It goes without saying that an engaged candidate is more likely to give your company exclusive attention especially when other businesses may not place as much value on communicating at such an early stage in the hiring process. Regular communication with potential candidates is extremely important at the outset of the process as it actively demonstrates to the candidate that they have value and that they are wanted. There are no carved in stone guidelines as to what to communicate, when to communicate and by which avenue with which to communicate, telephone, VoIP, direct messaging through social media, email, eblast, or text, the important thing is actually reaching out and relaying some pertinent information. It seems that we all text more often than not but there is no doubt that texting has become the much preferred method of
communication among the millennial set and if you are not using texting to communicate with younger potential employees you absolutely should. Using texts appropriately enhances the overall candidate experience within the hiring process. We’ll explore a few important rules to be mindful of when texting with a candidate as texting can be a tricky and sometimes dangerous form of correspondence especially in business.
There are benefits to relaying small bits of communication via text, namely that it’s really easy and super quick for the recruiter. If you are expecting a response as a result of the text you are much more likely to receive the response quicker from the candidate.
Regardless of how an individual, the potential employee, was captured on your lead list it is always good manners to ask them how they prefer to receive communications from you and your organization. Give them options and outright ask if they can be contacted via text. The answer will overwhelmingly be yes but what stands out is the courtesy extended to the candidate putting you and the business in a good light right from the start.
A general rule when texting candidates is to only use it for confirming interviews, follow up and any pertinent logistical details
that can be succinctly communicated by text. For instance, it would be unwise to send a newsletter by text, but you could send a quick note alerting the candidate that the most recent company newsletter has been issued and throw in a link to the webpage for their convenience. Never ever communicate delicate topics such as the actual job offer or rejection by text – if there were one major rule in texting candidates this would be it!
The timing of texts is important. Texting outside of normal operating hours isn’t a good idea and could be poorly received by the candidate. It may be viewed as an intrusion perhaps, but it could also lead the candidate to question why you are texting so late and concluding that work-life balance not valued by the company. In short, using text to communicate with candidates is another tool that recruiters should definitely be using. The recruiter just needs to be mindful and courteous with regards to timing and content and that text is the appropriate tool for the piece of information being relayed.
