Recruiting Text Message: Get it right the first time

Email, print media (newspapers and magazines), and phone calls have long been used to announce new job opportunities and hire new talent by staffing teams.  Now, times have changed.  Millennials and Generation Z are taking over new responsibilities in tech, global marketing, logistics, and pretty much all the industries making up the world economy.  

As it turns out, fresh job applicants want to hear more from recruiters through text messages than other channels.

Here are some interesting facts:

• By 2030, approximately 30% of the global workforce will consist of Gen Z
• About 98% of Generation Z owns a smartphone
• The response rates for SMS and Email are 45% and 16.97%
• People read SMS messages within the first 3 minutes.  82% of SMS recipients reported opening every text they received
• 19% of the links in SMS are clicked
• Roughly 61% of marketers still don’t use SMS

Recruitment is the process of finding and selecting qualified candidates for employment.  In this article, we’ll show you how savvy recruiters tackle the hiring process with recruiting text message strategies and highly performing text message templates from Smarter Contact.

Why Text Recruiting Is Effective

Texting isn’t something new for businesses.  In fact, two-thirds of potential candidates would prefer text communication to emails and phone calls after a job application.

But why? 

• It gets easier to reach prospective candidates without triggering spam filters as seen in emails:  Texts have a lower likelihood of triggering spam filters as long as nothing suspicious stays hidden within them.
• Speed:  Sending text messages where an urgent response is required is a faster way to communicate with more candidates than emails.
• Safety:  Text messages are less likely to carry harmful links compared to emails; a feature that has proved quite useful in highly sensitive remote opportunities, such as fintech.  Besides, 45.1% of emails are spam and 94% of malware is delivered via email. 

Some marketing managers will feel like they're spending time texting with potential candidates when they could instead be doing other tasks, like handling customer service calls or designing some killer text message templates.  The good thing is, text recruiting is not as impersonal as emailing someone and then never hearing from them again.

The Importance Of Text Recruiting

Texting is a popular form of communication and has been since the first SMS came to life.  People use SMS to communicate with friends, family, and loved ones.

Text messages are more personal than email marketing.  They’re more effective when getting in touch with people who are not online all the time.  For instance, you can contact a suitable candidate for a real estate investment opportunity with SMS regardless of whether they have internet or not. 

Additionally, text messages are easy to send and receive, so there's no need for complicated software and expensive hardware in text recruiting.  You can send an SMS from a native mobile SMS app or through a business texting platform such as Smarter Contact.

Lastly, we cannot forget the person touch that comes with text messaging.  Texting allows you to communicate with people in a more personal way, which makes your potential candidates more comfortable with you and your business.

Essential Legal Points

Businesses have to meet certain legal requirements that regulate who and what businesses text.  In the US, texting for business is governed by three regulatory bodies:

• The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA)
• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 
• The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA).

Many companies will ask for the candidate’s first name and contact number when filling out a job application, so they can text them with updates on the position.  Businesses must seek the applicant’s consent before contacting candidates by text.  Lack of compliance could count as a federal offense.

When the candidate consents to receive text messages, the business should ensure that:

• The contents of the messages are legal.
• The information provided by the applicant via SMS is safe.
• The information given to the job candidates is relevant.
• Only text job candidates about their desired position between 8 am and 9 pm. This could be intrusive and lead to a bad candidate experience.
• The applicant has an opt-out feature in case they change their mind about receiving SMS from recruiters.

Do’s of Text Recruiting

There is no secret formula to success with text recruiting.  But, just like your potential candidates, there are a few things to watch out for when seeking top talent to join you via text.

• Use a professional commercial business texting platform to contact someone you might want to work with.
• Only text applicants who have expressed interest in your job offer.
• Keep it brief and personal.  That way, they have a positive candidate experience and feel more inclined to respond.
• Always follow up with passive candidates.

Don’ts Of Text Recruiting

Although text recruiting lowers the cost of finding new talent, there are a few things to watch out for: 

• Don’t be biased in your candidate outreach, e.g. hinting that candidates may have secured a job while in the real sense, they didn’t.  Texting can sometimes be misconstrued, so it’s important that you know what your goal is in sending that text.
• Don’t text applicants if they only wish to receive notifications and interview reminders via email or other means.
• Don’t overwhelm someone with texts (very important).
• Don’t text with your personal phone. Other members of the talent acquisition team have to be involved.

Just a reminder, breaking any of these rules can come off as rude and push applicants away from your business.

How SMS Recruitment Works (With Examples)

Generally, SMS recruitment works just like normal texting.  A company sends a message to an individual.  The individual replies to the initial message.  The company responds to the reply.  The two parties communicate with each other via text messages over a period of time until they reach an agreement or are no longer interested in the relationship.

Text Candidates In Person

When you want to find the best candidates for a job opening event, sometimes the old-fashioned way of interviewing is not enough.  You can SMS them in person (without automated response tools) and ask specific questions in order to get better insight into their qualifications.

Interview Scheduling Via SMS

Interview scheduling can be easily done via SMS.  Once the message has been sent, it will only take minutes for the recipient's phone to notify them of their scheduled time slot.  Recruiters can also sync up all the interviews and easily edit each schedule in their personal calendars.

Provide Feedback At Every Step Of The Application

Recruiters will usually reach out to the interested applicant if there is an update, e.g., when their application status has been changed. 

Here are some examples of phrases candidates expect in most recruiting text templates.

