How Michaels is Crafting a Better Hiring Experience with Phenom

Implementing new HR technology often comes with complexities, but with the right approach, it becomes truly transformative. Arts and crafts leader Michaels recently revolutionized their recruiting approach by shifting from traditional recruitment to dynamic talent marketing.

Amanda Medina, Manager of Employer Brand, and Edwin Avila, Director of HRIS at The Michaels Companies, Inc. shared how their talent acquisition transformation is bringing their creative employer brand to life through Phenom. Their new career site experience not only reflects their vibrant culture but also delivers personalized experiences that convert more candidates while staying true to their creative mission.

"Our goal has always been to inspire creativity, not just in our customers but within our organization," said Medina. "We needed a recruitment experience that mirrored this mission."

Check out the highlights below! 

Understanding Michaels' Vision

Michaels is North America's largest arts and crafts retailer, with 1,300 stores across 49 states and Canada. In addition to its retail presence, the company operates a custom framing business called Artistry and an online marketplace known as Makerplace, connecting artisans with buyers. Their hiring strategy had to support multiple roles, from retail associates to corporate professionals.

However, their previous career site was outdated, difficult to navigate, and not mobile-friendly. “We were losing talented individuals right at the doorstep,” Avila remarked. “The process was more of a hurdle than a gateway.” 

Challenges Before Implementation

Michaels faced three major hurdles in their recruitment process:

1. High Drop-Off Rates in Applications: Candidates had to create accounts, manually re-enter resume details, and navigate multiple pages before submitting applications. “We were seeing a 30% drop-off at the first step,” said Medina. “We knew we had to make it easier.”

2. Branding Limitations: Their career page was part of their e-commerce site, making employer branding difficult to showcase. “Our career site felt like an afterthought,” Medina noted. “It didn’t capture the essence of who we are as a creative community.”

3. Recruiter Workload & Candidate Engagement Issues: Without a centralized talent CRM, recruiters relied on manual processes. “Our recruiters were juggling spreadsheets and emails,” Avila explained. “It was clear we needed a more streamlined approach.”

Hiring Transformation with Phenom

To address these challenges, Michaels revamped their hiring process with Phenom, focusing on:

• A Revamped Career Site: Michaels transformed their career site from a basic, non-mobile-friendly page nested within their e-commerce site to a vibrant, standalone platform that showcased their creative culture. As Amanda Medina emphasized, "We brought in all those vibrant colors... We had new photography done just to showcase our employees." The new site features personalized experiences based on location, cultural information highlighting inclusivity, and tailored navigation paths for different career interests.

• Automated Tools for Recruiters: By integrating Phenom’s versatile Talent CRM, recruiters can automate follow-ups, track candidates, and schedule interviews more efficiently. “The CRM became our command center,” Avila stated. “It allowed us to focus on relationships rather than admin work.”

• AI-Powered Candidate Engagement: Michaels implemented chatbots and SMS outreach to answer candidate queries and reduce drop-offs. “Candidates appreciated the immediacy of responses,” Medina observed. “It kept the momentum going.”

Key Results & Impact

Measuring the success of a platform overhaul requires looking at real-world impact. Michaels’ implementation of Phenom brought measurable improvements within the first 30 days of launch. The team tracked key hiring metrics and saw significant shifts in candidate behavior and engagement.

Fewer Drop-Offs, More Completed Applications
One of Michaels’ biggest challenges before implementation was candidate drop-off. Previously, 30% of applicants abandoned their applications at the very first step, often due to a long or confusing process. With Phenom’s streamlined interface and mobile-friendly design, Michaels reduced applicant drop-off rates by 75%!

“A long, repetitive application process can turn candidates away before they even start,” Avila explained. “By making small but effective changes — reducing unnecessary steps, improving navigation, and optimizing for mobile — we kept more applicants engaged all the way through.”

Re-Engaging Candidates Through Automation
The new system also introduced automated follow-ups for incomplete applications, an area where Michaels previously lost many potential hires. In the first month, 64% of applicants who had started but not finished their applications returned to complete the process after receiving automated email reminders.

“Before, we didn’t have an efficient way to reach out to those candidates,” Medina said. “Now, we can automatically remind them to come back, and we’ve seen a strong response.”

Related: What is Recruiting Automation and What Are the Benefits?

Improving Career Site Engagement
Michaels revamped career site not only attracted job seekers, it encouraged more of them to apply. In the first 30 days, 74% of site visitors converted into applicants — a significant improvement from before the redesign. “The site needed to reflect who we are as a company while also being practical,” Medina explained. “We focused on a cleaner layout, stronger branding, and a better user experience. Seeing that more visitors are applying tells us those improvements made a difference.”

“The numbers spoke volumes,” Avila reflected. “It showed us that the changes we made weren’t just cosmetic — they had a real impact on how candidates interact with our hiring process.”

Lessons from the Implementation Process

Medina and Avila highlighted crucial lessons for other companies considering a similar transformation:

1. Stakeholder alignment matters. “Collaboration was the cornerstone of our success,” Medina emphasized. “Everyone had a seat at the table.”

2. Creative branding is key. Investing in quality photography and branding elements significantly enhanced their employer brand. “Candidates don’t see the backend work; they see the final product,” said Medina. “Make it count.” The Adobe Express integration with Phenom's Design Studio allowed Michaels to create compelling content directly within the platform while maintaining brand consistency, without switching between tools.
   "Design Studio is amazing,” shared Medina. "The CMS was so easy to use. I don't have a design background, but I didn't need coding. I was a one-person team, and there was so much I was able to do."

3. Flexibility leads to better solutions. “Instead of replicating what we had, we looked for what could be improved,” Avila noted. “That mindset made a huge difference.”

4. Communication prevents surprises. Keeping all stakeholders informed helped smooth the transition. “You don’t want a situation where people are asking, ‘Wait, we have a new career site?’” Medina joked.

5. Leverage your implementation partner. Michaels relied on Phenom’s expertise and willingness to actively collaborate. “We asked hundreds of questions,” Avila admitted. “And each one led to a better decision.”

Next Steps for Michaels

Though the new system is in place, Michaels isn’t stopping here. Future plans include:

• Enhancing to fine-tune their hiring strategies.

• Optimizing for peak hiring seasons, especially for retail stores and distribution centers.

• Continuing to explore Phenom’s evolving features to improve recruitment processes.

For companies facing similar challenges, Michaels’ use case is a practical example of how the right technology can remove hiring barriers and create a seamless experience for candidates and recruiters. As Medina put it, “The right tools don’t just make hiring easier — they help tell your company’s story.”

Want to learn more about Phenom Candidate Experience? Book a demo today to see how we can simplify your hiring process and create a seamless journey for applicants.