means became unsustainable. They needed a platform that could do more than just store resumes; they required a comprehensive solution capable of standardizing processes without stifling the flexibility needed to operate effectively across vastly different cultural and regulatory markets. The chosen tool also needed to be user-friendly enough for hiring managers to actively engage with, and crucially, make the talent acquisition teamâs efforts visible and measurable to the wider organization.
Workable: The Catalyst for Transformation
Workable emerged as the ideal partner to address these multifaceted needs. Its platform offered a singular, integrated solution for managing candidates globally, replacing the disparate Google Sheets with a cohesive system. The core functionalities of Workable were instrumental in initiating a profound change in We Are Socialâs hiring operations:
- Centralized Data Management: Workable provided a "one source of truth" for all candidate information, feedback, and communication across every global office. This eliminated data silos and ensured that all stakeholders had access to the most current and accurate information.
- Automation and Workflow Streamlining: The platform introduced significant automation capabilities, reducing the manual coordination previously required. Automated stage-based communications across the entire recruitment pipeline ensured that candidates received prompt, consistent responses at every touchpoint, irrespective of their location or the hiring team involved. This not only improved the candidate experience but also freed up recruiters from repetitive administrative tasks.
- Enhanced Reporting and Analytics: Workable’s robust reporting features provided real-time data on critical metrics such as candidate source, time to hire, and time to fill. This was a game-changer for the talent acquisition team, offering a clear, data-driven picture of global recruitment health, identifying areas for improvement, and enabling informed strategic decisions.
- Structured Skills-Based Hiring: The integration of scorecards directly into the hiring workflow was pivotal. This functionality supported We Are Socialâs commitment to skills-based hiring, ensuring structured, evidence-based evaluations across every role and market. This approach helps to mitigate unconscious bias, promotes fairness, and ensures that hiring decisions are based on objective criteria relevant to job performance, rather than subjective impressions.
- Improved Hiring Manager Accountability: Automated feedback notifications and evaluation prompts embedded within the system significantly enhanced hiring manager accountability. This feature reduced the need for recruiters to constantly chase hiring managers for updates and feedback, leading to faster and more consistent decision-making throughout the hiring process.
Quantifiable Outcomes: A New Benchmark for Efficiency
The implementation of Workable has yielded a series of tangible and significant improvements, directly impacting We Are Social’s operational efficiency and competitive standing:
- Time to Hire and Time to Fill: The agency observed a reduction in both time to hire and time to fill by an average of 5 to 10 days. This acceleration translates directly into faster offers to top candidates, significantly reducing vacancy costs (the economic impact of an open position) and ensuring that critical roles are filled more swiftly. In a dynamic industry, a quicker hiring cycle means faster project initiation and sustained client service levels, providing a distinct competitive edge.
- Elevated Candidate Experience: Through automated, stage-based communications, Workable ensured that candidates received consistent, timely, and professional responses throughout their application journey. This improvement is crucial for strengthening We Are Social’s employer brand, fostering positive perceptions among job seekers, and creating a robust talent pipeline for future needs. A positive experience, even for unsuccessful candidates, can lead to referrals and a strong reputation.
- Unprecedented Process Consistency: The transition from fragmented Google Sheets to a single ATS established one definitive source of truth across all global offices and hiring teams. This consistency ensures that all hiring processes adhere to established best practices, promoting fairness, reducing errors, and simplifying compliance with diverse international labor laws and regulations.
- Robust Skills-Based Hiring Framework: The integration of scorecards into the hiring workflow has institutionalized structured, evidence-based evaluations. This systematic approach ensures that hiring decisions are objective, transparent, and directly aligned with the required competencies for each role, fostering a meritocratic environment and enhancing the quality of hires.
- Increased Hiring Manager Accountability: Automated feedback notifications and evaluation prompts have significantly streamlined the internal collaboration process. Recruiters spend less time chasing feedback, and hiring managers are prompted to act faster and more consistently, leading to a more efficient and collaborative hiring ecosystem. This also fosters a shared sense of ownership over the talent acquisition process.
- Actionable Reporting and Analytics: Workable provides real-time data on crucial metrics such as candidate source, time to hire, and time to fill. This rich data empowers the talent acquisition team with a clearer picture of global recruitment health, enabling them to identify inefficiencies, optimize sourcing channels, and make informed, data-driven decisions for continuous improvement. This strategic insight allows We Are Social to optimize its recruitment budget and refine its talent strategy over time.
A Partnership Beyond the Platform
Beyond the functionalities of the product itself, the quality of Workableâs customer service has been a defining element of the partnership. Simon emphasized this aspect, stating: "In addition to Workable being a great product, the customer service is definitely one of the key highlights. Super supportive, super helpful, and always on hand when we need them." This level of support is particularly vital for a lean talent acquisition function operating across multiple time zones and diverse markets, where timely assistance can prevent disruptions and ensure operational continuity. The human element of customer support reinforces the idea of a true partnership, extending beyond a mere vendor-client relationship.
Broader Business Impact and Strategic Advantage
Four and a half years into their Workable partnership, We Are Social boasts a talent acquisition function that is demonstrably faster, more consistent, and significantly more data-driven than at any prior point in its history. The foundational shift from disparate spreadsheets to a unified, intelligent platform has systematically removed structural friction at every stage of the hiring process.
This transformation has far-reaching implications. Hiring managers are now more engaged and accountable, contributing to a more collaborative and efficient recruitment cycle. Candidates benefit from a superior, more professional experience, which enhances We Are Social’s reputation as an employer of choice in a competitive industry. Crucially, the talent acquisition team now possesses the unprecedented visibility required to manage a complex global operation and, armed with robust data, the capacity to drive continuous improvement.
For a creative agency whose core business relies on attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional talent across a myriad of disciplines and geographies, these improvements are not simply "back-office" optimizations. They represent a profound competitive advantage. In the fast-evolving landscape of digital marketing, where human capital is the ultimate differentiator, We Are Social’s strategic investment in talent acquisition technology positions it strongly for sustained growth, innovation, and continued leadership in the global social-first creative arena. The ability to quickly identify, engage, and onboard the right talent ensures that the agency can consistently deliver cutting-edge campaigns for its clients, reinforcing its market position and driving future success.
The case of We Are Social and Workable illustrates a broader trend in global talent management: the indispensable role of advanced ATS platforms in transforming recruitment from a reactive, administrative burden into a proactive, strategic function that directly contributes to an organization’s bottom line and long-term viability. As the global talent landscape continues to evolve, characterized by remote work, hybrid models, and an ever-increasing demand for specialized skills, the foresight shown by We Are Social in adopting such a robust system will undoubtedly serve as a model for other multinational enterprises.
