The first thing that pops into my head when I hear the phrase texting candidates is another channel of communication. Some may see it as a more personal form of communication but I think you can make it formal. It’s an excellent way of getting in touch with people who can’t necessarily take calls during the day. You can arrange interviews, answer any urgent questions and it generally yields a quicker response than an email.
However, there are definitely instances where texting may not be the best form of communication as it can be misinterpreted in how things may sound, which may not mean to sound a certain way, and if it were said over the phone it may be a completely different story. I have been in a few scenarios in the past where I have experienced people testing boundaries with texts that might not have been sent if the conversations were had over the phone.
Rules for Texting Candidates
Be straight to the point – No one likes to receive a long wordy text, I mean who reads them anyway? It’s also extremely important to be clear within your message if you’re expecting a reply, obviously don’t say “I expect a reply from you”, but instead think about your wording. The obvious thing to do would be to use questions but I’m sure there are other ways too.
Be prompt with your response – The point of texting is to generally speed up communication, with Recruiters jobs being so focussed around phones, why slow down when it comes to replying to a text? No matter how busy you get, everyone you speak to should feel important, whether that be just sending a quick text to let them know that you’ll get back to them by a certain time as you’re really wrapped up or even just a quick call to acknowledge them.
Be professional – Texting by nature is a more informal method of communication and it’s great to have a laugh with your candidates but don’t forget that you are not only representing yourself, but you are representing the company that you work for. Communication with recruiters often sets the mark for the entire candidate experience, so let’s make it a good one.
Be yourself – Completely contradicting myself here but also show your personality, the better rapport you build, the better your candidate relationship will be moving forward. If a candidate responds best by text and has allowed you into their bubble then you must have done something right, you don’t want them to think that you’re using generic responses so use phrases that you generally would if you were speaking to them over the phone, it adds a more personal touch.
At the end of the day, our job in the recruitment industry is to match people to their ideal company. In my opinion I think that both recruiters and candidates should have the same level of professionalism for each other, and communicate via which ever medium suits them best.
How do you like to hear from recruiters? We are always keen to hear your thoughts!
