How Western States Lodging and Management Optimized Applicant Outsourcing

Founded in 1994, Western States Lodging and Management has grown into a leader in the hospitality and senior living industries. With 2,250 employees and a reputation for providing exceptional service, the company needed to strengthen its hiring pipeline to support its rapid expansion while maintaining its high standards for employee quality.

One of the biggest challenges was hiring for Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) positions across their 19 properties, where turnover rates reached 80-90%. Additionally, inefficient interview processes and underutilization of their Applicant Tracking System (ATS) limited their ability to attract and retain top talent. To address these challenges, they turned to isolved Talent Acquisition, formerly ApplicantPro, for a data-driven, targeted hiring strategy.

Hiring Challenges

1. High turnover rates for CNA roles across multiple locations
2. Inefficient workflows for interviewing and hiring
3. Need for more qualified applicants, not just more applicants
4. Underutilization of ATS capabilities
5. Hiring demands outpacing current recruitment structure

Optimizing the Hiring Process

To improve hiring efficiency and applicant quality, Western States implemented a multi-layered approach to attract the right candidates that included:

• Persona-driven job ads based on top-performing employee profiles
• In-depth competitor analysis to refine pay, benefits and job positioning
• Optimized recruitment marketing strategy using social media and targeted job boards
• ATS utilization training to maximize hiring efficiency and tracking

With isolved Talent Acquisition, Western States saw an 800% increase in qualified applicants for assisted living roles and a 535% increase in qualified applicants for hospitality roles. By refining job ads, improving ATS usage, and leveraging competitor insights, the company dramatically enhanced its hiring efficiency. As a result, Western States not only filled critical positions faster but also strengthened its talent pipeline for sustained long-term growth.