Effective hiring software is the backbone of any organization: without it, companies wouldn’t be able to hire the talent they need to build a winning workforce. But even with great hiring software in place, it can be challenging to keep candidates engaged at each stage of their journey. Although recruiters do have some tools to make the early stages of the hiring process simple, efficient, and comfortable for candidates to help move them to hire, they could benefit from more strategies to streamline communication, improve the candidate experience, and hire better quality talent fast. A text recruiting platform is one such tool.
How does texting work alongside existing hiring software?
Text engagement allows recruiters to send and manage one-to-one and one-to-many text campaigns in a single central platform. SMS integrates into a company’s existing hiring software, workflows, ATS, CRM, and HR applications to provide a seamless user experience. (And these methods aren’t limited to SMS: recruiters can also deliver campaigns through Facebook Messenger to meet candidates where they are without using multiple tools.) Responses are automatically associated with the candidate’s profile in the organization’s ATS, so recruiters can respond from the central platform even when sending the campaign through multiple channels. Text recruiting platforms integrate with most HR systems to avoid disruption to the company’s existing practices and to ensure that employee data and communications are easily accessed and tracked in one platform. Seamless integrations make it easy to build a candidate pipeline with the flexibility to communicate throughout the talent life cycle.
Give candidates the control
Long waiting times and poor communication are just a few of the factors that can make candidates feel alienated from the recruitment process, become disinterested in an organization, and (in some cases) even decide to move on to a vacancy with one of its competitors. Text recruiting allows recruiters to connect with talent anytime, anywhere, and on the platform of their choice. Giving the control back to the candidate improves their initial experience with their employer brand and makes the talent journey a supportive experience. When candidates feel that they are respected from the get-go, they are much more likely to accept a job offer—and to stick around with the company for the long run. Texting also allows for personalization, which is important when trying to connect with candidates who want a transparent view of a company’s culture and its hiring process as a whole. Companies that use text messaging can come across as more approachable and communicative, thus leaving potential new employees with positive impressions.
Take some of the burden off the hiring team
The job market has changed dramatically in recent years, and talent acquisition teams are feeling the pressure as leaders ask them to do more with smaller budgets and leaner teams. But how can organizations cut costs without damaging the quality of applications? One solution is to increase the impact of hiring software—and thereby decrease the amount of time recruiters have to spend on manual administrative tasks. Automating repetitive tasks allows recruiters to focus on high-level, strategic activities and creates greater value to the wider team and business. Text recruiting can save talent acquisition teams hours of their day. Text-based engagement decreases the time it takes to schedule interviews, for example. Automated workflows enable candidates to use texting to self-schedule (or reschedule) interviews, and automated text reminders help keep candidates engaged throughout the hiring journey.
Make it easy to apply for jobs
The modes of business communication continue to evolve, and in recent years e-mail has ceded ground to texting as the preferred platform for many. Responding to a text message is easier and quicker than crafting an e-mail to a recruiter (or carving out time to speak over the phone), especially when top talent is likely already employed. Less formal communication channels are a low-pressure environment in which recruiters can keep in touch with candidates during the early stages of their search and help them juggle the pressures of everyday life alongside the job hunt. Additionally, text-to-apply campaigns can help remove barriers to apply for underrepresented candidates, helping organizations expand their talent pools and become more inclusive employers.
Speed up hiring processes
The new U.S. college graduates currently entering the job market “expect the entire process, from application to job offer, to take three weeks—about half the actual time (six weeks).” Companies that want to engage talent must treat fast hiring processes not as a luxury but as a necessity. Text engagement speeds up hiring by connecting with candidates via their preferred channels. Recruiters who need quick answers from candidates in order to move them through the hiring process can more confidently rely on text messaging to get the job done.
Achieve long-term success
Using texting to engage with candidates brings so many benefits to both parties that it’s clearly a no-brainer. A text recruiting platform allows organizations to set up automated workflows, manage text-to-apply campaigns, and more easily connect with candidates. Text recruiting is the perfect complement to hiring software, and integrating the two into one central, modernized platform can enable organizations to have great success in attracting—and hiring—top talent.