Toogood is a renowned design studio working across fashion, furniture, and interiors, and a growing 18-person team spanning marketing, sales and design. We spoke to Clemency Jones, their studio and HR manager, about how the business’ growth started to put a strain on one of her main responsibilities: hiring the most talented creatives in the market. 

The Challenge: clunky collaboration and a time-consuming hiring process 

Whenever Toogood needed a new team member, Clemency followed the same process to find the perfect fit. She'd post the job on sites like LinkedIn and Indeed, then dive into the applications. It was a lot of work: opening CVs, reading cover letters, taking notes in Google Drive, and emailing candidates for interviews. 

As Toogood grew, Clemency knew there had to be a better way. She always got the job done, but she wanted to spend less time on manual hiring as the whole process was just too time-consuming:

• Email overload: Managing applications through email meant reviewing each one individually, which took ages and meant potentially missing important details.
  

• Lack of centralised info: Without a shared system, it was hard for hiring managers and leaders to give clear, focused feedback.
  

• Consistent on-brand comms: Toogood valued personal touches, but crafting individual emails for every candidate was very time-consuming.
  

The Solution: Charlie Recruit for intuitive all-in-one recruitment 

It wasn’t long after Clemency considered LinkedIn and Indeed to deal with her recruitment challenges, deeming them too convoluted for someone like her juggling many different tasks, that an email from Charlie landed in her inbox: we’d launched our own Applicant Tracking System, Charlie Recruit. 

Since the company had been long-time customers of our HR software, it was a great opportunity to consolidate all of Toogood’s HR needs in one place. Here’s what Toogood was looking at when adding Charlie Recruit to their HR tech stack: 

• An intuitive platform, ideal for beginners and people with limited recruitment experience.
  

• A great design and friendly tone of voice to match the creative vibe of Toogood.
  

• One unique place for hiring managers and senior teams to review and discuss candidates.
  

Charlie for Toogood: an all-in-one HR software & ATS

• Quick and easy setup – it only takes a few minutes to set up initial steps the hiring process starts. 
  

• Better hiring visibility – Kanban board and visual elements for a clear and structured candidate overview. 
  

• Automated comms – ensure candidates receive timely updates with a friendly tone of voice and human touch.
  

• Interview scheduling – reduces admin workload and optimises candidate experience. 
  

The Impact: efficiency and collaboration maxed out 

By switching to CharlieHR’s ATS, Toogood managed to improve their hiring workflow, making room for easier decisions and better time management: 
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⏳ Time saver – automated responses and structured workflows reduce manual admin.

📂 Everything in one place – no more scattered emails or lost info.

👥 Better hiring decisions – hiring managers can leave notes, score candidates against their skills, and collaborate directly on the platform.

🎨For creatives and small businesses – visually appealing and aligned with the studio’s way of working.

Why Toogood Recommends CharlieHR to small businesses