Discover how a Canadian nonprofit made it easier for their team to manage hundreds of applications, fill roles faster and spend less time on hiring so they could focus more on the people they serve.
Good Shepherd Centres supports some of Hamilton, Ontario’s most vulnerable people by providing shelter, food, clothing and care through 38 locations and a staff of 700. But hiring to support that mission wasn’t always easy. Without a centralized applicant tracking system (ATS), the recruitment process was fragmented, slow and inefficient.
That changed when the team turned to isolved Talent Acquisition, formerly ApplicantPro.
Before isolved, recruitment was manual. Managers posted jobs individually to multiple boards, tracked candidates in their inboxes, and had no way to build or access a shared talent pool.
“You could post a job for a personal support worker, and you could receive around 300 to 400 resumes,” said Lara Mosuro, a recruitment specialist at Good Shepherd. “You can just imagine what was happening before we had an ATS. Some managers actually used their email addresses, and candidates were either seated within Indeed or in the manager's inbox, so we didn't have a talent pool to review collectively.”
With Talent Acquisition, everything changed. The team could manage candidates in one place, streamline posting across job boards and spot misrepresentations in resumes more easily.
“We looked at other systems, including one that integrated with our payroll, but it wasn’t as robust as ApplicantPro,” said Deborah Kyrzakos, the director of people and culture at Good Shepherd. “What we really liked were the features—the reporting, the templates, being able to ask questions. It was the best fit.”
“It’s very versatile,” she added. “It’s a one-stop shop. You go to one posting and all your applicants are there. You can communicate within the system.”
Since implementing Talent Acquisition, the team has seen meaningful improvements:
“We had over 400 jobs open last year and hired well over 300—all through isolved Talent Acquisition.”
— Lara Mosuro, Recruitment Specialist at Good Shepherd Centres
When Good Shepherd launches new programs, isolved’s system allows them to integrate their workflows and train new managers easily. “Having a centralized system has been very effective in handling all of our recruitment needs,” Mosuro added.
“isolved Talent Acquisition was extremely instrumental in getting us applicants,” said Kyrzakos and shared that roles for personal support workers (PSWs) were especially difficult to fill. She also noted that Wedge, the video interviewing tool integrated into the platform, helps recruiters move faster by allowing them to review recorded interviews instead of scheduling live calls.
isolved's built-in analytics have empowered Good Shepherd to optimize job board spending and identify hiring trends across departments.
One of the features Mosuro values most is how isolved Talent Acquisition supports data-driven decision-making. She highlighted the job posting functionality as a key advantage—an integrated system that distributes postings to various job boards with just a single click. That same system tracks the number of candidates applying, their level of engagement and the performance of each post. The team can also use metrics to identify which job boards deliver the most hires.
When a manager struggles to attract applicants, Mosuro can quickly review the posting timeline and recommend next steps—all without switching systems.
“With just the push of a button, you can distribute your postings to various job boards,” she said. “You could easily see how many candidates are flowing in, what the performance is like, and what their behavior is like.”
Beyond the platform itself, the team consistently praised isolved’s support.
“Our customer service representative is a great resource,” said Kyrzakos. “If you send her a message, she brings a solution immediately and just thinks outside the box. She’s part of the reason we came on board.”
The onboarding stood out, too. “I’ve implemented a lot of systems. I just went through another process with another vendor, and their training was, ‘Here’s a video, off you go.’ Our customer service rep was very patient. We’re able to use the system and train the trainer because of her. Whatever your onboarding culture is on the service side, it’s very powerful. And I’m glad I’m not talking to AI or a chatbot.”
Elevate Your People Strategies
Customer: Good Shepherd Centres
Location: 38 locations across Ontario, Canada
Industry: Nonprofit
Employees: About 700
Streamline operations, reduce risk and deliver better employee experiences with scalable solutions designed to put people first.
