What Most People Get Wrong About Recruiting BCBAs & RBTs
If your ABA clinic struggles to hire BCBAs and RBTs, you’re not alone. The labor market is tight, qualified candidates have options, and turnover keeps draining your time and budget. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most recruiting problems are actually systems problems disguised as staffing shortages.
This guide is for ABA clinic owners, clinical directors, HR leaders, and BCBAs stepping into leadership roles. You’ll learn the most common recruiting mistakes clinics make, why those mistakes hurt both hiring and retention, and what to fix first. We’ll cover everything from job posts to onboarding, with practical templates you can use this week.
The goal isn’t just to fill seats faster. It’s to build a hiring system where the right people say yes, stay longer, and deliver better care.
Start Here: What “Good Recruiting” Means in ABA
Before we name the mistakes, let’s define what we’re actually trying to do.
A BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) is a highly trained professional who figures out why behavior happens and designs the treatment plan. Think of them as the architect and supervisor of clinical care. They use data, adjust interventions, train caregivers, and oversee staff. Becoming a BCBA typically requires a master’s degree, 1,500 to 2,000 supervised fieldwork hours, and passing a national exam.
An RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) is a certified direct-care professional who works one-on-one with clients to carry out the plan the BCBA creates. They’re the front-line implementers of daily sessions. RBTs collect data and must work under BCBA supervision. Requirements include a high school diploma, 40-hour training, a competency assessment, and a national exam.
Here’s the key insight: recruiting and retention are two sides of the same coin. If you hire fast but the job doesn’t match what the candidate expected, you’ll keep rehiring for the same seat. Realistic job previews—where you’re honest about demands, schedule, supervision, and workload—help ensure fit from day one.
A simple definition you can use with your team
Good recruiting means the right people, in the right roles, with the right support. Bad recruiting means rushed hiring that leads to burnout, turnover, and wasted training investment. The goal isn’t speed. It’s stable care, clear expectations, and sustainable workload.
Ethics matter here too. Candidates deserve honesty and respect throughout the process. If you oversell the job or hide the hard parts, you’re setting everyone up for disappointment.
Want a quick way to spot leaks in your hiring process? Use the self-audit checklist later in this guide. For the full picture, see the complete Recruiting BCBAs & RBTs pillar.
Mistake #1: Treating People Like “Coverage” Instead of Professionals
This is the most common and most damaging mistake. When you hire like you’re filling a shift instead of building a team, people feel replaceable. And people who feel replaceable leave.
How does this show up? Last-minute schedule changes. Unclear role expectations. Pressure to start seeing clients before training is complete. Messages that say “we need coverage” instead of “we think you’d be a great fit for this role.”
The data backs this up. Research shows that inflexible scheduling is cited by nearly half of departing staff as a reason for leaving. Unreasonable workloads drive burnout. And when people leave, replacement costs often range from 50% to 200% of their salary. That “fill shifts fast” mentality ends up costing far more than it saves.
What to do instead (this week)
Write down what success looks like in the first 30 days for a new hire. Make training and supervision part of the plan, not an afterthought. Give schedule expectations up front, including typical hours, cancellation policies, and drive time if applicable.
Here’s an example of a respectful interview invite versus a rushed one:
Rushed: “Hey, can you start Monday? We really need someone.”
Respectful: “We enjoyed our conversation and think you could be a great fit. Before we move forward, I want to make sure we answer your questions about the role. Are you available for a follow-up call this week?”
If your offers are accepted but people don’t stay, your system may be the issue—not your job board. For more on building staffing systems that reduce turnover, check out our internal guide on new ABA clinic staffing systems.
Mistake #2: Weak Employer Brand (and Confusing Culture Messaging)
Your employer brand is your reputation as a workplace. It’s what BCBAs and RBTs believe it will be like to work for you, based on your promises and your systems.
The problem is that most clinics describe culture with vague words like “family” or “supportive” without any proof. Candidates have heard those words before from clinics that burned them out. So they tune out.
Research suggests that most job seekers consider employer brand before applying. Strong branding can reduce hiring costs significantly—but only if your brand is believable.
Culture you can show (not just say)
Instead of buzzwords, share concrete systems. How does supervision actually work? How do you give feedback? How do you protect time off? How do you handle safety concerns?
Here are three examples you can paste directly into job posts:
Supportive culture: “We cap caseloads and protect admin time. No off-the-clock notes. Weekly one-on-one mentorship with your supervisor.”
Mission-driven: “You’ll be part of a multidisciplinary team focused on socially significant outcomes for families.”
Radical transparency: “No buzzwords. Salary range, caseload expectations, and schedule structure are listed below.”
Add one real example of support to every job post—something like training time, supervision structure, or how you handle cancellations. For more guidance, see how to describe your ABA culture without hype.
Mistake #3: Posting a Job Ad That Hides the Real Job
If your job post hides the real workload, travel requirements, schedule, or supervision expectations, you’ll get the wrong applicants. You’ll waste interviews. And the people who do accept offers will quit fast when reality hits.
Common misses include unclear caseload size, vague schedule language, no mention of administrative time, and identical posts for BCBAs and RBTs even though the roles are completely different.
Copy-paste job ad outline (sections to include)
For BCBAs, your job post should include these elements:
Job Title: Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)
Type: Full-time, part-time, or hybrid
Caseload: 6 to 12 clients, depending on intensity
Billable Goal: 23 to 25 hours per week
Admin Time: 10 to 15 hours per week protected
Role Overview: You’ll design and oversee behavior plans, supervise RBTs, train caregivers, and use data to guide clinical decisions. We build schedules that include protected admin time for plan writing, reports, and collaboration.
Benefits and Support: CEU stipend, paid documentation time, health benefits, 401k, PTO, clear supervision and onboarding plan.
For RBTs, include typical work hours, schedule stability approach, paid training structure, minimum 5% monthly supervision, and any growth path available.
Next step: rewrite your job post so a good-fit person can say yes or no in 60 seconds. For editable templates, see the BCBA job description template and RBT job description template.
Mistake #4: Under-Explaining Compensation (and Then “Selling” Later)
When you hide compensation details until late in the process, you create surprises. Surprises break trust and slow hiring. The candidate feels like they wasted time. You feel like you wasted an interview slot.
The total compensation package in ABA isn’t just base pay. It includes benefits like health insurance, retirement, and PTO. It includes paid admin and documentation time. It includes CEU support, license renewal fees, travel reimbursement, and technology support. It includes supervision quality, training investment, and schedule stability.
Simple script for pay conversations
Here’s a script you can adapt for your offer conversations:
“Thanks for meeting. I want to walk through the total compensation package. In ABA, it’s easy to focus only on base pay, but the total package includes support for your growth, balance, and long-term stability.
Base pay is a specific amount. This role expects a certain billable expectation or schedule. We also include bonuses if applicable, PTO, health benefits, and paid admin time. We provide a CEU budget and cover renewal fees if applicable.
After we review your experience and role fit, we’ll give you a clear written offer with the full package.”
Many states and cities now require good-faith pay ranges in job postings or upon request. Transparency can increase applications significantly. Check your state and local rules to stay compliant.
If you can’t compete only on pay, compete on clarity and support—ethically and consistently. See the offer process checklist for ABA roles for more.
Mistake #5: Slow Follow-Up and a Messy Candidate Experience
Candidate experience is what it feels like to apply, interview, and get a decision from you. If that experience is slow, confusing, or disrespectful, good candidates will pick someone else.
Speed matters. Best practice is to reply within 24 hours of application. But research shows that about 92% of people who click “Apply” don’t complete the process. Every friction point costs you candidates.
Candidate experience checklist (quick)
Set a baseline timeline for your clinic:
- Same-day: send an application receipt, even if automated
- Within 24 to 48 hours: first human touch—either a screen invite or a polite rejection
- Within 3 to 5 business days: complete the interview
- Within 24 to 48 hours after the interview: send a decision or a “keep warm” update
Every touchpoint should include a clear next step. Assign one point of contact. Offer fast scheduling options. Send a short, kind rejection message when someone isn’t selected.
Here’s a sample rejection message: “Thank you for your time in our interview process. We enjoyed learning about your work. We’re moving forward with a candidate whose experience better matches our current needs. We appreciate your interest and wish you the best.”
Pick one improvement: send a same-day confirmation message after every application. For a deeper dive, see the candidate experience audit for ABA clinics.
Mistake #6: No Recruiting Funnel (So You Can’t See Where You’re Losing People)
A recruiting funnel is the step-by-step path from “they heard of you” to “they started the job.” If you don’t map your funnel, you can’t see where candidates drop off.
Simple funnel stages for ABA hiring
The typical stages are awareness, attraction, interest, application, screening, interviewing, and hiring (which includes offer, acceptance, and start).
At each stage, candidates can leak out. Maybe your job post is unclear so people bounce at the top. Maybe your follow-up is slow so people ghost you in the middle. Maybe your offer is confusing so people decline at the end. Maybe your first week is chaotic so new hires quit after they start.
The solution is to map your stages and assign one owner for each. Then track where candidates drop off. Industry data suggests the average application completion rate is around 10%, meaning many people abandon partway through.
Track stage-to-stage conversion. Track offer acceptance rate. Track time in each stage. Ask candidates for feedback. Use this data to improve, not to pressure—tracking should respect privacy.
If you only track time to fill, you miss the real problem. For templates, see the recruiting funnel template for ABA teams and the simple recruiting metrics dashboard.
Mistake #7: Interviewing Without a Scorecard (and Hiring on “Vibes”)
When interviews are unstructured, you introduce bias and inconsistency. You might hire someone who feels like a good fit but lacks the skills you need. Or you might pass on a strong candidate because they were nervous.
Structured interviews reduce bias by asking the same job-related questions to every candidate, using anchored scoring rubrics, and having interviewers score independently before group discussion.
Interview scorecard (simple categories)
Use a 1 to 5 scale for each category:
Clinical skills and ABA basics: measurement and data competency, skill acquisition techniques like prompting and reinforcement, understanding of behavior reduction and function.
Professional skills: communication in plain language, receptiveness to feedback and supervision, stress tolerance with a safety mindset.
Ethics and cultural responsiveness: understanding of boundaries, privacy basics, respect for diverse family values.
Define what each score looks like. What does a 3 versus a 5 look like for communication? Score immediately after the interview—don’t wait until the hiring meeting.
Choose 5 to 7 must-have traits for each role and score them the same way every time. See the ABA interview scorecard template for a ready-to-use version.
Mistake #8: Forgetting That BCBA Recruiting and RBT Recruiting Are Different
BCBA candidates and RBT candidates have different priorities, different concerns, and different markets. If you use the same job post and process for both, you’ll miss good fits on both sides.
BCBA-specific mistakes
BCBAs often prioritize salary, but also caseload size, flexibility, and autonomy. Research shows that about 49% of BCBAs weigh caseload and billable requirements heavily. A manageable caseload is often described as 6 to 10 clients depending on intensity. More than 21 clients is frequently flagged as high risk for burnout and quality problems.
Common BCBA recruiting mistakes include unclear supervision structure and expectations, unclear caseload and admin time allocation, and promising flexibility without systems to support it. Documentation burden is a major driver of burnout, so be honest about how much paperwork the role involves.
RBT-specific mistakes
RBTs often prioritize schedule stability, safety and crisis training support, ongoing supervision at the required 5% minimum monthly, and a clear growth path. Unstable hours and last-minute schedule changes drive burnout and turnover.
Common RBT recruiting mistakes include no paid training plan or unclear training structure, unstable hours and constant schedule changes, and no clear growth path or support for credential steps.
Build two versions of your hiring process: one for BCBAs and one for RBTs. Different messaging, different screening, different onboarding. See the BCBA recruiting playbook and RBT recruiting playbook for detailed systems.
