Text messaging for recruitment: How to hire better with SMS

In order to attract top-tier talent to your company, you must stand out from the competitors, cut through the noise, and offer outstanding candidate experiences to prospective employees. With mobile phones taking the lead in communication these days, text messaging for recruiting is a critical component of acquiring talent. And if you are an existing Salesforce customer, leveraging SMS integration for Salesforce can multiply the benefits of using SMS for recruitment.

In this post, we'll discuss how recruiters can use Short Message Service (SMS) to communicate with talent more effectively.

What is text messaging for recruitment?

Using text or SMS messaging to post job openings, connect with candidates, and stay in touch during the hiring process is known as text messaging for recruitment.

Recruiters and HR personnel use SMS to:

• Send job alerts
• Answer candidates’ questions
• Collect candidate information
• Schedule interviews
• Send interview reminders
• Check-in after an interview
• Provide application status updates
• Notify candidates of new opportunities
• Advertise new roles

Text messaging can be used by recruiters and HR professionals at any stage of the hiring process, from making the first contact to making an offer of employment.

What makes text message recruitment effective?

There are numerous advantages of SMS recruiting that can greatly improve the efficacy of your recruitment efforts. Here are the four reasons to use text messaging for recruitment:

Text messaging for recruitment offers high response rates

According to industry data, potential candidates respond to text messages in under 60 seconds. This makes it one of the fastest ways to engage with candidates.

According to Gartner, text messages have a staggering open and response rate of 98% and 45% respectively. Compared to email, which has a 20% open rate and a 6% response rate.

Reach candidates who aren’t at their computers

Not all jobs involve computers. As a matter of fact, in many industries, such as construction and hospitality, the jobs that you struggle to fill by email during the day are also the ones that you need to complete immediately.

You can quickly fill job openings and make sure no one is left out because they are at work if you SMS those candidates. To indicate interest or availability, your applicant only needs to respond with brevity.

Many workers are choosing remote work over traditional 9–5 jobs, and many job seekers also work independently. No matter the time of day or location, these prospective employees can directly get SMS messages even if they might not see their emails.

Younger candidates rely on texting

Our reliance on technology is shifting as more and more Gen-Zers join the workforce and millennials advance in their careers.

That shift we just discussed, working remotely? The younger generations are the ones who are most in favor of it. Reaching out to people in their 20s and 30s requires using the most accessible method possible, which for the great majority of them is texting.

Since 75% of millennials detest chatting on the phone, texting is a more effective but less invasive way to connect with people who will, in all probability, screen calls before picking them up

Text messaging simplifies the hiring process

You may integrate your applicant tracking and recruitment systems with text message recruiting. You may then effectively track applicant interactions and manage your administrative responsibilities with greater efficiency.

Due to the ability to schedule automated text messages and send follow-ups, updates, and reminders, text messaging can also help organize your hiring process. This guarantees that candidates receive constant communication throughout the employment process and lessens their manual workload.

11 examples of using text messaging in recruitment:

Here are 11 use cases for text messaging in recruitment. They are useful for a variety of situations, such as inviting applicants and setting up interviews.

Welcoming candidates

With a friendly text, you can get your candidate-recruiter relationship off to a good start. Appreciate their participation in the employment process and your company.

Pre-screening candidates

Your hiring process can be streamlined by pre-screening prospects. Use a text-to-apply program to send your candidates a pre-screening text asking them to text a keyword to a phone number. They will get an automated answer by text which will include a direct link to a page where they may reply with the details you require.

Confirming candidate applications

Create a positive first impression for your organization. Notifying applicants that their application has been received is a good starting point.

Scheduling an interview

Text messaging prospects is a very effective way to set up job interviews.

Confirming an interview

It is necessary to send a confirmation mail after setting up an interview to make sure that everyone is aware of the date, time, and location.

Upcoming interview reminders

To make sure prospects don't cancel their scheduled interviews, you should give them a polite reminder. This is a very effective way of reducing no-shows.

Rescheduling an interview

Unexpected events can require you to reschedule an interview. In such a scenario, reschedule the interview by sending a formal communication

Post interview follow-ups

Following up with a candidate via messaging after the interview is an effective way to keep them interested. This can contain information on the project or the future roadmap.

Requesting a phone call for an offer

Sometimes it's better to make a job offer verbally in order to be more convincing. To arrange a formal phone conversation to discuss a job offer, you might send an SMS message requesting one.

Sharing onboarding information

Offering new employees a positive onboarding experience at your business requires clear communication about the process.

