8 (FREE) Ways Skilled Trades Recruiters Can Get More Hires

It’s 6:42 AM and your phone buzzes…again.

Another project needs four more electricians by Monday. You’re already short on riggers, your ATS is a mess, and your budget? Slashed last quarter.

You’ve been here before.

For most recruiting teams in the trades, this isn’t a fire drill—it’s just Thursday.

If you're recruiting skilled trades, you're probably underwater.

Not enough people. Not enough budget. Not enough hours in the day.

But the pressure? That’s through the roof. Projects keep rolling, deadlines don’t move, and your job is to keep roles filled with fewer resources than ever.

It’s all happening in one of the tightest labor markets we’ve seen, especially when it comes to skilled and qualified workers.

These candidates are scarce, and getting harder to find every day.

So, the last solution you'd expect to hear is: more job posts, more resume alerts, more follow-up.

But that’s exactly what we’re saying, because using your recruiting tools more effectively is what separates you from the competition. This isn't about doing more for the sake of it. This is taking intentional actions that lead to more applicants and faster hires.

The goal? Help you find practical ways to fold these tactics into your day, week, and month without adding more chaos to your life.

Let’s get into it.

 

Want the TL;DR? ?? [8 (FREE) Ways to maximize your plan with RoadDogJobs] and turn this into your recruiting playbook.

 

What You’ll Learn in This Guide This article walks you through 8 low-effort, high-impact ways to use your RoadDogJobs account to get better recruiting results, without spending more.

You’ll learn how to:

• Post smarter (and more often) to stay top-of-mind with skilled tradespeople
• Use automation tools like resume alerts and auto-reposts to save hours each week
• Build future hiring lists and internal databases without adding extra admin work
• Get your jobs noticed using filters, data, and field-friendly job cards
• Streamline your team’s workflow and collaborate more effectively

Whether you’re managing one job or 100, this guide shows you how to maximize RoadDogJobs and turn your plan into a recruiting engine.

 

What are the best ways to get more out of my RoadDogJobs account?

When pressure’s high and resources are low, these micro-actions give you the edge. No extra budget is needed. Here are 8 proven ways high-performing teams use RoadDogJobs to stand out, fill roles faster, and take back control.

Each of these steps is designed to be low-lift and high-impact. This isn’t about working harder - it’s about working smarter. Many of the tactics below are either set-it-and-forget-it or dramatically reduce the need for manual admin work. As you scan the list, look for symbols that help guide your decision-making:

? = Saves time ?? = Improves teamwork ??? = Builds candidate pipeline

Start with one. Layer in another next week. The key is momentum, and each move brings you closer to a recruiting process that works for you, not against you.

Let’s break down each move, what it does, how it helps, and why it’s easier than you think.

 

Integrate with Your ATS ???
If your team is already using an applicant tracking system (ATS), there’s no reason to double your work. RoadDogJobs can integrate directly with your ATS to make your recruiting process seamless.

That means:

• Your open jobs can be pulled directly from your ATS, no manual re-entry
• Candidates who apply through RoadDogJobs are automatically pushed back into your ATS
• Recruiters can stay in one system while still taking advantage of RoadDogJobs’ reach

This is the ultimate time-saver.

It removes busy work, cuts down on errors, and makes it much easier to adopt the rest of the recommendations in this post. When jobs sync in and applicants route out seamlessly, your team gains bandwidth and clarity to act on strategy instead of logistics.

Ever held back from posting more jobs because of admin overload? Integration removes that roadblock.

 

Never leave a job slot unused ????
QUICK WIN: Track how many job slots go unused each week—and aim for 100% utilization.
You’ve got job slots.

Use them.

Those slots are valuable real estate, don't let them sit empty.

Even if a job doesn’t start for a few weeks, or it’s a role you’re always hiring for, get it posted.

Post local positions.

Post supervision roles.

Post any job that helps get your company on workers’ radar. The more you post, the more visibility you get.

Every job post triggers job alert emails, shows up on the site, and some make it to the weekly Hot Jobs email. Each post means more eyes, more clicks, more applicants. Make it a weekly habit to keep your slots full. In fact, tracking job slot usage should be a metric your team monitors just like time-to-fill or cost-per-hire.

If you're not using all your slots, you're leaving attention, branding, and potential hires on the table.

 

Post jobs with future hiring dates ????
LOOKING AHEAD: Posting future jobs is one of the most underused features on the platform, and one of the easiest ways to start building interest early.

Got a job starting next month? Post it now.

Set the hiring date in the future and let it start working for you early. These early listings show up in job alerts and weekly emails, putting your job on the radar before the hiring need is urgent. It’s one of the easiest ways to build interest ahead of schedule and arrive at Day 1 with a full roster.

 

Create your evergreen job posts  ????
PRO TIP: Set your evergreen jobs on auto-repost to keep them in job alerts and at the top of the board, automatically.

Some roles are always open. Pipe welders. Millwrights. Electricians. These are evergreen jobs; high-turnover roles that never stop needing attention.

Turn on auto-repost, and your key roles stay fresh, automatically. Each repost pushes the job to the top of the board and triggers alerts to relevant job seekers. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it way to keep applications coming for roles you always need.

 

Complete all fields in the job post ???
You want better matches? Give better info.

We’ve updated job post fields to include pay, per diem, start dates, hours, job length, and bonuses. This is a game changer that some companies are taking full advantage of.

And here’s where it gets even better: clickable filters make candidate search even easier.

