Talent acquisition is critical to any business’ human capital management (HCM). By prioritizing the candidate experience as a key part of their talent acquisition strategy, employers can unlock new benefits and long-term success.

Creating a positive and engaging experience for applicants is not just about finding the right fit. It’s about building a strong company brand. A well-executed candidate experience fosters goodwill and trust within the talent pool, ensuring businesses attract top-tier talent now and in the future. In fact, according to iCIMS’ 2024 Talent Experience Report, 51% of people are more likely to engage with a brand after a positive experience.

Moreover, hiring the right individuals from the start saves time, resources, and effort. It minimizes onboarding costs and ensures training investments deliver maximum value. This approach is particularly impactful for businesses with large seasonal workforces, where effective talent acquisition on a grand scale can drive efficiency and productivity.

3Sixty Insights wrote this report to help organizations understand when to invest in a solution to support the talent acquisition function and what the fruits of a good investment can look like. It is also a story of empathic business practice and how a “human” approach allowed one software provider to not only retain a contract but also build a strategic partnership that otherwise may have been lost.

About the Company
Delaware North is a multinational hospitality management and food service business operating in the lodging, sporting, airport, gaming, and entertainment industries. Founded in 1915 in Buffalo, NY, the company remains headquartered there today and employs more than 40,000 people worldwide. Its workforce spans all working-age generations and comprises gig workers, seasonal employees, and part-time and full-time employees. These include over 50 recruiters and more than 2,300 hiring managers. In the first half of 2024, the company fielded some 280,000 job applications.

3Sixty Insights spoke with Amy Duncan-Menendez, VP of Talent Acquisition & Global Innovation Center, and Lisa Susko, Director of Talent Transformation and Implementation. Both joined Delaware North in 2019 as part of the company’s ongoing digital HR transformation.

For the purposes of this report, it’s important to understand that Delaware North’s business model places a strong emphasis on enabling each employee, as an operator, to focus on the guest experience. Duncan-Menendez says this was the fundamental driver for change: “Everything centered around how do you most optimize the operator—to operate.”