How CrossRef Saved 16-20 Hours Per Week on Recruiting with 100Hires

Key Results

16-20 hours/week saved per recruitment posting

200+ applications managed without overtime

Custom evaluation forms created on demand for each role

About CrossRef

CrossRef is a global non-profit organization that provides infrastructure for scholarly research communication. Their team spans multiple countries, requiring recruiting processes that support diversity goals and maintain applicant confidentiality.

The Challenge

When Michelle Cancel joined CrossRef, the organization had no applicant tracking system. Recruiting was entirely manual – folders, spreadsheets, and email.

The pain points were clear:

• No centralized system for tracking candidates
• No pipeline management or automated communications
• No way to limit interviewer access to protect applicant privacy
• No built-in diversity tracking across countries

For a global non-profit with limited resources, spending weekends manually sorting through hundreds of applications was unsustainable.

Why 100Hires

Michelle researched multiple ATS platforms, built a comparison spreadsheet with her top three vendors – listing pros and cons for each – and presented it to CrossRef’s team leaders and managers.

The Solution

Custom Evaluation Forms for Every Role

Different positions require different screening criteria. CrossRef needed the flexibility to create tailored evaluation forms on demand, without limitations or extra fees.

“We needed somewhere where we could make up our own evaluation forms as needed. 100Hires accomplished all of that,” Michelle said. They also use custom application questions to collect candidate location data, supporting their global diversity tracking goals.

Pipeline Management That Replaced Folder Chaos

Visual drag-and-drop pipelines replaced the old system of managing candidates through folders and spreadsheets. Michelle can now move candidates through stages, shortlist efficiently, and export data when needed.

“When I send out regret messages or move on to the next steps, it’s very useful to just have a really easy download spreadsheet with the 400 application emails. It’s easier for me to manage each shortlist by each spreadsheet download,” Michelle explained.

Granular Access Control for Interview Panels

As a global organization handling sensitive applicant data, CrossRef needed to protect candidate privacy while still giving interviewers the information they need.

The Results

Before 100Hires:

• Working weekends and long hours on 200+ applications
• Manual tracking through folders and spreadsheets
• No way to protect applicant confidentiality from interviewers
• No diversity tracking across countries

After 100Hires:

• 16-20 hours saved per week per posting
• 200+ applications managed during normal work hours – no overtime
• Interview panels see only their assigned candidates
• Built-in location tracking supports global diversity goals

The Endorsement

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How CrossRef Chose an ATS

Michelle did not pick a vendor from a shortlist someone handed her. She ran the evaluation herself, built a spreadsheet of her top three vendors with the pros and cons of each, and took it to CrossRef’s team leaders and managers for a decision.

One requirement almost sent them elsewhere. Several platforms they looked at were built around AI-driven screening and marketed heavily on unbiased selection. As a global non-profit hiring across many countries, CrossRef had to be able to show that its applicant pool was genuinely diverse, and that mattered more than automated scoring.

“We wanted to make sure we collected a diverse application pool, and we really just wanted to focus on countries.”

Michelle Cancel, Recruiting & HR, CrossRef

They solved it with custom application questions instead: every applicant records their location and country at the point of application, so the diversity picture comes straight out of the pipeline rather than out of a separate report.

Where the 16 to 20 Hours Actually Went

The headline number is easy to quote and easy to doubt, so it is worth unpacking what those hours were spent on before 100Hires.

• Weekend and evening work. Michelle’s first recruitment at CrossRef ran entirely on folders, spreadsheets and email, with more than 200 applications on a single posting.
• Manual shortlisting. Every stage change, every regret message and every phone-screen invitation was assembled by hand.
• Rebuilding the same list over and over. Each shortlist meant reconstructing a working list of applicants from scratch.

Today the same work starts with a one-click export. Michelle pulls a spreadsheet of applicant emails straight from the pipeline, up to around 400 at a time, and works the shortlist from there instead of rebuilding it by hand.

Interviewer Access Without Exposing the Whole Pipeline

CrossRef runs panel interviews, and panels should not see candidates outside their own. Team members are added per pipeline, so an interviewer sees only the panel they sit on. Applicant confidentiality holds without Michelle managing permissions role by role.

“You can add team members to different pipelines and visibility, where you can still protect the applicant’s confidentiality and privacy.”

Michelle Cancel, Recruiting & HR, CrossRef

CrossRef has now been on 100Hires for more than two years, through multiple hiring cycles.