Why You Should Use SMS in 2023 Recruitment Efforts

Layoffs are rampant in the technology sector. All that high-quality talent is just looking for a new work home. How does your hiring team snatch the best talent before someone else in 2023? The answer is an SMS recruitment strategy.

What exactly is SMS for employee recruitment?

Regardless of the industry, your recruiters can use SMS (also known as a short message service) to find new hires.

Have you ever received a text message from a business you love offering discount codes? “15% off your next purchase if you take this survey.” That is an example of an SMS program at work.

SMS for recruiting sends short text messages directly to potential hires’ cell phones. These are messages that applicants can then respond to, to learn more about the position and lead them toward an interview.

9 reasons you should use SMS to find new hires

The internet age means effective advertising is digital.

TikTok is a perfect example of how the internet is shortening people’s attention spans. They don’t have time for information gathering.

Direct mail gave way to direct email messages. Now, email has given way to direct text messages and other targeted online advertising. Here’s why it works.

1. You know you are reaching candidates

You can be sure that SMS will speak directly to the ideal candidates. A person can avoid their email inbox or their LinkedIn direct messages for days.

But, in the United States, 95% of text messages are read and responded to within 3 minutes. SMS use in recruitment means you are far more likely to be seen, heard, and answered.

2. You get a fast response

Is your recruitment process fast enough? SMS can make sure the answer is yes.

People hate talking on the phone now. We all know that sifting through emails is a chore. But as mentioned above, the text response rate is highly likely and incredibly fast. America loves to text.

This means you gather more information quickly, speeding up the hiring and employee onboarding process.

3. You can keep correspondence discreet

Not everyone works remotely. A potential hire is far less likely to answer the phone or have a conversation with a recruiter while in the office for their current role. No one wants their coworkers to find out they’re trying to leave like that.

Text messages stay private and subtle. So, you are far more likely to receive a response from a potential hire while protecting their space.

4. You can conveniently screen and categorize candidates

Ask simple questions through SMS and get rapid responses. Find out potential candidates’ work history, references, and skills with convenience.

This allows you to quickly deduce if you are still interested in this candidate. It could even help you sort out what kinds of roles they would be appropriate for that are currently open at your company.

5. Your new hires will appreciate the SMS experience

Nowadays, it is not only about a candidate trying to make a good impression on a business to get hired. It is also about the business demonstrating that they are the kind of company a candidate would want to work for.

SMS provides a positive, convenient first experience with your business.

SMS provides a positive, convenient first experience with your business. It shows you are a modernized company.

And it means no annoying phone calls or email tracking. Who doesn’t love a little less effort for a lot greater reward?

6. You can easily add SMS to your existing recruitment strategy

The idea of SMS software may sound cumbersome, but it is easy to add it to your arsenal of other hiring and recruitment tools. It just takes some initial adapting and reorganizing your process flow.

7. You can send candidates direct reminders

A quick text message prompts a candidate to finish their application process.

Or it is the difference between scheduling an interview with you, or with another company that is more direct in its recruitment strategy.

Remind candidates of missing information, interview times… or even that you are the next amazing work opportunity that they don’t want to miss.

8. You can request a phone call

At some point, you want to have a real conversation with a potential hire. You can program in your SMS messaging a request for a phone call at the convenience of the candidate. In fact, 41% of businesses now request interviews via text message.

Many people nowadays prefer to be the ones making than receiving recruitment phone calls. They want to speak with you when they know they have time, focus, and mental capacity.

9. You do not need to know much about software

There are software programs available that help you create and categorize recruitment conversations.

You can organize candidates and their phone numbers and send a pre-created messaging sequence as a mass text to as many as you choose. This is not to say they’ll all be in the same group chat. And it is much faster than sending 100 different text messages from your phone.

How does SMS recruitment work?

SMS text messages must be 160 characters or less. You’re not writing an entire campaign strategy. You’re starting a conversation.

• An SMS must first ask for permission from the candidate to have the texting conversation. It is as simple as opting in or out of discount code text messages from a store.
• You should identify your business, the recruiter’s name, and the role you are seeking to fill. It helps if this is in the first text.
• Less is more. Stay away from emojis and stick to simple and short language that says what you mean.
• Track messages as they come to keep track of candidates.

What are some struggles with SMS recruitment tools?

There are 2 main struggles to keep in mind if you use SMS: tracking conversations and consistent messaging.

You don’t want to repeat yourself. If you don’t sync your SMS information with other recruitment tools used with the same candidate, you may end up redundant.

It is important not to waste your time or theirs, and a key to that is making sure you organize all your messaging. Know what you’ve said, and what they have replied.

SMS is the perfect recruitment tool for 2023

The best candidates for your open roles are not going to be on the market forever. You want to strike while the iron is hot, and make sure you are speaking directly to them quickly enough that they are noticing what you have to offer.

SMS is the perfect tool to add to the toolbox for your marketing and recruitment strategy for new hires. Start a conversation and let that conversation flow naturally and efficiently, exactly where you want it to.