This increases the benefits of having fully completed job posts. Clickable filters allow job seekers to instantly narrow their search by things like industry, craft, company, location, and key job characteristics, benefits, incentives, lodging, double time, PTO, and more.

Before these updates, workers had to browse job by job.

Now, finding exactly what they want is just one click away. These job cards don’t just help job seekers, they help you stand out. The more complete your job post, the more it surfaces in filtered results, and the faster you get in front of the right audience.

And here’s the part you’ll feel in your inbox: better job posts mean better applicants, and more of them.

When your posts give job seekers all the details they care about, response rates go up. You start seeing more applicants who are actually qualified, actually interested, and ready to talk. That’s not just productive, it’s rewarding. It feels like talking to the right person at the right time.

Cut the mystery. Get to the point.

Clear info gets your job seen in filtered searches, and clicked by the right people.

 

Set (lots) of resume alerts ????
REAL TALK: You’re just missing the critical moment a worker starts looking. Resume alerts fix that.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know if a qualified job seeker is looking for work right now? Resume alerts help solve that.

Set your filters once (trade, location, keywords) and we’ll send you their account info and resume when matched candidates join RoadDogJobs. It’s like having a recruiter working in the background and scanning all the new enrollees. 

No extra effort, just results. That’s a moment of happiness every recruiter deserves.
It’s a no-brainer automation that keeps your pipeline moving, without lifting a finger.

 

Add More Recruiters to Your Account ??
TEAM MOVE: The more people on your account, the faster your team can move. Share the load, don’t carry it alone.

You’re not in this alone. Invite others to help.

Each account comes with 10 user logins, use them.

Bring in recruiters, coordinators, or field managers. Share access, divide responsibilities, and improve candidate response time.

Delegating access isn’t just about avoiding bottlenecks, it’s about building a collaborative recruiting engine. When your team works from the same system, you reduce communication gaps and increase accountability. You can spot trends faster, follow up quicker, and keep momentum alive.

When you’re expected to do more with less, team coordination becomes your secret weapon. Use every login like it matters, because it does.

 

Download your applicant data ???
DID YOU KNOW? Your applicant data is downloadable—use it to build lists, follow up, and stay one step ahead of your next job opening.

If you’re not building an internal talent pool, you’re starting over every time. Download your applicants, organize them by craft or experience, and keep them ready. When recruiters take control of their data, something powerful happens: they gain confidence, clarity, and control. Sort downloaded applicants by craft, certs, or region—so when that big turnaround hits, you're ready to roll.

Instead of scrambling when a new job comes up, you’ll feel prepared and proactive, with a valuable resource already at your fingertips.

 

So what’s holding you back?

We know what you're thinking. You’ve been burned before by new systems that added more complexity without delivering results. So here’s the straight talk, objection by objection:

“More postings = more work.” Only if you're doing it the old way. With automatic reposting, standardized templates, and ATS integrations, more postings can actually mean less manual work than many teams handle today. These tools let you streamline tasks, eliminate redundant data entry, and ensure consistent posting—freeing your team to focus more on high-impact activities like candidate outreach and engagement.

“I don’t have time.” Time is your most limited resource—and the right automations give you more of it. Resume alerts, reposting, and scheduled jobs work in the background so you don’t have to. You’re not adding tasks, you’re offloading them.

And if you're already using an ATS? Even better. RoadDogJobs integrates with most major applicant tracking systems. That means your jobs can be automatically pulled from your ATS, and applicants sent directly back into your system, no double entry, no extra admin work, and no bouncing between platforms. It’s built to reduce the workload, not add to it.

“We can’t spend more.” Exactly. That’s why this strategy works. Every tip in this guide is part of your current plan. No upselling. No hidden cost. Just better ROI on what you’ve already got.

“Our pay isn’t competitive.” That’s not the whole story. Skilled tradespeople consider total value: travel bonuses, overtime, steady hours, location, job duration. If you’re not highlighting these, and filling out your job posts completely to leverage the powerful new search filters, you’re not giving yourself a fair shot.

“I don’t want more applicants than I can handle.” This isn’t about volume, it’s about targeting. Alerts and filters help you focus only on qualified candidates. Let the system filter for you, so your time is spent on the best fit.

Bottom line: every concern is valid, but every one of them is solvable with the tools already at your fingertips. You don’t need more bandwidth. You need smarter systems. And that’s what this is.

 

From Firefighting to Forward-Thinking

What you really want is to stop playing catch-up.

It would be nice to walk into Monday with a plan instead of a panic. To finally feel like your recruiting machine is working for you, not against you.

This isn’t about doing more for the sake of doing more, it’s about building confidence, earning credibility with your hiring managers, and showing leadership that you’re in control of the chaos.

It’s time to start looking forward to Mondays because you have confidence in your plan to fill jobs and support your teams.

It’s time to be proactive. It’s time plan ahead.

That’s what this is about. Less chaos. More confidence. A system that works for you, not the other way around.

What’s the first step to getting better hiring results with RoadDogJobs?
Start small, but start. Pick one of the 8 tactics we covered and try it this week. Whether it’s integrating your ATS or setting up resume alerts, each one is designed to reduce friction and deliver results.

The recruiters who win are the ones who build the system before they need it. Don’t wait for the next job to go unfilled.

Act now.

?? [Grab the checklist]. Use it in your next team meeting. Print it. Share it. Make it your playbook.

Make hiring easier. Fill jobs faster. Let’s go.