How Rally House Used AI to Hire Thousands Faster - And Won a National Award Doing It
November 15, 2025 - PHILADELPHIA, PA
Rally House's national growth didn't just add stores - it earned recognition. The retailer won the Brandon Hall Group Gold Award for Excellence in "Best Use of AI for Talent Acquisition" for a hiring overhaul powered by an AI-driven recruitment platform. See the awards program.
The challenge: scaling from 140 to nearly 300 locations with seasonal swings and tight timelines. The solution: a tech-enabled hiring engine built for retail speed with Phenom at the core.
The hiring engine they built
- Mobile-first apply with QR codes in-store and at events, so candidates can apply in minutes from a phone.
- AI screening via chatbot to handle FAQs and route qualified applicants immediately.
- Automated interview scheduling that syncs with managers' calendars and confirms via text/email.
- Predictive hiring campaigns that launch before demand spikes - aligned to openings, seasonality, and local events.
Rally House used real-time data to forecast staffing needs - even factoring in sports betting odds during playoff runs to anticipate traffic. Automation handled the busywork while store managers kept final say on hires.
What changed - by the numbers
- 5,800+ interviews auto-scheduled in three months; time-to-interview dropped from days to hours.
- 10,000 hours saved through automated workflows - roughly five full-time recruiters' worth of capacity.
- 7,992 hires in 2024 through the new system.
- 122% cost savings by reducing paid job ads and optimizing sourcing.
- Better candidate quality surfaced faster. Talent Acquisition Manager Bryan Brazil noted the tech highlighted top applicants while preserving the personal connection essential in high-growth retail.
Why it worked
- Frictionless apply boosted funnel volume without adding recruiter load.
- Automation moved candidates forward instantly, cutting dead time.
- Forecasting turned hiring into a proactive motion tied to demand signals.
- Human oversight stayed intact - managers made the decisions; AI handled the logistics.
What HR can put in play this quarter
- Make apply mobile-first; add QR codes in-store, on receipts, and event signage.
- Use a screening assistant with knockout criteria and clear escalation to a human when needed.
- Turn on self-serve scheduling connected to manager calendars; send SMS reminders to cut no-shows.
- Build a demand model: store openings, seasonal peaks, local events, and relevant sports schedules.
- Stand up pre-need talent pools and auto-nurture with targeted text/email campaigns.
- Instrument the basics: time-to-interview, time-to-offer, source mix, cost-per-hire, and hours saved.
- Add guardrails: candidate consent, bias monitoring, and documentation of human decision points.
Tooling notes
If you already have an ATS, start with scheduling and conversational screening - fastest wins, minimal disruption. If evaluating platforms, look for mobile apply, chatbot screening, auto-scheduling, campaign automation, and real-time analytics in one stack.
Level up your team
Want your HR and TA teams fluent in AI hiring workflows? Explore curated programs by role at Complete AI Training.
Bottom line
Rally House showed that high-volume hiring can be faster, cheaper, and more human - if automation handles the busywork and managers keep the final call. That's a playbook any HR team can adapt, starting with mobile apply, instant screening, and auto-scheduling.
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