Still spending your day emailing job candidates and waiting hours or even days for a response? Have a pile of unreturned InMail messages cluttering LinkedIn?
It’s time to elevate your recruitment strategy with text recruiting. Here’s why.
1. Texting is fast.
Text messages have an astounding 98% open rate. For comparison, email marketers rejoice at the sight of a 20 percent open rate. Your chances of a quick response are infinitely better with text recruiting. Engage candidates directly on the device they’re already looking down at 80 times a day – what better way to get their attention?
The casual, convenient nature of texting breaks down walls of formality in the hiring process, giving both sides what they want: a seamless, efficient experience that gives you more time for everything else on your plate.
2. Texting is personal.
Today, there’s no more personal communication channel than texting. Recruiters can instantly engage with candidates even when they’re on the move. If you strike the right conversational tone, you can make an applicant feel excited about a potential role long before an offer is on the table.
3. Texting is easy.
Set up text keywords and shortcodes to place your branding in front of top candidates quickly and maximize impact. Create automated responses for the top of the funnel and personalize the experience as the candidate advances. Link to talent community forms, send candidates straight to your career page or showcase your company culture by texting a video.
Streamline the application process by giving candidates a text-to-apply option, and then advance them to self-schedule a phone screen or interview. Push outbound messages to individuals or large groups at any point in the hiring process – send automated interview reminders to reduce no-show rates and alleviate candidate anxiety, provide a glimpse into your company culture through video or photos and individually target messages to impress candidates right off the bat.
4. It’s a natural fit for campus recruitment.
College students spend an average of about 95 minutes a day texting. Text recruiting is an ideal solution for campus career fairs. Feature your text keyword on a sign, write it on a chalkboard or incorporate it into a presentation to capture candidates instantly as they wait in line to speak with recruiters. Candidates who text the keyword to your shortcode will be instantly directed to your career site or a talent community form, which can feature a variety of content that encourages them to engage with your brand and learn more about the company.
5. Stop wondering. Start knowing.
Text recruiting software offers valuable insights and data you can act on immediately. Leverage recruitment metrics to answer these questions:
- What response rate did the last text receive?
- Did the text campaign perform better in San Francisco or New York?
- Which keyword yields more event registrations or job applications?
- Which candidates need to be kept warm through additional messages?
- What day and time is best to push specific content to candidates?
Recruitment professionals are always looking for better ways to communicate with talent. Text recruiting is a powerful tool for talent acquisition teams because it delivers a better candidate experience and speeds up the journey from hello to hired.
