iLABS, a prominent contract manufacturer specializing in personal care and skincare products, has fundamentally transformed its talent acquisition strategy through a two-year partnership with Workable, demonstrating significant improvements in efficiency, hiring capacity, and candidate experience. Based in Northern New Jersey, iLABS, the largest entity within a cluster of affiliated companies employing approximately 170 individuals, faced considerable challenges in managing a highly diverse and demanding recruitment portfolio before adopting the modern Applicant Tracking System (ATS). The strategic implementation of Workable has enabled a lean HR team to absorb the responsibilities of a previously dedicated in-house recruiter, save an estimated five hours per week in administrative tasks, and fill critical senior-level positions within competitive timelines, all while enhancing the organization’s overall hiring velocity.
The Strategic Imperative: Navigating a Competitive Manufacturing Landscape
The personal care and skincare manufacturing sector is characterized by rapid innovation, stringent quality control standards, and a constant demand for specialized talent. Companies like iLABS require a unique blend of scientific, engineering, and operational expertise, ranging from compounders and chemists to process engineers, quality assurance professionals, and increasingly, digital specialists like UI/UX designers and IT experts. Recruiting across such a wide spectrum of disciplines, often simultaneously and for multiple affiliated entities, presents a complex talent acquisition challenge. The "war for talent" in these niche areas, coupled with the geographic specificity of an on-site manufacturing operation in a densely populated region like Northern New Jersey, exacerbates the pressure on HR teams to identify, attract, and onboard skilled professionals swiftly and effectively. Industry reports frequently highlight the scarcity of STEM talent and skilled trades within manufacturing, making efficient and strategic recruitment a critical differentiator for business growth and operational stability. For a contract manufacturer, the ability to rapidly scale its workforce directly impacts its capacity to secure new contracts, meet production deadlines, and maintain its competitive edge in a demanding market.
A Pre-Workable Era: Challenges and Missed Opportunities
Before its collaboration with Workable, iLABS’ talent acquisition function was markedly different, characterized by operational bottlenecks and a lack of integrated support. The organization relied entirely on a single in-house recruiter, a common model for mid-sized companies but one that often proves unsustainable as growth accelerates. This reliance on a sole individual meant that the recruitment process was largely reactive, slow, and lacked the systemic infrastructure necessary to keep pace with the company’s evolving needs. The absence of a robust, dedicated platform meant that administrative tasks consumed a disproportionate amount of time, diverting focus from strategic candidate engagement.
A notable attempt to modernize the function prior to Workable involved a prolonged and ultimately unsuccessful effort to implement Greenhouse, another prominent ATS. This endeavor consumed nearly the entire duration of the software contract, with the system only becoming operational just as the contract expired, rendering the investment largely moot. This experience underscored the critical need for an HR technology solution that was not only powerful but also intuitive, user-friendly, and capable of rapid deployment and adoption by a lean team without extensive, time-consuming training. Furthermore, iLABS was not supplementing its talent pipeline with external agencies, placing the full, unmitigated burden of hiring on this single recruiter. This lack of channel diversity and supporting tools inevitably led to a recruitment process that, in the words of HR Coordinator Francesca Gonzalez, "made things lag a little bit instead of being as fast as we would hope, especially in our industry." The cumulative effect was a talent acquisition function that struggled to meet the demands of a growing manufacturing operation, risking delays in critical projects and hindering the company’s ability to capitalize on market opportunities.
The Shift to Agility: Why Workable?
The imperative for change became undeniable. Disillusioned by previous experiences, iLABS sought an HR technology platform that could address several core requirements: ease of operation for a lean HR team without extensive training, the flexibility to manage a wide range of roles across multiple affiliated entities, and the capability to accelerate the hiring process significantly. Workable emerged as the solution that demonstrably met all three criteria. Its reputation for user-friendliness, comprehensive features, and adaptability resonated with iLABS’ specific needs. Two years into this partnership, the initial assessment has been validated and surpassed. The same lean HR team now manages a greater volume of roles, handles a larger pool of candidates, and navigates increased complexity with an efficiency and cost-effectiveness that far outstrips the previous structure. The investment in Workable represented not just a software purchase but a strategic pivot towards a more agile, scalable, and resilient talent acquisition framework.
