Mobile Recruiting: Add Text Messaging to Your Talent Acquisition Campaigns
Is talent acquisition one of the top priorities at your company? According to LinkedIn, 83% of recruiters say it is the number one priority for their organization. With unemployment at record low levels, sourcing talent and filling positions with qualified candidates is key to remaining competitive.
Tapping into a largely Millennial and Gen Z workforce requires a mobile recruitment strategy that meets employees where they are. The majority of Americans today (95%) have a cell phone of some kind, and most have a smart phone. According to Glassdoor, 89% of job seekers say their phone is an important tool in job searching, so if your company isn’t geared towards mobile recruiting, it’s time to start.
One of the simplest and most effective tools you can implement for mobile recruitment is texting. Here’s how your organization can add text messaging to your talent acquisition campaigns.
Text to Apply for Jobs
Add a “text [KEYWORD] to 72345 to apply” call-to-action on your recruitment marketing materials. Make sure this is visible at all networking and recruitment events like career fairs or industry conferences. It’s a fast and easy way to have job seekers get to your application page and start the process right from their phones.
Text to Receive Job Listings
Keep candidates in the loop when relevant job postings come online by having them text to opt-in to receive SMS job notifications from your company. If your prospect is interested in marketing jobs for instance, have them join your marketing department’s text alerts and be the first to know about an opening.
Text for Company Information
Include a text call-to-action in all your employer branding campaigns. Give job seekers a way to text and receive a link to a video about the company and its culture or an invitation to a recruitment event in their area. Use text to make interacting with your brand fun and engaging.
Build Your Talent Pipeline
Know what positions you will need to fill for in the future? Build a list of qualified candidates by having them text in to be added to the pool. For instance, if you know you will need to hire seasonal workers, promote a text call-to-action like “text JOINCOMPANY to 81411 to be be notified when positions open” and add them to your list. Or send them an automatic SMS survey asking one or two screening questions before their name and contact information are added to your list.
Provide Job Applicant Status Updates
Communication is key to improving the candidate experience, so send regular updates using text messaging. Remind them when interviews are taking place and send followup texts with application status.
Employee Onboarding and Skills Training
Texting doesn’t stop once candidates accept your offer. Make sure your employee onboarding process goes smoothly and drive attendance to all training and development sessions with text message reminders to new hires. Employees stay longer, are more engaged and can be trained to adapt and take on future challenges.
The recruitment strategies your come up with should include the right tools and technology for acquiring talent. Hiring the right people, at the right time, for the right job means connecting to job seekers quickly, efficiently and in a personal, approachable way. Mobile phone users may ignore their emails or be inundated with push notifications, but almost always open and read their text messages within minutes of receipt! Also, in order to maximize your success, check these best practices for text message recruiting.
To learn more about using SMS for recruiting, call TextMarks at 800-696-1393 or contact us here.
