The global social-first creative agency, We Are Social, has dramatically streamlined and enhanced its worldwide recruitment operations over the past four and a half years through a strategic partnership with Workable, a leading applicant tracking system (ATS). This collaboration has transformed a previously fragmented, manual hiring process, marked by disparate Google Sheets and inconsistent candidate experiences, into a unified, data-driven, and highly efficient talent acquisition function, significantly reducing time-to-hire and bolstering the agency’s competitive edge in attracting top-tier creative talent across multiple continents.
We Are Social stands as a formidable force in the contemporary marketing landscape, operating as a global social-first creative agency. With a distinctive approach that integrates culture, creativity, and data, the agency specializes in crafting compelling social content and campaigns at scale for an impressive roster of globally recognized brands, including industry giants like Adidas, Amazon Music, and Lucozade. Their presence spans numerous continents, reflecting a truly international footprint that necessitates a sophisticated and adaptable talent acquisition strategy. The very essence of being "social-first" implies a deep understanding of digital ecosystems, emerging trends, and the nuances of online communities, making the quality and agility of their talent pool paramount to their success.
Employing just over 1,000 individuals globally, We Are Social’s operational scope demands a remarkably diverse range of expertise. Their hiring needs span an exceptionally wide array of disciplines, from the frontline innovators like content creators and community managers, who directly engage with digital audiences, to strategic leaders such as global heads of research and insights, who steer the agency’s intellectual capital. This breadth of required talent, coupled with the imperative to source it across a vast global network of offices, positions recruiting not merely as a functional task but as a critical strategic priority and, simultaneously, a significant logistical challenge. The ability to identify, attract, and onboard specialized professionals who can navigate the fast-evolving digital landscape is intrinsically linked to the agency’s capacity to deliver innovative and impactful campaigns for its high-profile clientele.
The Pre-Workable Landscape: A Fragmented Past
Before the integration of Workable, We Are Social’s recruitment efforts were characterized by a highly decentralized and largely manual system. The operational backbone of their talent acquisition process was a patchwork of Google Sheets. Candidate information, a critical asset in any hiring pipeline, was scattered across numerous individual trackers, each often owned and managed by different teams within the organization. This fragmented approach led to inconsistent updates, data silos, and a complete lack of a single, authoritative source of truth for candidate data. The absence of a centralized platform meant there was no unified space for hiring managers to provide feedback, no reliable mechanism to enforce process consistency across different offices or roles, and consequently, no clear, real-time overview of the hiring activities unfolding across the agency’s expansive global network.
This fragmented system had tangible negative consequences, most notably impacting the candidate experience. Without a structured communication workflow, the quality, consistency, and timeliness of candidate touchpoints varied dramatically. While some candidates might have the fortune of navigating a relatively smooth and well-managed process, others, unfortunately, "fell through the gaps" – experiencing delays, a lack of communication, or an inconsistent journey that could reflect poorly on We Are Social’s employer brand. In a highly competitive talent market, particularly for creative and digital roles, a suboptimal candidate experience can deter top talent and damage an agency’s reputation.
Furthermore, the broader strategic insights into recruitment performance were equally obscured. Lacking unified data, the talent acquisition team found it impossible to reliably assess hiring efficacy across various markets, pinpoint specific areas where processes were faltering, or make informed, data-driven decisions regarding where to concentrate improvement efforts. As one internal spokesperson from We Are Social noted, "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 underscores the profound need for a systemic overhaul, moving beyond stopgap measures to a truly integrated solution.
The Strategic Shift: Why Workable Was Chosen
Recognizing these systemic inefficiencies and the strategic importance of robust talent acquisition, We Are Social initiated a search for a more comprehensive solution. Their requirements extended far beyond a mere database for candidate profiles. The agency needed a platform capable of standardizing recruitment processes across its global operations without sacrificing the crucial flexibility required to adapt to the distinct cultural, legal, and market nuances of different regions. Critically, the chosen tool had to be user-friendly enough for hiring managers across various departments to actively and consistently engage with it. Moreover, the new system needed to provide the talent acquisition team with unprecedented visibility into their work, making recruitment activities measurable and transparent.
