How PeakMade Real Estate Modernized Hiring Across 100 Properties with Workable
Scaling a workforce across nearly 100 properties in two countries is no small feat. For property management companies, hiring isn't just an HR function — it's a direct driver of operational performance, resident satisfaction, and long-term growth. PeakMade Real Estate, one of the leading student and multifamily housing operators in the United States and Canada, recognized this reality and took decisive action to overhaul its recruitment process. By partnering with Workable, the company transformed a fragmented, slow-moving hiring system into a streamlined, high-visibility operation that is delivering measurable results across every level of the organization.
The Challenge: Hiring at Scale Without the Right Tools
Managing approximately 950 associates across roughly 100 properties presents a unique set of recruitment challenges. PeakMade's hiring needs span a wide range of roles, from on-site property operations and facilities maintenance teams to corporate and administrative positions at headquarters. Without a centralized system, coordinating these hiring efforts was both time-consuming and inconsistent.
Property managers and regional supervisors often lacked real-time visibility into where candidates stood in the recruitment pipeline. Communication between HR professionals and hiring managers was fragmented, leading to delays that could cost the company strong candidates in a competitive labor market. Job postings were inconsistent, candidate experience suffered, and the volume of applicants coming through was far below what the organization needed to build a reliable talent pool.
The company needed more than a minor update — it needed a modern, scalable hiring infrastructure that could grow alongside its portfolio of properties.
The Solution: Workable as a Centralized Hiring Platform
PeakMade chose Workable as its applicant tracking system (ATS) to address these challenges head-on. Workable is a recruiting software platform designed to simplify and accelerate the hiring process for companies of all sizes. For PeakMade, it offered exactly the kind of centralized, intuitive toolset needed to bring consistency and speed to multi-location hiring.
The implementation gave hiring managers across all properties real-time access to candidate pipelines, enabling faster decision-making and better collaboration. Rather than relying on email chains or disconnected spreadsheets, the entire team could now work from a single source of truth — tracking applicants, scheduling interviews, sharing feedback, and moving candidates through the funnel with clarity and confidence.
Workable also expanded PeakMade's reach to a broader candidate audience by syndicating job postings across dozens of job boards simultaneously. This one-click distribution dramatically increased the visibility of open positions, attracting a far greater number of qualified applicants than the company had seen before.
The Results: Tripling Applicant Volume and Improving the Candidate Experience
The impact of adopting Workable has been both swift and significant. One of the most striking outcomes is the dramatic increase in candidate volume. Before implementing Workable, PeakMade was attracting around 50 applicants per open position. After making the switch, that number rose to approximately 140 applicants per job — nearly tripling the talent pool available for each role.
This increase in applicant flow has given hiring managers far more options when making selection decisions, reducing the likelihood of settling for underqualified candidates due to limited pipelines. It also means that PeakMade can be more deliberate and thorough in its evaluation process, selecting candidates who are the best fit not just for the role, but for the company's culture and long-term goals.
Beyond volume, the quality of the candidate experience has improved considerably. Job seekers applying to PeakMade positions now encounter a smoother, more professional application process. Timely communication, consistent follow-up, and a clearly structured interview workflow all contribute to a more positive first impression — an important factor in attracting top talent in a competitive housing and real estate market.
Empowering Hiring Managers with Real-Time Visibility
One of the most meaningful shifts brought about by Workable is the empowerment of hiring managers at the property level. Previously, these individuals often had little insight into where candidates were in the process, or what actions were needed from them at any given moment. With Workable, they now have access to dashboards and pipeline views that give them full transparency into every open role they are managing.
This visibility has reduced bottlenecks and accelerated time-to-hire. When hiring managers can see exactly which candidates need follow-up, which interviews need to be scheduled, and which offers are pending, the entire process moves faster. This speed is critical in industries like property management, where open positions — especially for maintenance and operations roles — can directly impact the day-to-day experience of residents.
Consistency Across a Distributed Organization
Perhaps one of the most underappreciated benefits of centralized hiring software is the consistency it creates across a geographically distributed organization. With properties spread across the U.S. and Canada, PeakMade needed its hiring practices to reflect the same standards regardless of location. Workable has made it possible to standardize job descriptions, application workflows, interview scorecards, and communication templates across all properties, ensuring that every candidate — and every hiring manager — has a consistent experience.
This consistency is particularly valuable for employer branding. A candidate applying for a leasing coordinator role in one city should have essentially the same experience as one applying in another market. Workable makes that possible.
A Blueprint for Modern Property Management Hiring
PeakMade Real Estate's experience with Workable offers a compelling blueprint for other property management companies navigating the challenges of distributed hiring. By investing in the right technology, organizations can eliminate inefficiencies, attract more qualified candidates, and build stronger teams — all while reducing the administrative burden on HR and operations staff.
As competition for skilled property management professionals continues to intensify, companies that modernize their recruiting infrastructure will have a meaningful advantage. PeakMade's results speak clearly: tripled applicant volume, empowered hiring managers, and a better candidate experience are not just nice-to-haves — they are essential outcomes for any company serious about building a high-performing workforce at scale.
For growing property management firms looking to take their hiring to the next level, the PeakMade and Workable story is a strong case study in what's possible when the right tools meet the right strategy.