Why use SMS in the recruitment process?
In a challenging environment for recruitment teams with strong pressure on several roles, it's sometimes necessary to open new channels and explore new forms of recruitment. We often see recruitment operations where the development of employee referral programs are used to increase visibility, the number of candidates, and find qualified profiles.
Theintegration of SMS into your recruitment strategy can enhance your employer brand, allow you to reach a larger pool of candidates, and ensure a better candidate ROI.
Widely used by Marketing teams, SMS hasn't yet been fully adopted by recruiters. Yet its potential is enormous!
Some figures
SMS recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
According to a GSMA study, there were 5 billion SMS/RCS users in 2018.
"95% of these SMS are read within 4 minutes" according to Balise Berdah, co-founder of WellPack, a specialist in SMS acquisition. This represents an open rate much higher than emails which are generally between 15 and 30%.
91% of people always have their phone within reach according to SMSMode.
These figures are thought-provoking regarding the potential candidates accessible through this communication mode.
Key concepts to know
By SMS, we mean the native applications for sending and receiving messages on Android or iOS.
In recent years, Google or Apple have implemented what are known as RCS (RCS: the successor to SMS?) which natively provide instant messaging applications like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, for example. This system offers more direct communication.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using SMS?
By integrating SMS into your recruitment strategy, you increase your chances of receiving responses. Why?
Because the open rate for SMS is close to 100%. Who doesn't have their phone perpetually in their pocket? Whether it's on vibrate or ringtone. Candidates are then quickly informed and can respond almost instantly.
This open rate is also linked to the spam rates that affect emails more than SMS. Who doesn't receive dozens of newsletters every week and sometimes gets lost among all the notifications? With SMS, there's little risk of this happening. Reading is much simpler on a phone, and unsubscribing from mailing lists is very easy by sending STOP.
With SMS, you also reach a broader audience. Even in 2022, not all candidates are fond of email. Either because they don't have access to a smartphone or laptop or because they don't need to check their emails daily.
This also touches on reading comprehension and writing skills. Email is more formal than SMS, and some candidates may be apprehensive about writing them. Today, every French person still sends on average 120 SMS per month or about 4 per day. Your communication becomes more human and appreciated by causing less stressful situations for some candidates. The connection can be strengthened, and you project the image of a more human, dynamic, and modern employer.
A more direct communication with a higher information rate allows for optimized journey times. You quickly know if a candidate wishes to proceed or not.
Using SMS also allows for more discreet communication: it's easier to leave your desk to discreetly read an SMS than to check personal emails at your desk without drawing attention.
How to effectively use SMS in your communication with candidates?
While SMS has several strengths, it should be used sparingly. Imagine receiving as many SMS as emails? Candidates might then feel that you are intrusive, with their mobile phone being synonymous with private space for some.
It's also necessary to carefully choose your SMS communication strategy because you can't convey the same amount of information that an email can contain. While it's now easy to share links, sending documents is not easy, highly constrained, and very dependent on the type of phone (recent, smartphone or not, large or small screen).
When integrating SMS into your recruitment strategy, it should be considered holistically.
At what points in the recruitment process is it preferable to use SMS? Should SMS replace emails or complement your existing communication? Should SMS be used only for certain candidate profiles?
SMS can be a way to confirm to candidates the successful receipt of their application. And why not quickly ask initial questions to filter out irrelevant applications.
It is also recommended for appointment reminders to avoid any forgetfulness or mishaps. You may have sent an email invitation to a candidate without them accepting it, but they have noted the appointment. During SMS reminders, you can list the documents or information in view of your exchange.
If you are already well advanced in a recruitment process with a candidate, SMS becomes easier to use in more direct exchanges. It's also a good way to reach out to a candidate already proposed for other positions by asking for their interest in new assignments. SMS is then perfect for candidates already well-known to your teams.
What tools are available to send SMS from your computer?
Today, there are several options for sending SMS directly from your computer.
- You can use Google's Messages for Web (google.com) or Microsoft's Send and receive SMS from your PC - Microsoft Support
- If you own a Huawei phone, proprietary software also allows this HUAWEI HiSuite.
- The solutions extend beyond SMS to RCS like WhatsApp Web.
- Finally, there are several other solutions: Free SMS marketing: which platform to choose for sending mass SMS campaigns? (appvizer.fr)
With Nicoka, you can send your SMS from Nicoka with SMS Factor.
