How Big Fang matched with their latest hire, in under 24 hours.
Saturday afternoon, 3:30pm. Carl Frith posts a bartender role for Golf Fang Sheffield.
By 3:45pm, he’s chatting with his first candidate. By midnight, four conversations are underway. Thirteen days later, the role is filled.
9 applications. 1 perfect match. No job boards. No CV pile. No ghosting.
Big Fang – a group built on being “sicker than your average” – decided a while ago that the usual hospitality hiring game wasn’t working for them. We sat down with Carl, GM of Golf Fang Sheffield, to hear what changed when Candid came into his hiring process, and why chasing volume was never the point.
🔥 A group that doesn’t hire like everyone else
Big Fang isn’t structured like a typical hospo group, and that changes who Carl needs to find. Ask him what working there actually looks like:
“Varied day-to-day work life, and a good balance of being able to manage my own time effectively whilst also being part of a collective.” – Carl Frith, GM @ Big Fang Sheffield
That’s not a role that fits just anyone. It calls for people who want ownership, not just a shift pattern. Which makes traditional, volume-first hiring the wrong tool from the start – you can’t sift for that in a CV.
🚀  The switch: quality over quantity
Before Candid, hiring meant the usual grind. Job boards, word of mouth, and a mountain of applications, most of which were never going to be right.
The shift wasn’t just where candidates came from. It was accepting that how many applied matters far less than how many were actually right.
“A big factor for myself is the sheer amount we usually get vs Candid – which sounds like a dreadful thing… but actually, it means I know they’re going to be more suited to what I’m looking for.“
Carl Frith, GM @ Big Fang Sheffield
Fewer applicants. Higher hit rate. No time wasted on people who were never going to say yes – or stay.
🎯 The result: 200 candidates down to 20
“We would usually get 200+ candidates for every bartender role we put out. With Candid, we narrowed that down to less than 20 – it saved so much time.“
Carl Frith, GM @ Big Fang Sheffield
And that Sheffield bartender role shows what “less than 20” looks like in practice: a handful of genuine conversations, one interview, one hire – offered and accepted within a fortnight of the role going live. The person Carl hired had joined Candid the evening before the role was even posted.
That’s not a marginal efficiency win. It’s a completely different way of spending your time as a GM: less sifting, more running the venue.
🤝 Why it worked: the people behind the platform
Technology gets candidates in front of you. People make sure they’re the right candidates.
“Jessie is great and always super helpful and really knows her stuff!” – Carl Frith, GM @ Big Fang Sheffield
That support from Candid meant the roles being pitched to candidates actually reflected what Big Fang offers, not a generic job spec. For a business built on ownership and creativity, that nuance matters:
“The opportunity to really drive a business, and that creativity in terms of a team of people – a collective – is not only encouraged but is needed to help drive the sites forward.“
Carl Frith, GM @ Big Fang Sheffield
Candid didn’t just send Carl candidates. It sent candidates who understood what they were signing up for.
✨ The bottom line
Candid didn’t just fill the role faster. It filled it with the right person, without the pile of applications that were never going to fit. Less noise, more matches, hires that stick.
If you’re tired of sorting through hundreds of CVs to find a handful of good ones, this is what hiring looks like the other way round.
Effective Date: 09.07.2025 Last Updated: 09.07.2025
Welcome to Candid’s Refer-a-Legend scheme – our way of rewarding you for growing a community of incredible hospitality talent.
These Terms & Conditions outline how the referral rewards work, what you need to do to qualify and the fine print we need to cover to keep things fair for everyone involved.
1. Who Can Take Part The Refer-a-Legend scheme is open to all Candid users who:
Have signed up as a candidate.
Are based in the UK.
Have a unique referral link generated by the Candid platform.
2. How It Works You complete your Candid profile.
Receive your unique referral link via email and/or in your dashboard.
You share your link with your network via WhatsApp, socials, email, text… wherever you like.
When someone signs up using your link and completes their candidate profile, it counts as a referral.
You’ll receive updates as your referrals come through, and rewards will be unlocked as you hit key milestones.
Note: Referral links must be shared organically. Paid promotion, bulk messaging or use of bots/automated scripts is not permitted.
3. Reward Milestones You’ll earn rewards based on the number of successful candidate sign-ups using your unique link:
3 Sign-ups
Community Builder badge on your candidate profile, visible to employers
5 Sign-ups
Exclusive Candid merch drop delivered to your door (UK only)
10+ Sign-ups
Upgrade to Candid Champion badge + invite to join our private community group
Referral leads to interview
Receive a ÂŁ25 voucher each as a thank-you from the Candid team
4. The Small Print (But Important!)
Referrals must be genuine new users who haven’t previously registered on Candid (duplicate or spam accounts won’t be counted).
Referral links must be shared organically (e.g. through personal messages or social posts). Paid promotion, bulk messaging, or automated scripts are not allowed.
We reserve the right to monitor, verify or disqualify any referral if fraudulent or suspicious activity is detected.
Physical rewards (e.g. merch) can only be shipped within the UK. Rewards are non-transferable, have no cash value, and cannot be exchanged or resold.
The £25 voucher will be issued digitally via email. Voucher options are selected at Candid’s discretion.
A referral voucher is considered when the referred candidate is progressed by an employer via the Candid platform.
Referral milestones and reward structures may be reviewed or updated at any time. If changes occur, we’ll communicate them in advance.
Candid reserves the right to suspend or terminate the Refer-a-Legend scheme at any time. If we do, we’ll give reasonable notice via email or platform update.
We process referral data in line with our Privacy Policy. No personal information about your referrals will be shared without their consent.
5. When Will I Receive My Rewards? Badges are added to your profile automatically once a milestone is hit.
Merch and voucher rewards will be processed within 14 days of reaching your milestone.
You’ll receive an email confirmation with next steps when a reward is unlocked.
6. Data & Privacy We process your referral data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Rest assured:
Your referrals’ data remains private
No personal information will be shared without consent
We remain GDPR-compliant and committed to protecting your data
7. Need Help or Have a Question?
We love hearing from our community!
If something’s unclear or you want to chat about your referral progress, drop us a message:
