As a recruiter, you generally want the most exciting job candidates to see, click, and reply to your messages as quickly as possible because good specialists are not that easy to find. One of the ways to streamline your recruiting process is to use instant text messages.
Let’s get straight to what text recruiting is, what benefits it has, and how it can make your hiring process more efficient.
What Is Text Recruiting?
Text recruiting is the use of text messages during the recruiting process. Such messages can be used to advertise a new role or keep in touch with candidates.
Hiring managers often use texts to:
- Advertise a job position
- Answer applicants’ questions
- Schedule a job interview
- Follow up after the interview
- Provide additional information about the company and the role
- Get back to past applicants to offer a new job opportunity
As Millennials are quickly conquering the world in all spheres of life, it is important for recruiters to keep up with modern technologies and practices. If you don’t feel comfortable conducting the entire hiring process or a significant part of it via text messages, well, your candidates most likely do. Just imagine: 9 out of 10 job seekers think their mobile device plays a critical role in the job-hunting process.
Why Recruit via Text?
You may be wondering, how is a text different from an email? Well, both methods involve writing texts and sending messages; however, they are two different methods of communication, and the main difference lies in the approach: texts are short messages that people send expecting an instant reply. On the other hand, emails are too old-school for today’s Generation Z and Millennials, who have never tried to write an actual letter and wait for months to get a response.
These younger generations are the ones setting trends, and our goal is to adapt to their norm.
With the right service – or platform – to track and manage your recruiting messages, you’ll be able to:
- Save hours of work
- Fill positions way faster
- Get to know your candidates better
- Filter out applicants not qualified enough for your job
- Keep up with modern trends
Text recruiting becomes even more effective when it’s used in combination with other, more traditional hiring practices.
How to Use Text Messaging in Recruitment
1. Introduce Yourself
Active job seekers may receive several messages regarding their applications each day. Make it perfectly clear in your recruiting text message who you are, who you work for, and why you are reaching out.
2. Ask What Method of Communication is Preferable
Before proceeding to the next step, make sure the applicant is fine with contacting via messages. Some candidates might not agree to this way of communication and would rather prefer to communicate via phone or email.
3. Send Messages During Working Hours
While it’s a good idea to ask your applicants themselves when is the best time to reach out to them, it’s also fine to text them during office hours. Respect their personal space and don’t contact them in the evening or on weekends.
4. Keep It Short
A long recruitment message is hard to read on a phone screen, so try to keep your texts around 150 characters long. If you need to send a longer message, write your candidate an email or schedule a telephone call. Besides, re-read your message before sending it to make sure it’s direct and easy to understand, as that’s what texting is about.
5. Be Professional
Find a balance between friendliness and professionalism. You should not use your personal phone number, but it’s a great idea to upload your avatar to let applicants know that you’re a real person and not a bot or a fraud. Slang words are not acceptable in recruiting text messages, but depending on your company and circumstances, using a simple emoji may be alright.
6. Reply Quickly
If you decide to go with this method of communication, you should be able to respond to your potential employees rather quickly. Of course, you don’t have to reply in an instant, but try to get back to them within 1 working day. Or at least let people know when they can expect your response.
7. Keep Candidates Updated
With too many applications, candidates may have to wait for a few weeks until you reach back to them to say whether they got the job. As a good recruiter, you know that during that time, the candidate isn’t just sitting by the phone waiting for your call, but they keep looking for other options. To keep them interested and excited about your role, consider providing extra information on the position, such as salary, benefits, corporate culture, etc.
8. Send Interview Reminders
Make the most out of texting. Use messages to remind candidates on their job interviews, provide directions to your office, or let them know what they should take with them.
9. Track Your Responses
Track your messages to be able to measure and improve the success rate of your workflows: for instance, Talenteria provides an amazing tracking system that keeps all information about your candidates at your fingertips.
How to Choose the Best Recruiting Text Service
Surely, you can do without using a third-party text service. But if you deal with many applications daily, to attract the best candidates you can find, you should probably consider using one.
Take your time, read reviews and do your research on the recruiting text platform available on the internet. Some of them – if not all – offer a free trial first, so you can go ahead and sign up to see what the service is capable of.
Just to give you a heads-up on what features you’ll want to have in a service like this:
- Texting one-on-one with your candidates
- Sending bulk messages
- Ability to integrate with other services
- Keeping track of and being able to manage several conversations
- Recurring campaigns
The price for the recruiting text service plays a big role, too, so choose the platform carefully, based on your needs and your organization.
Recruiter SMS Templates
Responding to an application:
- Hi [candidate’s name], I’m [name] from [organization’s name]. I have reviewed your application and think you will be a great candidate for the role due to your previous position as a [position] at [organization’s name] and would like to arrange an interview at [time and date]. Please reply to this text to confirm or if you have any questions.
Inviting to a job interview:
- Hi [candidate’s name]. We’re looking forward to meeting you tomorrow at [time]. Keep in mind that traffic is usually quite heavy during that time, so allow [number] extra minutes to get here. Feel free to contact me at this number if you need any directions.
- Hi [candidate’s name]. Congratulations, our director would like to move forward with a second-round interview. Could you send me your availability for the next week, please?
- Hi [candidate’s name]. Here are the directions to our office for your interview this afternoon: [map URL]. Please contact me if you need any help. Looking forward to meeting with you.
Following up with an applicant:
- Hi [candidate’s name]. Thanks for coming in today. It was great meeting you. Please check your inbox — I’ve sent you the document we discussed during the interview. Have a great day!
Rescheduling a job interview:
- Hi [candidate’s name]. Due to [a scheduling conflict], we need to reschedule tomorrow’s interview. Are you available on [time and date] instead? Let me know if that time works for you or if you would like to reschedule the interview for next week. I apologize for any inconvenience.
Reconnecting with applicants:
- Hi [candidate’s name]. I’m [name] from [organization’s name]. We’re hosting a job fair on [date]. We’d love to see you there to discuss our new openings. If you’re interested, please let me know, and I can send you some more details. Have a great day!
Boost Your Recruitment Processes With Talenteria
Messaging with your own candidates not only saves you time but also allows you and your potential employee to get to know each other a little better, which is essential for both of you, provided you’re interested in working together.
Good recruiters are constantly looking for ways to make the hiring process easier yet more efficient. While recruiting with text messages may still seem too informal and unprofessional to some, others take advantage and manage to find the most interested and advanced job candidates for their open roles.
Whether or not you are interested in communicating with candidates via text, you can find recruitment tools to suit all tastes at Talenteria. From creating job positions and shortlisting candidates to providing job offers and managing your career site - we'll help you do all this and more.
