Building a hiring function that actually grows with your business takes more than posting job descriptions and hoping for the best. Companies often find themselves drowning in resumes while struggling to fill critical roles, especially during periods of rapid expansion. Rachel Blanton, founder of Ignite Talent Company and fractional VP of talent acquisition, has spent over 15 years solving this exact problem for fast-paced early stage companies and multi-billion dollar global brands.
Why Most Hiring Falls Apart Under Pressure
Here’s what Rachel learned after watching so many companies struggle: good intentions don’t scale. “Here’s the trick, hiring doesn’t scale on gut instinct, it scales on structure,” she says. Most businesses start hiring the same way they handle everything else in the early days. Someone needs help, they post a job, interview a few people, and make a decision. Works great until it doesn’t. The breaking point usually comes during growth spurts. “If your business is growing or you will be in the near future, your hiring infrastructure has to be ready,” Rachel warns. Without proper systems, companies end up exactly where they don’t want to be. “Otherwise, you’ll be spinning in circles with a pile of resumes and no real plan.”
Build the Foundation Before You Break the Team
Most companies get this backwards. They want to jump straight to the cool stuff instead of nailing the fundamentals first. Rachel insists on starting with four unglamorous but essential pieces: roles and responsibilities that make sense with fair pay, enough resources to actually handle your hiring needs, a real applicant tracking system, and workflows that people can actually follow. “Think of it like building a house. You don’t pick out the paint colors before you pour the concrete,” she explains. Companies love shopping for hiring software and designing elaborate interview processes. But none of that matters if your foundation is shaky. “Lock down the core foundation of your hiring process and philosophies” before you worry about anything else.
Tie Your Talent Strategy to Actual Business Goals
This is where things get really messy. Rachel sees the same problem everywhere: hiring teams working hard but completely disconnected from what the business actually needs. “Companies want to grow, but hiring operates in silo, churning through roles with no connection to strategy.” It’s like having a really efficient machine that’s building the wrong thing. Smart hiring starts with understanding where the business is headed. Launching a new product? Expanding to new markets? These moves require specific types of people, not just warm bodies. “What roles are critical to drive your business?” Rachel asks. The hiring plan needs to match business reality, not lag months behind it. “Your hiring plan should mirror what the business is doing and not lag six months behind.”
Using Tech Without Losing Control
Everyone’s talking about AI in hiring these days. Rachel’s take is pretty straightforward: use it, but don’t let it run the show. “AI is very, very helpful. Yes, automation does save time, but it should not make the hiring decision or send out your offer letters or ghost your candidates.” The horror stories are real, and they’re usually about companies that handed too much control to their software. The sweet spot is using technology for the repetitive stuff. “Today’s tools can absolutely help you move faster from sourcing to scheduling to nudging hiring managers to fill out their scorecard.” But the important parts still need humans. “Use AI to streamline, but hiring is still human. So, let’s keep it that way.”
Improving Candidate Experience
Bad candidate experiences don’t just lose you one person. They damage your reputation and make future hiring harder. “How you treat candidates is a direct reflection on your company and your personal brand,” Rachel points out. When recruiters disappear mid-conversation or candidates get stuck in endless loops, word gets around. The fix isn’t complicated, but it requires actual effort. Companies need processes that reflect their values, communication that doesn’t leave people guessing, and fair treatment for everyone who applies. “If you want to attract or retain great employees, you need to prioritize the candidate experience just as much as efficiency.”
The best hiring systems aren’t the most complex ones. “Scaling your hiring function doesn’t mean over-complicating it,” Rachel says. Smart companies build solid foundations early, use technology where it actually helps, and stay connected to what the business needs. The most important thing gets forgotten in all the process talk. “Never forget that people are people, they’re not just headcount,” she reminds everyone. At the end of the day, you’re building a team of real humans who want to do good work. “Let’s build something that actually works and scales.”
Follow Rachel Blanton on LinkedIn for more practical hiring strategies that truly scale.