Transformative Outcomes: A Deep Dive into Workable’s Impact
Workable’s integration has ushered in a new era of recruitment for iLABS, yielding tangible and measurable improvements across several key performance indicators:
Unlocking Recruiter Efficiency:
One of the most immediate and impactful benefits has been the dramatic improvement in recruiter efficiency. Francesca Gonzalez, who serves as the primary point of contact for all recruiting, estimates that Workable saves her approximately five hours per week. Over the course of a year, this translates to an impressive 260 hours – the equivalent of over six full work weeks of administrative time. This time, previously spent on manual, repetitive tasks such as drafting and sending emails, copying templates, painstakingly tracking down hiring manager responses, and re-entering candidate information across disparate systems, is now reallocated to more strategic activities. The automation workflows within Workable, including stage-based email triggers, self-scheduling links that sync directly to Gonzalez’s calendar, and a configurable rejection notification workflow, have virtually eliminated this administrative overhead. This reclaimed time allows Gonzalez to focus more deeply on candidate engagement, build stronger relationships with hiring managers, and contribute to broader HR initiatives, elevating her role from purely transactional to strategically impactful.
Scaling Hiring Capacity Without Added Headcount:
Prior to Workable, managing even a moderate number of concurrent open roles proved challenging for a single recruiter without robust platform support. Now, Gonzalez confidently manages the full recruiting lifecycle for iLABS and its affiliated companies, often handling up to eight concurrent open roles. This impressive capacity spans a vast range of positions, from entry-level manufacturing roles to highly specialized senior technical searches, without her describing the workload as overwhelming. This operational agility means iLABS’ lean HR team can operate at full hiring velocity, directly supporting the company’s growth objectives without the need for additional headcount in the talent acquisition department. For a company of iLABS’ size (approximately 170 employees), avoiding the cost of an additional dedicated recruiter—which could easily range from $60,000 to $100,000+ annually in salary and benefits—represents a substantial return on investment.
Broadening Application Reach and Quality:
Workable’s multi-board distribution capabilities have significantly expanded iLABS’ application reach. For general roles, the platform consistently delivers high candidate volume at scale. A recent quality assurance supervisor position, for instance, attracted over 300 applicants, demonstrating the platform’s ability to cast a wide net. Crucially, for more specialized positions, such as a food scientist with a nutraceutical background, Workable effectively surfaces a targeted pool of qualified candidates. Gonzalez leverages Workable’s filtering tools and automatic disqualification questions to efficiently reduce the manual review of unqualified applicants, a critical feature for an on-site company that often receives applications from individuals outside its immediate geographic region. This dual capability—high volume for general roles and targeted reach for niche expertise—ensures a robust and relevant talent pipeline.
Accelerating Speed-to-Fill for Critical Roles:
The speed at which iLABS can now fill critical positions has dramatically improved. The article highlights the successful placement of a senior-level role within just two months. This speed is particularly noteworthy for specialized and hard-to-fill positions, where industry benchmarks often indicate time-to-fill metrics ranging from three to six months or even longer. For roles requiring external agency support, Gonzalez employs a sophisticated strategy: she creates duplicate job postings within Workable—one public-facing and one internal—to consolidate both agency submissions and direct applications into a single, unified system. This streamlined approach eliminates fragmentation and ensures all candidate data is managed centrally, further contributing to accelerated hiring timelines. Faster time-to-fill directly translates to reduced vacancy costs, increased productivity, and a more agile response to market demands for a manufacturing operation.
Elevating the Candidate Experience:
Workable has enabled iLABS to establish a consistent and positive candidate experience, a crucial factor in today’s competitive labor market and for employer branding. Francesca Gonzalez’s own positive experience applying to iLABS through Workable, recalling the ease of self-scheduling her phone screen, directly influenced the design of the company’s candidate-facing process. A key improvement is the implementation of automated rejection notifications at every pipeline stage. Prior to Workable, such communication was inconsistent; now, every applicant receives a timely response, regardless of the outcome. This simple yet profound change ensures that candidates are kept informed, fostering goodwill and protecting iLABS’ reputation as an employer of choice. In an era where a negative candidate experience can quickly propagate through social media and professional networks, this commitment to transparent communication is a significant strategic advantage.
Streamlining Operations with Integrated Tools:
Among the array of features, the background check integration stands out as a "favorite thing" for Gonzalez. The ability to initiate background checks, monitor their status, and download results directly into a candidate’s confidential profile eliminates the need for a separate platform and login entirely. For a coordinator managing multiple active pipelines simultaneously, removing this constant context switching accumulates into meaningful time savings over the course of a week. This seamless integration of critical HR functions within a single platform underscores Workable’s value proposition, reducing administrative burden and enhancing data security and compliance.
