Case Study: Hot Topic achieves 300% lower candidate drop-off and 800 hours/week saved with LeverTRM for Enterprise (Lever)

How LeverTRM for Enterprise Helps Hot Topic Reduce Candidate Drop-off by 300%

Hot Topic, a North American pop‑culture fashion retailer with more than 10,000 sales associates and 800 stores, faced intense high‑volume hiring demands managed by a small talent team. Their old ATS created heavy email clutter, lacked automation and note‑keeping, and forced lengthy applications that drove Gen Z candidates away—leading to massive candidate drop‑off and strained store managers.

Hot Topic implemented LeverTRM for Enterprise with Advanced Nurture, customized workflows, a Paradox chatbot (“Alex”) and UKG sync to create a single source of truth, automate scoring, and streamline communication. The changes delivered faster, more candidate‑friendly hiring: 1,500 sales associates hired per quarter, 800 hours saved per week for store managers, and a 300% improvement in candidate drop‑off.

Hot Topic

Michelle Wentz

Director of Talent