Done inside a live agency, not from a slide deck

The situation

A staffing agency had been running on Bullhorn for years. The original implementation left gaps — configuration decisions nobody remembered making, workflows that didn't match how the team actually worked, and no written standards for how records should be created or maintained. Over time, the usual pattern set in: duplicated and stale records, inconsistent categories, unclear lead and contact structure, and a team that used the system differently depending on who you asked.

Nothing was "broken," and nobody had done anything wrong. The system just never got the finishing work — cleanup, documentation, training, adoption — that turns an installed ATS into an operating one.

The work

• Reviewed and restructured the CRM/ATS record structure — leads, contacts, accounts, and candidates
• Cleaned up candidate records, categories, and statuses so searches returned things people could trust
• Identified and worked through duplicate and inactive records
• Repaired workflows to match the team's real sales and recruiting process
• Documented usage standards and closed process gaps between roles
• Worked directly with users on adoption — the unglamorous part that decides whether any of the above lasts

What it taught me

Every messy Bullhorn instance I've seen shares the same root cause: the implementation technically finished, but the operating layer never got built. The fix is never one big migration or a magic setting — it's methodical cleanup, clear standards, and enough follow-through that the team's habits actually change. That's exactly how I've structured the Cleanup Sprint.

A note on what you won't find here

No invented metrics, no anonymous testimonials, no "347% increase in recruiter efficiency." Client confidentiality matters more to me than marketing copy, and I'd rather show you how I think on a live call than dress up numbers on a page. If you want references as the practice grows, ask — I'll be straight with you about what I can share.