Empowering employees to refer new candidates

Offering brand ambassador incentives to your staff will motivate them to recommend prospective hires.

7 best practices for text messaging in recruitment

The first step is to incorporate text messaging into your recruitment process. To optimize the efficacy of your SMS recruiting, we also suggest heeding the advice provided below.

Approach candidates on social media

Leverage social media websites to locate suitable applicants for your position. You might inquire about whether texting will be simpler after reaching out to them using that channel. You cannot text potential candidates at random using their available phone numbers; you must have their consent before doing so.

Solicit candidate opt-in to text

Getting contacts to consent to receiving your texts is required by law. For maximum convenience, use a web form or the text-to-apply technique to obtain this consent.

Keep messages concise and to the point

To ensure that the candidate doesn't feel like they are wasting their time, avoid using slang and make sure your messages are concise and to the point.

Introduce yourself and your company

Business text messages should start with your company name. This makes it easier for applicants to identify the company texting them right away, which is particularly useful if they are corresponding with several potential employers.

Include a brief introduction of yourself as a recruiter in your initial tailored message. This can assist your candidate in establishing a genuine human connection with someone at your organization.

Encourage replies

Texting works best when it is conversational. Even if a candidate's query seems random, encourage them to text you back and ask any questions they may have.

Stick to regular business hours

Making sure your personal and professional lives stay segmented is crucial when it comes to business texting. It is not suitable to message someone outside of designated work hours, even if you are using a personal phone and are using the GirikSMS app.

Schedule interview reminders

You can program an automated reminder to be sent to your candidate after the interview has been scheduled. Just plan a reminder text message to be sent out prior to the interview.

How does SMS messaging for recruitment work?

According to LinkedIn research conducted in 2023, 64% of leaders surveyed predict that hiring in the next five years would prioritize candidates and employees over employers.

What does this signify? Candidates who are in demand will be hired quickly. Businesses that take too long to fill positions will end up compromising on the quality of talent they hire.

Given that 90% of messages are opened within three minutes, you may screen, interview, and make recruiting decisions more quickly by getting in touch with shortlisted prospects sooner.

The following are some methods for using texting to increase hiring speed:

Use a business phone number for texting

Texting from your personal cell phone may seem convenient, but it actually causes a lot of issues. These are a few:

• Someone else has your contact details. Nobody likes to receive a text at one in the morning from a disgruntled applicant.
• It creates a lag in the hiring process. Automating texts such as interview reminders is not possible.
• Lack of openness. When corresponding with an applicant, using your personal phone stops other interviewers and hiring managers from picking up where you left off.

By using a specialized text messaging solution for your text recruiting, you can automate the process, maintain the privacy of your personal contact information, and promote teamwork.

Collect phone numbers on applications

It's likely that you are currently gathering phone numbers from job applicants via online applications.

Include an unchecked box on your website that visitors must click in order to give written consent to get job notifications before you may SMS these individuals.

Use text-to-join keywords to increase engagement

All of our GirikSMS plans provide an unlimited number of text-to-join keywords, regardless of the package you select. Keywords are words or short phrases that will cause marketing text messages to be delivered to the phone number you have been assigned.

Set up text-to-apply for job-specific SMS messages

One of the most often used text recruiting strategies is text-to-apply. Here's a gist of it.

Text-to-join SMS keywords are used by text-to-apply and text-to-hire software for specific open positions. A business will utilize a term specific to a single position, which, when texting the designated number, will take the sender to a website for that position.

Use click-to-text to convert website visitors into applicants

Including a click-to-text option on your website is a great way to expedite communication. Cell phones account for over 54% of all web traffic, and click-to-text works seamlessly with a phone's built-in messaging app.

The candidate will see your business's texting number automatically appear in the "to" box when they click the button, which will launch their native messaging app.

For people who are perusing job advertisements, this is a quick and effective approach to getting the answers they need. Additionally, it enables you to learn more about candidates before they even apply for positions.

Send applicants updates

Updates regarding a candidate's status, process modifications, and project or reference deadlines can all be shared.

Answer candidates’ questions

Invite candidates to ask any questions they may have. The candidate is happy to know that the company is always approachable.

To discover the benefits of using GirikSMS, a 100% native Salesforce texting app as your text recruiting software solution, sign up for a free 30-day trial today. We give you all the resources you need to stay connected with your contacts about job openings, application changes, and interview information.

Streamline communication with your contacts and save time, enhance retention, and offer assistance. Contact us today to find out more about utilizing GirikSMS to its fullest potential in recruiting top talent.