University of Delaware

Three standout metrics

5

candidates-per-role (decrease from 9)

7%

increase in candidate-to-hire rate

One

Integration posts jobs to all channels

The voice of the customer

“From the first time I met with PageUp at a CUPA conference, it really drove home that feeling that these are the type of people you want to be in business with. We’ve built such a great relationship that it is almost like getting together with family.”

Jared Aupperle, Talent Acquisition Leader, University of Delaware

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What wasn’t working

Established in 1743, the University of Delaware (UD) is a public university employing more than 4,700 people. Like many higher education institutions, UD needed to recover from pandemic-driven losses and rebuild its workforce at scale. Worse, they had to do so in a tight talent market.

The talent acquisition team faced multiple pressures:

Candidates were often interviewing for multiple roles and had counter-offers, creating a slight downward trend in accepting offers from UD;
Limited resources meant every hiring decision needed to count;
Diversity in talent pools needed improvement across the university.

The turning point

Jared Aupperle and the talent acquisition team began by exploring PageUp recruitment metrics. The plan was to evaluate their current approach and rebuild the foundations of their talent strategy.

They identified they needed to streamline recruitment, support hiring managers better, and improve the candidate experience while addressing diversity goals. They also realisedrealized UD’s employee value proposition needed to evolve.

The shift began in three phases:

Focus on tough-to-fill roles

The team established salary ranges upfront with candidates, kept them informed throughout, and implemented campus-wide standard protocols for sign-on packages.
Evolving the employer value proposition

UD highlighted their commitments to diversity and inclusion, feeling valued at work, remote-work and flexibility in all their messaging across all channels.
Amplifying top sourcing channels

The team used PageUp insights to identify their top sourcing channels, then amplified them through a cash-bonus referral program and increased LinkedIn investment.

The solution in action

UD used PageUp to adopt a data-driven approach to talent acquisition, amplify their employer brand, and compete more effectively in a tight talent market.

Key initiatives included:

Data-informed approach

Using PageUp metrics helped identify trends and surface valuable insights such as where UD was losing candidates to competitors, which were then shared with leadership.
StandardisedStandardized sign-on packages

Implementing campus-wide standard protocols and sign-on packages reduced time-to-offer, significantly improving the university’s ability to secure talent against competitors.
Targeted talent pipelines

Creating specific hiring journeys for tough-to-fill roles and using targeted calls-to-action grew valuable talent pools.
Job Target integration

Integrating PageUp ATS with Job Target software allowed the team to post job opportunities across multiple channels in one place, reaching wider audiences without additional effort.
Cash-bonus referral program

Launching a cash-bonus referral program as both a hiring and employee-engagement tool increased referrals, gained positive internal feedback and boosted employee engagement.

The impact

Hard ROI

7% candidate-to-hire rate increase
5 candidates-per-role on average, improving efficiency
Number one Forbes’ Best Employer in Delaware
One integration posts jobs to all channels

Soft ROI

Better data collection enhanced diversity and inclusion monitoring.
Referral program increased employee social media activity and strengthened employer brand.
Targeted hiring journeys helped create valuable talent pools.
Greater trust from leadership led to more opportunities for impact.

What surprisedsurprized us the most

“We’ve gained so much trust internally and are receiving more opportunities to make a real impact. We’re continuing to grow our team, strengthening relationships across many divisions and colleges on campus, and influencing and empowering hiring managers.”

Jared Aupperle, Talent Acquisition Leader, University of Delaware