Nowadays, hiring managers and recruitment teams put a lot of work and effort trying to reach potential applicants. Job openings are subject to large marketing strategies, yet many companies still struggle when trying to find prospects. However, recruiting through SMS has proven to be quite a successful strategy during the last couple of years, and here are some reasons why.
There are many benefits that come from recruiting through SMS that any hiring manager should consider. Even when it might seem a bit outdated, text messages can be quite effective tools. However, we must be careful about how we use SMS, as making mistakes isn’t particularly hard. Also, there are several text message practices we must avoid if we want to have an effective recruitment strategy.
In the age of social media, text messages tend to be considered as an outdated channel of communication. Nevertheless, they offer a wide range of benefits and advantages that hiring managers just can’t ignore. To begin with, SMS are more effective than recruiting emails as text messages can cut through the noise. They even have a response rate 8 times higher than emails, so chances are your offer will get noticed.
When we are recruiting through SMS, we are also expediting the hiring process for everyone involved. Potential applicants get the information quicker, so they are more likely to actually apply for a given position. You can add links and contact information that will help candidates reach you and continue with the hiring process.
We must be careful about how we use SMS for recruiting, as the tiniest error can scare applicants away. Text messages should be as brief and direct as possible. This means that SMS is ideal for confirming appointments, sharing links, or giving quick updates to our candidates. Creating templates before automating a message will help your company communicate in a much more effective way.
Another tip to remember when recruiting through SMS is that keeping the message professional is key. Usually, text messages are seen as a means of informal communication. However, you must be professional at all times, and SMS is no exception. Thus, avoid using abbreviations, emojis, and slang. This way, your company’s credibility will remain intact, and your chances of attracting new candidates will remain intact.
A lot has been said about candidate experience, and recruitment text messages can have quite a positive impact. If you have never had any contact with candidates, avoiding SMS is strongly recommended. Spamming candidates or texting them on the first contact can seem quite intrusive, so it is better to wait.
Also, remember not to text after office hours, no matter what. Even when candidates, especially young ones, tend to have their phones with them 22 hours a day, receiving this kind of messages is not ideal. Therefore, stick to business hours only. Using your personal phone number should never be an option, either. This can seem quite unprofessional and intrusive too. So, get an office phone number if you don’t have one, and text from that one instead.
This way, you will be able to fully take advantage of recruiting through SMS and your chances of hiring top-notch applicants will be more.