Hiring people is challenging because you need to find qualified people and persuade them to apply to your company. Your company can utilize hiring techniques such as text recruitment if you struggle recruiting people. Text recruiting can make your hiring process more effective. If you are interested in this method, continue reading to know everything about text recruiting.
What is Text Recruiting?
Text messaging is used in text recruiting to let candidates know about job postings, contact them, and keep communication with them. You can communicate with potential candidates more easily through texting since you are using a consistent platform to talk.
Although the idea of scouting people by texting them seems odd, it can be convenient for you, considering that 44.98% of people have phones. More than 60% of people across the globe have access to text messaging, and 98% of messages sent are opened, read, and answered within 3 minutes after it is delivered.
Put simply; text recruiting is worth adding to your recruitment process because more than half of the world’s population has a smartphone. This makes texting an easy and convenient way to communicate with applicants.
Legalities of Text Recruiting
Before considering text recruiting, you have to consider SMS regulation laws in different countries to make sure that your company complies with them. For instance, a Telephone Consumer Protection Act in the US gives limitations to telemarketers when they text message, fax, and other similar activities.
Although you are not a telemarketer, people can have the wrong impression about your company if you send them a message without asking for permission. Generally, it is best to text recruit people who already consented to it. You can also avoid legal issues by researching the SMS laws and regulations of the countries you want to reach out to.
Advantages of Text Recruiting
Here are the top benefits of text recruiting:
Faster Communications
Sending text messages is fast and easy. Applicants also appreciate this because not all of them have the time to check their emails and job listings. They will feel that you give value to their time when you respond timely by text messaging. Using an active platform will make your communication with candidates easier as well.
Better Response Rate
85% of Americans have a smartphone. On average, a person spends more than 5 hours using their phone every day. Therefore, potential applicants can see your text message faster compared to when you post it on social media or send an email.
Text messages are read right away most of the time. 98% of text messages are read, so they have a greater open and click-through rate than emails. Although you do not receive a reply, you can be guaranteed that most of the people you sent the message have read it.
Moreover, text messages are a great way to ensure applicants that they have all the information they need. You do not need to worry that your message will be considered spam. The job details they need are easily accessible with a click.
Versatile and Personalized Messages
It does not matter if you target the younger or older generation of applicants because you can customize your text messages depending on the age group of your audience. You can even include emojis in your messages to show your company’s tone and brand.
Easier Pre-Screening and Scheduling of Candidates
You can pre-screen and make interview schedules through a text messaging chatbox. This allows candidates to start their application process anytime and anywhere. Interview reminders can also be set, and queries can be addressed timely.
You can save a lot of time when you automate since this will filter the applications you have to go through. Moreover, most of these applications are from qualified candidates. Candidates will also have a better experience because a chatbot can provide answers to them in real-time.
Fast Onboarding of New Hires
You can also boost your recruitment process through SMS. You can send messages to new hires, remind, and inform them of any crucial information they need to know about their new position. You can also indicate in your text messages the operating hours, contact details, address, and requirements of your company.
Quantitative Results
Text recruiting is efficient since the results are measurable. When you use an SMS program, you can monitor how your text campaign performs and generate reports on the number of successful candidates you had, a decline in your campaign, and other pertinent elements. Then, you can improve your hiring process in the future using the data you analyzed.
Flexible Method
Small and big businesses can reach their recruitment goals with text recruiting. You can opt to send many text messages showing different or the same job postings. Moreover, you can make campaigns to motivate passive candidates to apply. You have a scalable tool that you can adjust depending on your company’s needs as you expand your recruitment process.
Disadvantages of Text Recruiting
Just like with other things in the world, text recruiting also has its fair share of disadvantages. Here are some of the downsides of text recruiting that you should watch out for:
Misunderstood Messages
You can make your messages concise through text recruiting. However, messages can be misunderstood if you have many things to say with a limited number of characters available. Making text messages effective needs skill. Therefore, it is important that your message has the right tone and information before you send it to potential candidates.
Moreover, not all messages can be sent through text. You need to communicate messages using other means such as email. For instance, you should not discuss confidential information through a text message. Starting a conversation through text messaging can help you transition to phone or email conversations so that you can discuss other important matters without limits to character or tone.
Overwhelming Replies
Text recruiting is fast, but it can be a problem if you are sending a text message to more than 100 people. You can feel overwhelmed with the number of replies you can possibly get. Though this can be good, you have to keep in mind that people see messages differently when it is sent through text or email.
