Recruiters are moving away from outdated methods of attracting talent to embrace texting. Only 20 percent of potential candidates will read emails received from your company, but switching to text can increase read rates to 98 percent. How can this transform your recruiting solutions?
Start a Conversation
The average person checks his or her phone around 80 times a day, meaning your recruitment texts are likely to be seen long before your emails, and you’re more likely to get a reply. Text messages average a 45 percent response rate, perhaps due in part to the freedom candidates have to text even when they’re working at their current jobs. Rather than using computers attached to employers’ networks, candidates can search for positions and respond to messages on their personal devices without being concerned about who may be monitoring the communications.
Build Relationships
Today’s candidates want to feel connected to potential employers. Sixty-four percent of candidates are likely to have a “positive perception” of companies offering text messaging as a contact option. Text messages also have low opt-out rates, so it’s easier to keep conversations going with potential hires. Sending text messages opens the door for casual communication and allows candidates to become comfortable with you and your company as you follow up to discuss job details after interviews.
Speed Up the Recruitment Process
Sending a text message gets information about relevant positions at your company to candidates quickly, and 90 percent of these messages are read in less than three minutes. Responses can be just as fast, compared to the 47 minutes it takes for the average email response. Imagine narrowing down your candidate list in less than an hour instead of waiting all day, or even several days, for replies. Making texting part of your recruitment system lets you skip the waiting game and start focusing on qualified candidates.
Attract Better Talent
Talent acquisition software helps you weed out candidates who aren’t a good fit for the open positions at your company, but if you fail to engage with the best prospects, then you’ll lose them to your competitors. This is where texting comes in. Seventy-three percent of job seekers prefer to receive personalized or targeted job offers via text, and millennials in particular favor texting over other types of communication. Once job listings have gone out, texting makes it easier for candidates to respond and for you to confirm interview appointments. Scheduling changes or unexpected cancellations can be communicated instantly so that prospects aren’t left hanging. Today’s top talent is looking for responsive employers providing positive user experiences, and text messaging allows you to deliver what they want. When text messages are part of your recruitment system, you can connect with the talent your company needs faster than with the methods you’re using now. Start meeting candidates where they are with timely, relevant job offers, and create the kind of user experience today’s talent expects.
