Texting Candidates Can Actually Improve the Candidate Experience

Going out for dinner with a friend? You might iMessage them on the way. Meeting up with a relative at a coffee shop? You’ll probably send them the location via WhatsApp. Miss your family members who live abroad? You’ll most likely FaceTime them every once in a while. Reaching out to top talent? Consider dropping them a text to boost their candidate experience. In today’s day and age, people are busier than ever. Emails are sinking into overflowing inboxes, and candidates always seem to be on the go. In fact, it’s now harder than ever to catch them in a good time. Did you know that only 20% of candidates will actually read the emails you send them? Yet texting them can boost open rates by 98%?! Texting candidates can actually help you break through the noise and monumentally ramp up the candidate experience. In fact, it also makes it easier for them to take the next step. So if you’re looking to foster text recruiting, you came to the right place.

This post will walk you through some texting etiquette to boost the candidate experience.

Ask for permission before you reach out via text

You know it, we know it – it’s hard to avoid texts when we’re glued to our phones. But truth be told, it can kind of be a double-edged sword when reaching out to prospective candidates. Think about it this way, while some candidates might love the notion of text recruiters – others might find it somewhat invasive. Therefore, to keep the candidate experience warm and engaging, be sure to ask for permission prior to texting potential candidates. After all, the last thing you want to do is come off as is too pushy and compromise the candidate experience. So what you can do is pretty obvious. Prior to the interview just ask candidates their preferred method of communication. Get to know if they’re open to the idea of receiving updates via text. Once you get the green light, you can then ask for their preferences in terms of time and frequency. Do they prefer to receive texts before or after working hours? Would they rather get a couple of texts before the interview to serve as reminders? Or will one simple text do the trick? Whichever the case, getting permission from candidates in advance can help you boost the candidate experience by simply showing candidates that you respect their privacy.

Reach out to candidates globally through WhatsApp

With 2 billion users using WhatsApp across the globe, one cannot argue that it’s almost the most preferred instant-messaging app in the world. In fact, today, almost 3 million organizations rely on WhatsApp and its Business API to reach out and communicate with consumers.. Research has shown that the average user approximately checks WhatsApp 23 times a day (if not more.) So if you want to solicit a faster response from candidates, WhatsApp Business would be the best way to go about it. So as a recruiter, you can easily use WhatsApp Business to notify candidates on recent vacancies, broadcast an awesome newsletter containing job offers, or the latest job fair taking place at your company. This helps prospective candidates reach out to you faster and portray their interest in applying to a vacancy or attending your company’s job fair. Plus, you can even share job descriptions with candidates who can’t access their personal emails at their current jobs. This makes it far easier (and convenient) to get their feedback fast and get a good pulse on their interest in the vacancy.

Keep text messages short and professional

Gen Z is flooding into the workforce. The world this younger generation grew up in is quite different than ours. Simply because they grew up in the age of digital conveniences. So if you’re thinking about texting them throughout the hiring process, you’ll undoubtedly improve their candidate experience. But there’s one thing you need to keep in mind. To appeal to the attention span of Gen Z, your text messages should be kept super short and straight to the point. Why is this important? Gen Z wants to see short previews as notifications. They want to see at a glance all the information they need to know. So opt to keep your texts under the 600-character mark – anything more than that deserves a call instead! Also, if you want to come off as an innovative, modern, and friendly company, make sure your tone is still professional and polite. You still want candidates to feel like they’re communicating with a company, not just another friend. So ditch the abbreviations or any emojis that might make you come off as unprofessional and negatively affect the candidate experience.

Be sensitive about the timing and content of your texts

There’s always a time and place for communicating with candidates. For example, if you want to send candidates a job offer or rejection note – it’s far more appropriate if you give them a call. Especially since these delicate stages can be a more sensitive matter to some candidates. But, you should clear out the timing with the candidates first. For example, some candidates (the majority of them) prefer to receive text messages in the morning between 8 am to 12 pm. While others think that it’s inappropriate to receive texts outside of business hours. And if the text has to do with interview feedback, many candidates think it’s not cool to break down such information via text. However, what you can do is hook candidates before they come in for an interview. You can do that by wishing them luck via text, sending them a Google Map pin of the interview location, asking them if they have any questions, or even sending them videos introducing your company. So to continuously deliver a great candidate experience, being too casual can actually do you more harm than good. Since candidates are striving to be professional and responsible, you’ve got to extend the same courtesy as well.

Wrapping it up

Engaging top talent is no easy feat. But text recruiting makes it easier! In today’s fast-paced world, there’s no time to waste. You need to communicate with top talent early and often – and what better way to do that than through your own phone? So make sure you’re following the right texting etiquette to keep your candidate experience memorable and smooth! EVA-REC is an award-winning ATS that automates and improves the hiring process through next-generation AI technology. Small businesses to industry leaders rely on EVA-REC to find and hire the people they can depend on. With EVA-REC’s world-class features, companies can seamlessly ramp up team collaboration, streamline the hiring process, and create an immersive experience for recruiters and candidates alike. See how our ATS can help you turn prospective candidates into top-performing employees! Book a free demo today. 

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