Mistake #9: Weak Onboarding, Training, and Supervision (Then Blaming Recruiting)
When new hires feel unsafe, unsupported, or overwhelmed, they leave. And then clinics blame recruiting. But the problem is often onboarding and supervision, not the hire itself.
30-60-90 day onboarding outline
Days 1 to 30 (Foundation): For BCBAs, this means learning billing and documentation systems, reviewing current plans, and completing credentialing steps. For RBTs, this means completing training if needed, competency assessment, and shadowing. Both roles should have weekly one-on-one meetings with a supervisor plus HIPAA and safety training.
Days 31 to 60 (Practice): For BCBAs, this means conducting first independent assessments, starting to supervise, and leading parent training. For RBTs, this means moving from shadowing to leading sessions with accurate data entry. Set communication cadence with caregivers.
Days 61 to 90 (Ownership): For BCBAs, this means managing a full caseload, proposing one process improvement, and leading staff learning. For RBTs, this means mastering programming and mentoring new hires via shadowing. Both roles should have a formal 90-day review with a growth plan.
Supervision clarity matters for both roles. Who supervises, when, how often, and what does it look like? If your pipeline includes trainees, verify supervisor training requirements, sign supervision contracts before hours begin, clarify restricted versus unrestricted hours, and set recurring supervision schedules.
Your onboarding is part of your recruiting. People talk about their first two weeks. See the onboarding checklist for BCBAs and RBTs and supervision systems that support quality and retention.
Mistake #10: Ignoring “Grow Your Own” (or Doing It Without a Plan)
Grow your own means helping people move from RBT to BCBA through internal support and development. It’s a powerful retention and recruiting strategy—but only if you do it with structure.
A simple pipeline model
The path typically looks like this: RBT, then senior RBT or lead tech as an optional step, then BCBA student with supervision support, then BCBA hire. At each step, you need clear supports including training, mentorship, and schedule accommodations.
The pros of growing your own include loyalty, culture fit, and long-term stability. The risks include inconsistent supervision, unclear expectations, and burnout if support is missing.
Employer fieldwork support features to consider include free or low-cost supervision (which saves trainees private supervision fees), help balancing unrestricted versus restricted hours (with at least 60% unrestricted as a common guideline), clear contracts and consent for supervision activities, and BCBA pathway roles with planned promotion.
Guardrails: Don’t overload trainees with direct hours and call it a pipeline. Protect time for unrestricted activities like program writing and data review. Standardize supervision quality so trainees don’t get uneven support.
Pick one pipeline move: offer a clear growth step for strong RBTs with real support. See the grow-your-own BCBA pipeline guide for steps and guardrails.
Mistake #11: Compliance and Ethics Gaps (Role Clarity, Classification, Credential Checks)
This section is not legal advice. It’s a high-level overview of compliance areas that can create problems during hiring. For specific questions, talk to an employment attorney.
Simple compliance checklist (high level)
Credential verification: Before anyone starts, verify their credential in the BACB Certificant Registry. Confirm status as active, inactive, or sanctioned and check the expiration date. For RBTs, confirm training completion, competency assessment, background check, and exam. For BCBAs, confirm degree, coursework, supervised hours, exam, and registry listing.
Worker classification: Be careful with employee versus independent contractor decisions. Regulators warn against misclassifying core clinical roles. RBTs almost never fit true independent contractor status because they require supervision. Misclassification risk includes back pay, taxes, and penalties. Talk to qualified counsel.
Privacy: Collect only what you need early in the process. Delay sensitive checks until a conditional offer. Use encryption, role-based access, and multi-factor authentication in HR systems. Avoid “shadow data” in random spreadsheets and personal inboxes. Train hiring managers on phishing and safe handling of applicant information.
Build one compliance checkpoint into your hiring workflow so nothing gets skipped. See hiring compliance basics for ABA organizations and how to protect privacy during hiring for more guidance.