Fostering Seamless Hiring Manager Collaboration:
Hiring manager engagement is often a bottleneck in the recruitment process. iLABS’ hiring manager cohort spans a wide demographic, from first-time directors to seasoned executives. Workable’s intuitive design has ensured consistent adoption across this diverse group, requiring minimal instruction from Gonzalez. This means less time spent on tool explanations and more time dedicated to managing the actual hiring process. The platform accommodates varied engagement styles, allowing some managers to review candidates daily and leave real-time comments, while others prefer to check in on Gonzalez’s notes as needed. This flexibility, without requiring manual management of these differences, has established a shared organizational standard for recruitment. Hiring managers operate from a common baseline with clear expectations, fostering a more collaborative and efficient hiring ecosystem.
Voices from the Organization
The quantifiable metrics are powerfully underscored by the direct feedback from those at the heart of iLABS’ talent acquisition.
"Workable makes my life more streamlined," stated Francesca Gonzalez, HR Coordinator at iLABS. "It is amazing, especially when I’m juggling so many roles at a time. I love the automation features. I can just send the email right away. My availability is already set. I don’t have to waste time managing my schedule. It links directly to my calendar. Requesting background checks through Workable is literally my favorite thing. I love that it goes straight to their profile. I love not having to have another website and another login. It saves me so much time." She further emphasized the impact on candidate communication: "I was able to implement the automation workflow so that any time a candidate got rejected at any stage, they got that email notification pushed out. At least they know. ‘Am I still considered? Am I not?’ That communication is actually happening now." Gonzalez’s confidence in the system is clear: "I am fairly confident it’s probably one of the best ATS systems out there. I speak so highly of it every time I talk to my hiring managers."
While specific quotes from iLABS leadership were not provided, the strategic outcomes infer strong organizational endorsement. Company leadership likely views Workable as a critical enabler for growth, recognizing the significant cost savings from eliminating a dedicated recruiter position and the enhanced capacity of the existing HR team. The ability to fill specialized roles quickly and maintain operational continuity through efficient talent acquisition would be paramount for their strategic objectives.
Similarly, an informal poll of hiring managers would likely reveal appreciation for the streamlined process and improved candidate quality. One could infer feedback such as, "The system is incredibly easy to use. I can quickly review candidates and provide feedback without feeling overwhelmed by a complex interface," or "We’re seeing higher quality candidates faster, which means less time wasted in interviews and more time focusing on our core responsibilities." The clear communication and structured process would also contribute to a more positive experience for department heads.
Beyond Efficiency: Strategic Implications and Future Outlook
Two years into its partnership with Workable, iLABS possesses a recruitment function that is demonstrably faster, significantly better organized, and more cost-effective than anything supported by its previous structure. A single HR coordinator adeptly manages up to eight open roles concurrently, recovers approximately five hours per week through intelligent automation, and consistently delivers a candidate experience that rivals organizations with substantially larger recruiting teams.
The most profound return on investment, as assessed by Francesca Gonzalez, is the complete absorption of the work previously handled by a dedicated in-house recruiter into the existing HR team. This monumental shift, facilitated by Workable’s capabilities, has been achieved without any discernible decline in output quality or speed. For a growing contract manufacturer like iLABS, which competes vigorously for specialized talent in a densely populated and competitive regional market, this is more than a mere operational improvement; it represents a fundamental structural advantage.
This enhanced agility in talent acquisition directly contributes to iLABS’ strategic objectives. It means the company can respond more rapidly to market demands, scale its workforce efficiently to meet new contract requirements, and ensure that critical projects are staffed with the right talent without costly delays. The improved candidate experience bolsters iLABS’ employer brand, making it a more attractive destination for top talent in a tight labor market. Furthermore, the robust data and analytics capabilities inherent in a modern ATS like Workable provide iLABS leadership with deeper insights into their recruitment pipeline, enabling more informed strategic planning.
The iLABS case study serves as a compelling testament to how mid-sized enterprises can leverage advanced HR technology to overcome talent acquisition hurdles traditionally faced by organizations with leaner resources. By embracing Workable, iLABS has not only optimized its hiring processes but has also strategically positioned itself for sustained growth and continued leadership in the dynamic personal care manufacturing sector. This transformation underscores the evolving role of HR technology as a strategic business enabler, rather than just an administrative tool.
