10 years later, texting has made its way into the recruitment mix as a valuable form of communication.
I remember the first time it happened to me.
The year was 2010 and I had just finished talking to an amazing candidate. I submitted them to three or four jobs with some of my top clients, and within five minutes, I had two interview requests.
I tried calling the candidate back – and it went to voicemail.
I sent an email and three hours went by with no response. I tried calling again…no answer. What in the world just happened here? Then, my manager said to me, “did you text them?” Something so simple, and obvious, yet I hadn’t even thought about doing it. I mean, why would I?
Why would I want someone I don’t know to have my personal cell number?
I make calls off my landline and now I’m adding another method of communication for myself and my candidate.
I sent a text.
The text included a note making sure to let the candidate know that it was coming from my personal cell and wanted to let them know that they received interview requests. Within five minutes, I received a text back saying, “Sorry, Kevin, I have been in and out of meetings all day. It’s been hard for me to respond. Can we chat after 4 pm?”
I couldn’t believe it. Here I am, thinking that I have been ghosted, now, I’m communicating with them via text message and using my personal cell?!
Flash forward to 2019.
There are companies out there writing software that link your ATS and your mobile, making it appear like you’re sending a text message when you’re not. It’s efficient, it’s incredible and it’s working out as a great form of communication for both the candidate and the recruiter!
Know the best method.
With multiple forms of reach out there, it’s important to know the preferred communication method for each individual candidate. I usually get something to the effect of, “I prefer a text message. It’s really hard for me to step away and take a phone call during the day or respond to email,” for an answer.
I will admit that texting important information with an active candidate can be dangerous. Messages and tone can get misconstrued. Always ask yourself if it’s better to communicate what you want to say over the phone or email before sending out a text.
Next time you are panicking about a candidate not returning your phone calls or emails, don’t give up…send them a text.
Recruiter Resources:
- Check out TextUs, “…the most popular business texting software for recruiters to communicate faster and place more candidates.” What I love about TextUs is the seamless integration with the Bullhorn ATS. This video gives a good look at the interface and how easy it is to send an individualized text while keeping track of the correspondence in Bullhorn.
- ClearCompany’s, 5 Tips to Make Text Messaging an Effective Recruitment Channel, offers a great framework for recruitment texting that includes some etiquette pointers as we use texting more and more for business purposes.
- Recruiting.com explores, Is Text Messaging the New Email for Recruiters? and how texting is an essential part of the candidate experience in 2019.
Kevin Kluge, Recruiting Team Lead, Account Manager and Salesforce Specialist, works in all facets of the IT spectrum, so if you’re an IT professional looking to make a change in the Chicago area, or simply looking for a new opportunity, reach out. Many of the candidates Kevin works with are passive job seekers – this means they are successfully employed, are very selective about making a career move, but they like to keep abreast of “ideal jobs” when they become available. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.
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