Quick Self-Audit: Find Your Top 3 Recruiting Problems
Use this checklist to find where your hiring system needs work. Answer honestly.
Self-audit checklist
Funnel and speed: Do we respond to applicants within 24 to 48 hours? Do we have a defined funnel stage list? Do we track drop-off at each stage? Do we know our offer acceptance rate? Do candidates get closure with no ghosting?
Culture and support systems: Can we explain supervision in one sentence? Does the job post match the real schedule? Do we have a 30-day plan for new hires? Do we protect admin time for BCBAs?
BCBA versus RBT role clarity: Do we treat BCBAs and RBTs as different hiring tracks? Are caseload and billable expectations clear for BCBAs? Are schedule stability and training clear for RBTs?
Compliance: Do we verify credentials before start? Do we handle applicant data securely? Have we reviewed worker classification with counsel?
How to pick your top 3 fixes
Mark every question where you answered “no” or “not sure.” Group them by category. Pick the three that show up most often or that you suspect are causing the biggest drop-off. Fix one system at a time.
Choose one fix per week for the next 4 weeks. Small system changes add up fast. See the hiring systems starter kit for templates and checklists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the biggest recruiting mistakes ABA clinics make when hiring BCBAs and RBTs?
The most common mistakes include treating staff like coverage instead of professionals, using vague culture messaging, posting job ads that hide the real job, under-explaining compensation, slow follow-up, having no recruiting funnel, interviewing without a scorecard, treating BCBA and RBT recruiting the same, weak onboarding, ignoring grow-your-own pipelines, and skipping compliance checks. Each hurts both recruiting and retention. The self-audit above can help you find your biggest gaps.
How can I recruit BCBAs without only competing on pay?
Lead with ethics and clarity. Highlight support systems: supervision quality, admin time, onboarding structure, and schedule stability. Keep messaging concrete by describing what a typical day or week actually looks like. Many BCBAs weigh caseload, flexibility, and autonomy heavily—not just salary.
Why does our clinic get applicants but no one accepts the offer?
This usually signals offer-stage leaks: slow follow-up, unclear compensation packages, or unclear role expectations. Add a clear offer timeline and a consistent communication plan. Use an offer checklist to make sure nothing gets skipped.
What’s the difference between BCBA recruiting and RBT recruiting?
BCBAs focus on caseload clarity, supervision expectations, admin time, and clinical support. RBTs focus on schedule stability, training, safety support, and growth path. Build two separate hiring tracks with different messaging, screening, and onboarding.
What does a good onboarding plan look like for new BCBAs and RBTs?
A 30-60-90 day structure works well. Days 1 to 30 cover orientation, basics, and shadowing. Days 31 to 60 cover supported practice and feedback loops. Days 61 to 90 cover stable schedule and growth plan. Don’t rush independence—protect client care and staff confidence by providing adequate support.
Should we build a grow-your-own BCBA pipeline or hire externally?
Most organizations need both. Growing your own builds loyalty and culture fit. External hiring brings fresh perspectives and fills gaps faster. The key guardrail is structured support and supervision. A pipeline without real support is just overwork with a fancy name.
What compliance risks can show up during ABA hiring?
Key areas include worker classification (misclassifying employees as contractors can create legal and financial risk), role clarity (so staff and clients are protected), credential verification (essential before anyone starts), and privacy (respectful handling of applicant information). Get qualified legal and HR guidance when needed.
Closing: Fix the System Behind the Job Post
Most recruiting problems aren’t about finding more candidates. They’re about fixing the systems that drive good candidates away.
Recruiting and retention are connected. If the job doesn’t match the promise, turnover will keep draining your time and budget. But when you build clear expectations, sustainable workload, and strong support into your hiring process, you attract people who can actually stay and do great work.
Start by picking your top 3 mistakes from the self-audit. Fix one system at a time. Make the job match the promise.
If you want practical tools, build a simple funnel map, a scorecard, and an onboarding plan next. Small changes this month can save you from repeating the same hiring cycle next quarter.