Workable emerged as the ideal partner to address these multifaceted needs. Its comprehensive Applicant Tracking System (ATS) offered a singular platform designed to manage candidates seamlessly across We Are Social’s global footprint. The system’s automation capabilities were key to reducing the extensive manual coordination and administrative burden that had previously plagued the recruitment team. Perhaps most significantly, Workable’s robust reporting features promised to surface critical data and insights that had simply not existed before, empowering strategic decision-making. The inherent structure of the Workable platform also proved crucial in supporting We Are Social’s commitment to skills-based hiring, allowing for the integration of structured evaluations without necessitating a disruptive overhaul of existing workflows. This blend of standardization, flexibility, automation, and data visibility made Workable a compelling choice for an agency striving for global excellence in talent acquisition.
Transformative Outcomes: Quantifiable Improvements and Strategic Advantages
The implementation of Workable marked a pivotal turning point for We Are Social’s talent acquisition function, yielding a host of significant, measurable improvements across key performance indicators. The "Quick Results" table provided a snapshot of these profound changes, which have collectively reshaped how the agency identifies, engages, and secures top talent.
Time to Hire & Fill: Speed as a Competitive Edge
One of the most immediate and impactful benefits was a significant reduction in the average time to hire and time to fill roles, demonstrating an average decrease of 5 to 10 days. For a fast-paced creative agency, where project deadlines are tight and market opportunities fleeting, this acceleration translates directly into substantial business advantages. Faster offers mean We Are Social can be more competitive in securing highly sought-after candidates, particularly those who might be simultaneously interviewing with multiple agencies. Reduced vacancy costs stem from shorter periods of understaffing, minimizing the impact on productivity and project delivery. Furthermore, a more efficient process contributes to a superior candidate experience, as candidates move through the stages with greater speed and clarity, reinforcing a positive perception of the agency. This competitive advantage in speed is indispensable for an organization that thrives on rapid innovation and responsiveness.
Elevated Candidate Experience: Building Employer Brand
Workable’s automated stage-based communications across the entire recruitment pipeline revolutionized the candidate experience. Before Workable, inconsistencies in communication could lead to candidates feeling neglected or uncertain about their application status. With Workable, candidates now receive prompt, consistent, and professional responses at every touchpoint, from initial application acknowledgment to interview invitations and feedback. This consistency is crucial for building and maintaining a strong employer brand, signaling to prospective employees that We Are Social values their time and interest. In an era where Glassdoor reviews and social media sentiment can heavily influence candidate perceptions, a consistently positive experience is a strategic imperative.
Global Process Consistency: A Unified Approach
The transition from fragmented Google Sheets to a single Applicant Tracking System (ATS) provided We Are Social with a unified "source of truth." This eliminated the previous chaos of disparate data and inconsistent practices across global offices and hiring teams. A centralized ATS ensures that all recruitment activities adhere to standardized protocols, regardless of geographical location. This consistency is vital for maintaining fairness, compliance, and efficiency across a multinational organization. It allows for a cohesive approach to talent acquisition, ensuring that best practices are shared and implemented universally, rather than being confined to isolated teams or regions.
Skills-Based Hiring: Ensuring Fair and Effective Talent Matching
Workable’s integration of scorecards directly into the hiring workflow was a critical enhancement for We Are Social’s commitment to skills-based hiring. This feature enables structured, evidence-based evaluations for every role and market. Rather than relying on subjective impressions, hiring teams can now systematically assess candidates against predefined criteria and competencies relevant to the role. This not only promotes fairness and reduces unconscious bias but also significantly improves the quality of hires by ensuring that candidates are selected based on their demonstrated abilities and potential contributions, aligning perfectly with the agency’s need for specialized creative and strategic talent.
Hiring Manager Empowerment & Accountability
One of the perennial challenges in recruitment is securing timely feedback from busy hiring managers. Workable addressed this by implementing automated feedback notifications and evaluation prompts. This intelligent automation significantly reduced the administrative burden on recruiters, who previously spent considerable time "chasing" managers for input. With Workable, hiring managers are nudged to act faster and more consistently, improving the overall pace and efficiency of the hiring process. This empowerment and accountability ensure that all stakeholders are actively engaged and contributing to a streamlined recruitment workflow.
