How a 30-person CDN company built a smarter, faster hiring process with AI

At a Glance

• 930+ applications received for a single role in 36 hours, managed and filtered with Workable
• 20% of unqualified applicants automatically eliminated with a single custom screening question
• 3 open roles filled quickly after adopting Workable, with the AI Recruiting Agent running on 3 out of 4 active job postings
• Up and running in weeks: the team was fully operational on the platform within a couple of weeks of implementation
• Zero manual resume review for the bottom 80% of applicants, with time redirected to top candidates and phone screens

The Challenge: 930 Applications, No Way to Filter Them

CacheFly is a global content delivery network competing with players like Cloudflare and Fastly. As a fully remote, international company with roughly 30 team members and ambitious plans to triple revenue over the next three years, hiring the right people — fast and efficiently — is a strategic priority.

Martin Lagler, CacheFly’s CFO, also serves as Head of HR. Before Workable, recruiting at CacheFly  was a manual, time-consuming process with no AI, no automated filtering, and limited ability to customize the applicant experience.

The breaking point came early in the year when Martin posted an HR Manager role on the company’s previous ATS.

“Within 36 hours I got over 930 applications — and I went through about 850 of them manually because there was no other way to sift through that stuff. I also had to conduct over 30 follow-up interviews just to get to the bottom of things like culture fit.”

For a CFO simultaneously closing financial books and managing company operations, that level of manual recruiting work was unsustainable. CacheFly  needed an ATS that could do more, and do it intelligently.

Why CacheFly Chose Workable

CacheFly  evaluated multiple platforms against a clear set of requirements. Workable emerged as the winner, with one feature standing out above all others: the AI Recruiting Agent.

“The AI recruiting agent was a big plus. Before, it was a lot of manual things. Workable came in and changed that entirely.”

As a technology-first company — one where every employee has access to AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude — adopting an ATS with native AI capability was a natural fit for CacheFly’s culture and philosophy.

How Workable Changed the Way CacheFly Hires

Intelligent Candidate Filtering from the First Application

One of the most immediate wins for CacheFly  was Workable’s custom screening questions and automated grading system. Martin was able to build role-specific questions directly into job postings — questions that filter unqualified candidates out before a human ever has to review a single resume.

A practical example: because CacheFly  is a globally distributed company that does not sponsor visas for international contractors, Martin added a simple question — “Do you need a visa to work in your country?” — to every posting.

“That one question alone eliminates about 20% of applications automatically. In the past, I had to go through every answer manually, or worse — I’d find out in the actual interview. Now I don’t waste anyone’s time.”

Beyond eligibility screening, Workable’s automated grading gives every applicant a score based on how well they match the job’s defined requirements. Martin’s team can instantly identify the top tier of candidates without reading every resume.

“I don’t have to read through every single resume. Candidates below a certain threshold that don’t fulfill the must-haves. I don’t need to waste my time on what’s not relevant.”

The AI Recruiting Agent: A Ghost Recruiter That Never Stops

Workable’s AI Recruiting Agent became one of CacheFly’s most valued tools. Martin describes it simply as a ghost recruiter — one that runs continuously, engages candidates, asks intelligent follow-up questions, and delivers ranked summaries every day.

“The AI agent is following up with candidates, and not just default questions. It’s actually using the answers people give and following up based on those. I love reading those chats. It’s like having your own recruiter following up with emails or phone calls just to get the basic information together.”

It grades candidates, surfaces the strongest applicants, and allows Martin to focus exclusively on the top 20% of the applicant pool — the people worth his time.

“I can really focus on the top candidates. The top 20% of applicants — or even less. I don’t look at all the others, because I know they don’t fulfill the requirements. That alone saves me days.”

Candidate Pipeline Automation That Treats Applicants with Respect

CacheFly uses Workable’s pipeline automation to move candidates through each stage with consistent, professional communication. Automated emails go out when a candidate advances  and when a role is closed, every applicant receives a notification.

Martin built this into his process deliberately, drawing on his own experience as a job seeker.

“I’ve been looking for jobs before. You apply and you never hear anything. I want every person who applies to us to get an email when the role is closed. At least they know, and they can move on. It’s the right thing to do.”

Fast Implementation, Immediate Adoption

From implementation to full operation, CacheFly’s team was up and running on Workable within a couple of weeks. The platform’s intuitive design meant minimal training was required, and hiring managers across the company adopted it quickly.

“It’s pretty self-explanatory. The team liked it better than the old tool we used.”

CacheFly’s hiring managers are now collaborators in the Workable platform, screening resumes, participating in structured pipeline reviews, and contributing to panel and technical interviews, all within one unified system.

Results That Speak for Themselves

When CacheFly’s HR Manager left the company, Martin used Workablehimself to post two new roles the very next day, and filled both of them.

“I posted the marketing manager role and the HR manager role. The top five candidates out of the marketing role were fantastic. It really hit the spot.”

The role he used to manage manually — sifting through hundreds of applications on his own — was handled in a fraction of the time with Workable’s AI filtering and agent in place.

Would Cachefly Recommend Workable to Another Talent Leader?

“Go for it. I love it. You guys are on the top. And what’s really good is your global footprint — not just US-specific. We hire in Europe, South America, Central America — wherever the best person comes from. That’s important for us.”

For a company like CacheFly — lean, global, and technology-driven — Workable gives a small HR team the reach and capability of a much larger recruiting operation. The AI Recruiting Agent, combined with intelligent filtering and pipeline automation, means Martin can hire well without hiring more.

About CacheFly

CacheFly is a leading content delivery network (CDN) providing high-performance, low-latency content delivery to enterprises worldwide. Competing alongside Cloudflare and Fastly, CacheFly operates as a fully remote, globally distributed team and is focused on tripling revenue over the next three years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Workable handle high-volume recruiting for a small HR team?
Yes. CacheFly received over 930 applications for a single role in 36 hours. With Workable’s AI Recruiting Agent and custom question filtering, the team was able to automatically screen, grade, and prioritize candidates — without reviewing every application manually.

How does Workable’s AI Recruiting Agent work?
The AI Recruiting Agent engages candidates directly, asks follow-up questions based on individual responses, grades applicants against role requirements, and delivers ranked summaries. It functions as an always-on recruiter running inside the Workable platform.

How quickly can a small team get up and running on Workable?
CacheFly’s team was fully operational within a couple of weeks of implementation, with minimal training required due to the platform’s intuitive design.

Does Workable support global and remote-first hiring?
Yes. CacheFly hires across the US, Europe, South America, and Central America. Workable’s global job board integrations and remote-friendly pipeline tools support international hiring from a single platform.

What types of roles does the AI Recruiting Agent work best for?
CacheFly has had strong results using the agent for HR, sales, and marketing roles — where requirements are clearly defined and responses are easy to evaluate. The agent excels when job postings are set up thoughtfully with targeted screening questions.

How does Workable improve the candidate experience?
Workable’s pipeline automation ensures every candidate receives timely communication at each stage — including a closing email when a role is filled. CacheFly built this into their process to treat applicants with the same respect they would expect as job seekers.