Hiring and Recruiting Strategies That Actually Work

Hiring is one of the most critical things you do as a business owner, and unfortunately, one of the most frustrating. You write the job post, wait for applications, and hope that someone halfway qualified shows up. When they don’t, you’re stuck wondering: is it the role, the timing, or just bad luck?

More often than not, the real issue is execution. Plenty of businesses have a general sense of what they’re looking for but no consistent process for finding and securing great talent. The result? Missed opportunities, wasted time, and a team that never quite fills out the way it should.

In this blog, we’ll break down real-world hiring and recruiting strategies that actually work. We will also recommend steps you can apply today without doubling your workload, including adopting smart technologies like an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

Rethinking Recruitment for Today’s Labor Market

The hiring game has changed. Candidates are savvier, pickier, and quicker to move on if something doesn’t feel right. If your recruiting process hasn’t evolved in the past few years, chances are you're already behind.

Let’s start with the basics:

Top Candidates Want Clarity

They want to know the role, the pay, the growth potential, and how your business actually operates. If your job description is three paragraphs of fluff, it’s going to be skipped.

Your Job Description is Your First Impression

Your job description must be more than a checklist. It’s your brand on display. A strong listing should answer the question: “Why should I work here instead of somewhere else?”

Job Board Strategy Matters

Just throwing a post on Indeed and calling it a day doesn’t cut it. You need a posting strategy that fits the role.

Recruiting today is about quality over quantity. The goal isn’t just to farm resumes but to attract the right people and move them through the process efficiently. And that’s where technology, like an Applicant Tracking System, shines.

Top Hiring and Recruiting Tactics That Work

Every business says it wants to, “attract top talent.” But what does that actually look like in practice? Here are a few hiring and recruiting tactics that consistently deliver results, especially when paired with the right behind-the-scenes tools.

Treat Job Descriptions Like Branding

Think of your job post as a mini ad for your company. Are you coming across as organized, professional, and clear? Or do you sound like every other employer out there, listing a bunch of vague responsibilities and generic buzzwords? Be real. Be specific. And above all, be human.

Don’t Ghost Your Candidates

Communication breakdowns are one of the top reasons candidates drop out mid-process. A quick update, such as “Hey, we’re reviewing applications this week,” can go a long way. If you're using an ATS, those updates can go out automatically, keeping your pipeline warm without adding extra work.

Use Your Data

Even small businesses generate hiring data, like what roles take the longest to fill, where your best candidates come from, and how many people drop off before the interview. ATS dashboards pull all that together so you can actually use it, not just guess.

Make Your Interviews Count

Too many teams wing it. Set a clear structure. Decide in advance what you’re evaluating. Debrief after the interview. You’ll move faster, and your decisions will be based on more than gut instinct.

These tactics aren’t groundbreaking, but they work. And when supported by a smart, streamlined process, they help you hire with more consistency and less chaos.

Onboarding as an Extension of Recruitment

Making the hire is definitely a cause for celebration. But your job’s not done yet. In fact, one of the biggest hiring mistakes small businesses make is assuming the hard part is over once the offer is signed. It’s not. The next few weeks are make-or-break, and your onboarding process is what sets the tone.

So, how do you make onboarding a strength instead of a liability? Start with these four steps:

1. Prep Before Day One

Don’t wait until their first morning to start the paperwork. Send what you can in advance. Let them know what to expect. This sets a professional tone and shows you value their time.

2. Assign a Point Person

New hires need a go-to. Whether it’s their manager or a peer mentor, someone should be responsible for making sure questions get answered and nothing slips through the cracks.

3. Clarify the First Week

People work better when they know what’s ahead. Create a simple day-by-day schedule for the first few days — training, shadowing, lunch with the team, whatever makes sense for your business.

4. Check in Early and Often

The first week should include at least one short check-in to ask, “How’s it going so far?” It doesn’t need to be formal, just intentional.

Leveraging Technology to Streamline Hiring

Even the best recruiting strategy will fall apart if it’s held together by sticky notes and scattered email chains. You need a system. Not necessarily a massive HR overhaul, just a smarter way to handle the basics.

That’s where technology makes a real difference. A well-designed applicant tracking system (ATS) doesn’t just store resumes. It keeps your whole process moving. Think:

• Custom job forms that capture what you actually need to know
• Automated status updates that keep candidates in the loop
• Centralized notes so your team’s not guessing who’s spoken to whom

You can post jobs to major boards, manage applications in one place, and track interview progress from start to finish. The goal is to streamline your hiring process, clear out the noise, and let you focus on the people, not the paperwork.

ATS + Human Expertise = Better Outcomes

Here’s the truth: no software can replace judgment, instincts, or experience. But when you combine technology with a little structure and support, the results start to speak for themselves.

Applicant Tracking Systems gives you the bones of a repeatable hiring process. But what really sets them apart is how it fits into the bigger picture. Your actual business goals, your culture, and your team. That’s where BBSI’s Recruiting Specialists come in. They can help you:

• Set up custom hiring pipelines that match your workflow
• Identify where candidates are getting stuck or dropping out
• Use hiring data to inform bigger retention strategies

The mix of software and real human support is where the magic happens. You get tools that scale and advice that adapts.

At the end of the day, hiring isn’t just about filling seats. It’s about building a team that helps your business grow, and that takes more than just clicking “post.”