Data-Driven Decision Making: The Power of Analytics
Workable’s robust reporting and analytics capabilities provided We Are Social with real-time data on critical metrics such as candidate source, time to hire, and time to fill. This newfound visibility offered a much clearer picture of the global recruitment health and allowed the talent acquisition team to identify specific areas for improvement. Access to such granular data empowers strategic decision-making, enabling the agency to optimize its sourcing channels, refine its recruitment processes, and allocate resources more effectively. For a data-centric organization like We Are Social, leveraging recruitment analytics is not just an operational improvement but a strategic advantage that informs future talent strategies and ensures continuous optimization.
Beyond the Platform: The Value of Partnership
The success of We Are Social’s transformation in talent acquisition extends beyond the technical capabilities of the Workable platform itself. A key highlight, as articulated by Simon, a leading figure in We Are Social’s talent acquisition, is the exceptional quality of Workable’s customer service. "In addition to Workable being a great product, the customer service is definitely one of the key highlights," Simon noted. "Super supportive, super helpful, and always on hand when we need them." This level of responsive and genuinely helpful support is particularly crucial for a lean talent acquisition function operating across multiple time zones and diverse markets. It underscores the importance of a vendor acting as a true partner, providing not just a product but also the necessary human support to navigate complex global operations and ensure seamless adoption and ongoing optimization. This partnership approach has been instrumental in maximizing the return on investment for We Are Social and ensuring sustained operational excellence.
Broader Industry Context and Implications
The journey of We Are Social mirrors a broader trend within the human resources and talent acquisition industry: the accelerating shift away from manual, ad-hoc processes towards integrated, data-driven technological solutions. In an increasingly competitive global talent market, organizations can no longer afford the inefficiencies and inconsistencies of outdated recruitment methods. Applicant Tracking Systems like Workable have become indispensable tools, not just for large enterprises but for any company serious about attracting and retaining top talent. The emphasis on candidate experience, skills-based hiring, and robust analytics seen in We Are Social’s case represents the gold standard for modern recruitment.
For creative agencies in particular, the implications are profound. Talent is the core product of a creative agency. The ability to consistently attract, assess, and hire exceptional individuals across a vast array of specialized roles—from digital strategists and data analysts to copywriters and art directors—directly correlates with an agency’s capacity to innovate, win new business, and deliver outstanding results for clients. A slow, inconsistent, or poor hiring process not only costs money but also costs opportunities, potentially allowing competitors to snap up valuable talent. We Are Social’s success with Workable demonstrates that investing in sophisticated talent acquisition technology is not a mere back-office improvement; it is a critical competitive advantage that underpins the very success and growth trajectory of the business.
Conclusion
Four and a half years into their enduring partnership with Workable, We Are Social has cultivated a talent acquisition function that is demonstrably faster, significantly more consistent, and profoundly more data-driven than at any prior point in the agency’s history. The strategic migration from a cumbersome, spreadsheet-dependent system to a unified, intelligent platform has systematically dismantled structural friction at every critical stage of the hiring process.
This transformation has empowered hiring managers with greater accountability and efficiency, while candidates now benefit from a consistently positive and transparent experience, which invariably strengthens We Are Social’s employer brand. Concurrently, the talent acquisition team itself has gained unprecedented visibility into its complex global operations, equipped with the essential data and analytical capabilities required for continuous improvement and strategic foresight. For a dynamic creative agency whose very success is predicated on its ability to attract and secure exceptional talent across diverse disciplines and geographical regions, these enhancements transcend mere operational upgrades. They represent a fundamental, strategic competitive advantage, enabling We Are Social to not only meet but exceed the demanding talent requirements of the global digital landscape. This partnership exemplifies how a well-chosen technological solution, coupled with a commitment to process optimization, can fundamentally redefine an organization’s capacity for growth and innovation.