People expect you to respond to a text message faster. That is because they are used to how quickly conversations go in text messages. For emails, you can wait a day or two before you reply. Not responding to text messages right away can make potential candidates disappointed or have the impression that your company is not professional.
Learning Curve
Different recruitment tools and resources are needed when hiring people. Though most of these are simple to use, it is crucial to have the right mindset before using a new tool such as text recruiting software.
It goes beyond learning how to use a tool. It would help if you focused more on managing it. After sending text messages, you can receive volumes of replies. Therefore, it is important to be dedicated to responding and putting extra effort into adjusting to this kind of recruitment strategy. If you are not open to utilizing new tools, you will not enjoy their benefits. You will likely miss out on hiring qualified people.
Tips on How to Use Text Recruiting Effectively
Suppose you are interested in incorporating text recruiting in your hiring process. In that case, here are some tips that will help you maximize its effectivity:
Connect to Applicants on Social Media
You might have to utilize other sources to send candidates a message to start a text campaign. Social media is a great way to search for candidates. Some social media tools you can use for recruitment are Facebook and LinkedIn.
Through these platforms, you can boost your pool of candidates. You can also check out previous candidates, other employees’ referrals, and other sources. You just need to keep in mind the SMS laws and regulations of a country.
Structure Your Messages Well
It is recommended to make messages that have less than 160 characters. At the beginning of your message, you introduce yourself, the name of the company, and the job description. It is unlikely that you are the first employer to reach out to the candidate. Therefore, it is best to indicate the job posting.
You can also add a CTA or call-to-action in your first message to candidates. For instance, you can put the link where candidates can apply for a job posting. The goal is for them to apply. Nevertheless, it is best to skip using text language or acronyms so that they will not have the wrong impression about your company.
Pick the Right Time When to Send a Message
Candidates can see your message if you send it outside their working hours. Nevertheless, this does not apply to everyone. Some candidates might think this is unprofessional. That is why it is better to ask them first the time they prefer to receive messages from you.
When you take the time to respond directly to candidates, they become excited and interested in what you have for them. Texting helps them have an easier time to inquire about the recruitment process or learn about the nature of the company and the position available.
Update the Candidates
After they submit their application, candidates want to be informed of its status. They should know any changes, updates, or deadlines that can affect their application. You can do this by sending timely messages to them. When you notify candidates of important information, you can keep your process seamless and structured for you and your candidates.
Plan When to Send Interview Reminders
Most candidates have busy lives. Therefore, you cannot completely depend on them to remember all scheduled interviews or calls. Therefore, it is best to take time to send follow-up messages for interview reminders and confirmation of their availability for an interview.
Utilize Tools for Assessing Candidates
A great way to obtain basic details about candidates fast and discover their background and abilities is to make a questionnaire or poll. You can learn more from this than what is stated in their resume. It allows you to screen qualified applicants without the need to call them. During interviews, you can learn more about qualified candidates when you discuss the job details. Some employers use text messages to do this kind of extensive interview.
Monitor Your Recruitment Improvements
Using recruitment software, you can monitor all the text messages you sent, responses, and developments. Handling a large number of applicants is easier with this. If you are waiting for candidates to answer, you can also choose to automate sending a follow-up text. You just need to be careful with the details you send through text and monitoring these communications.
Text Recruiting Compared to Other Recruitment Methods
Some hiring methods and techniques will always be needed. Therefore, it is not good to use text recruiting as a replacement for these. Text recruiting should be a tool to improve your hiring process by obtaining information from potential applicants and communicating with them faster.
Suppose your company plans to recruit many people. In that case, you will need tools such as social media, job posting advertisements, email, and job fairs. Sending text messages can be a supplement for these. You use it as a way to give people an idea that you will have a job listing. Before you spend money and effort in utilizing other hiring methods, you can see from text recruiting who are indeed interested in applying.
When you do mass hiring, customization can allow you to discover new audiences. You should not feel worried when you relax in the way you communicate with candidates. When they respond, they can feel more comfortable. This can result in having more effective and positive conversations with them until you figure out who is ideal for the job without the expected costs and trouble.
Bottom Line Finally, you have a better understanding of what text recruitment is. Text recruiting gives you more options to boost your hiring process. Similar to other recruitment tools, it is crucial to think of the unique features of this tool and maximize its advantages. By doing this, you can be more flexible in hiring qualified people. Following this guide, you can discover the first steps of applying text recruitment in your company.