1. We're sorry to say that we are unable to offer…
2. The position is still available and will have a salary of $____ per year, with an estimated start date of ______ for the late spring or early summer months.  For further information, please reach out no later than Friday next week.
3. We can reschedule tomorrow's interview.  Would you like more information about this opportunity? Please let us know. Thank you!

With SMS, you can reach out to your potential candidate whether they’re in the park, at the gym, doing laundry, or wherever they are.

Answer Candidates’ Questions

A candidate can ask questions and receive answers via SMS.  This is a good way to engage candidates to get information about the staffing companies that are hiring or without going into an in-person interview process.

By answering questions on text, you also save time because no party has to be physically present during communication.

Using Text Recruitment To Increase Job Applications

Usually, a company in need of new employees posts its job openings on the internet and then waits for applications from people who visit the adverts.  As you may have guessed, this is not always effective because the hiring process clogs with a mixture of overqualified and under qualified job seekers.

Text recruitment has been used to further help companies recruit for automotive jobs, customer service, sales and marketing, and jobs that are hard to fill or where high-quality candidates are needed.  How can this be achieved?

(To start texting potential candidates, consider a bulk SMS texting platform.  Smarter Contact is an advanced text recruiting tool that enables you to automate texts for your messaging campaigns with high delivery rates, built-in integrations, and creative text message templates)

Start Using Your Database To Promote Open Positions

A database is a collection of information that's organized so it can be stored, queried, and retrieved.  Over the years, you may have collected many past applicant phone numbers in your contact list from your website, online forms, online campaigns, and more resources, including people who have shown a prior interest in working with you.

By texting these people, you get access to a much more qualified pool of experts ready to work with you.  To make things easier, use a text messaging platform to manage messages between you and your candidates.

Add A Click-to-Text Button On Your Company Website

A click-to-text button is a great way to make it easy for your website visitors to contact you.  These buttons come in different colors, and when clicked, they provide an instant text messaging interface for a quick chat in the browser window.  Here, people can type their messages without having to use their phone or computer keyboard. 

This provides more convenience for site visitors as they don't have to search through your contacts, copy, and paste into their SMS apps.

Use Keywords In Your SMS Recruiting Strategy

Keywords are short words that when sent to a business short code (usually a 6-digit phone number), automatically enter the job candidates into the employer’s applicant tracking system. 

Shortcodes are commonly used by marketers to enter customers in short-term deals, sales, and promotions.

Is It Always Appropriate To Text During The Recruitment Process?

Texting during the recruitment process might be appropriate for some jobs or companies, but it might not be appropriate for others.  The following are some reasons why texting during the recruiting process might not be appropriate:

• Some companies prefer in-person interviews to understand their potential candidates better.  This has been the norm for years, but now, things have changed.  However, if the company culture is set upon in-person interviews, it would be inappropriate to text during the recruitment process.
• Some companies are more formal than others, and in such cases, it would be inappropriate to text during the recruitment process.  It is important that a company’s employees follow the company’s rules and customs when recruiting new employees.
• Texting during the recruiting process can be very distracting and irritating.  It is very easy to get distracted by a text message or two from a potential candidate.  An applicant might also find themselves responding to other recruiting text messages when they should be focusing on the person who is interviewing them. 
• Sometimes, texting would most likely be inappropriate if the company name or image is at stake.  If you are texting candidates for an extremely high-value job, it is likely that they will begin to think that your company is unprofessional.

How To Choose The Best Recruiting Text Service

Text recruiting is only as good as the business texting service you’re using.  Considering the many options out in the market, here’s how to choose the best recruiting text service:

1. Consider the nature of your business:  If you are just starting out and need only basic features, it is best to choose a platform that can accommodate your needs as a starter.  Big businesses with lots of employees require more advanced features such as analytics and marketing tools.
2. What functionalities do you need? - The features you need will also depend on the size of the business.  A company with only one employee does not need too many advanced features.  A simple texting platform should be enough.
3. The level of need:  Do you find a need for the platform?  If most applicants prefer to be contacted via SMS, don’t hesitate to integrate a text messaging tool with your business platform.  If you can do without it, it’s wise to save your money.
4. Budget:  How much are you willing to spend on your text messages?  Obviously, advanced text recruiting software will cost more than simpler tools.
5. Integrations:  SMS plays an integral role in the performance of other departments.  This means that you might have to integrate other 3rd party tools such as Salesforce, analytics, and email communication tools. 

Once you have decided on the type of texting service you need, consider the pricing.  Different services charge differently based on the features they offer, coverage, efficiency, and other additional charges.  Pick a service that meets your budget without sacrificing your needs.

How Smarter Contact Can Help You Get Started

It’s no secret that texting is one of the most popular ways to communicate these days.  It also makes sense, then, for real estate businesses and staffing agencies to reach out with text messages in order to extend their job offers to the vast market.

Smarter Contact can help you get started with customized text messaging campaigns and text message templates for your business needs.  Our built-in integrations and features allow you to reduce the time spent on marketing every day by simply following up with leads automatically.  Additionally, you can manage all of your SMS marketing campaigns in one space and still benefit from high delivery rates. 

Over to you

Text recruiting is a popular method of recruitment for multiple people and businesses today.  With text recruiting, an employer can take the time to get to know potential employees without the pressure of an actual interview.  The most important thing for businesses to keep in mind is to stay up-to-date on all the legal requirements that come with text recruiting to enjoy this low-cost method of finding a qualified candidate.

Ready to launch your first SMS marketing plan in minutes with the most user-friendly interface in the industry?  Start your free trial today!