A retail chain client needed 200 frontline and supervisory roles filled across 12 new store locations within a fixed eight-week launch window. Bulk hiring at this scale exposes bottlenecks that simply don't appear in single-role recruitment.
Volume sourcing needed a different structure entirely
Individually screening 200 roles the way you would a single specialised hire isn't feasible — and isn't necessary. We built a tiered screening process: fast initial filters for baseline fit, followed by deeper screening only for candidates who cleared stage one.
Location-by-location tracking mattered more than aggregate numbers
An aggregate "150 of 200 filled" figure hid the real problem: three specific locations were badly behind while others were fully staffed early. Location-level dashboards, not just overall progress, were what let us reallocate sourcing effort in time.
- Standardise the screening criteria early, so speed doesn't come at the cost of consistency
- Track fill rate per location, not just in aggregate, from week one
- Plan onboarding logistics — documentation, ID checks, orientation — with the same rigour as sourcing
Onboarding at scale is its own project
Getting 200 people through statutory paperwork and orientation on a tight timeline required as much planning as the recruitment itself — a lesson many bulk hiring projects underestimate until it's already a bottleneck.
Planning a bulk hiring project of your own? Our RPO and bulk hiring team can walk through timeline and structure before you commit to a launch date.