Cold Text Recruiting Tips

Texting candidates is becoming more pervasive in the recruitment world. We see it everyday here at Emissary.

Our clients use us for scheduling interviews, onboarding as well as marketing communication, such as promotion of recruitment events. Our texting platform can also be used for internal coordination with employees for example to remind them of upcoming deadlines like open enrollment or to send an important company message from the CEO.

But what are recruiters actually saying when they text a candidate. I thought it would be useful to ask recruiters to send me their exact messaging techniques.

Some basic advice. Don’t be too wordy. Less is more. Some recruiters use texting to manage relationships rather than cold outreach. That’s fine too.

Here’s what else they told me;

• Hi, Joe, this is Tom Lindsay, a recruiter. I saw your resume on XXXX, and I am working on filling a hot JOBJOB there in CITY. When is a good time for us to talk about it? I get about 50 percent response on the first send, and a little lower on follow ups.
• I had great responses, IMO using mass text messaging. If they don’t want to receive text messages they’ll definitely let you know and you fix it by opting them out of future texts. Now you have your audience narrowed down. Those that won’t answer a phone call but love texting will think you’re the best thing since sliced cheese.
• I experimented and changed it up. Some people will reply to messages worded one way while others will respond to the same message worded differently.
• I use text constantly. I generally try to call first, then text if they don’t answer. Something along the lines of “Hey its Lara with COMPANY. I called because I saw that you have a ton of experience in X, and I’m looking for a Y. Are you open to a discussion about the role?” If I found a resume online, I usually end with “Are you still interested in exploring new opportunities?” instead.
• Keep it short and casual…MUCH SHORTER than an email. Use punctuation and emojis as you see fit. Candidates want to work with relatable people, not “headhunters”.
• Lots of success with “are you interest in a ____position in (city)? – my name, staffing agency/company ..I get a lot of replies that turn into interviews and beyond!
• Use it to start relationships/conversation rather than getting the meeting straight away. Treat it the same way you would meeting a prospect in real life. Don’t just go in for the kill. Ask questions see if there’s an interest there first and lead them down a path. Once you’ve got their challenges then you can say “we can help with that, would you be open to having a quick telephone conversation about it”
• Definitely recommend very plainly asking if they are interest in a (insert job title) position in (insert city)?
  If they reply no- “thanks! Let me know if I can help in the future!” If they reply yes- “great! When is a good time for a quick call to ask a few questions? Super informal ” (*emojis and wording based on audience)
• Voicemails are outdated. When I call and nobody answers, I hang up and send a text with my profile picture and a short intro. They almost ALWAYS call me back immediately!
• If you can’t do cold out reach you can’t Source. If you don’t want to text that’s fine I’ll get to the candidate sooner. 90% of all text messages are read within 3 minutes of being sent.
• Hey, Joe. I am intrigued by your XYZ skill. And your stability at Company ABC is impressive. I am helping an entrepreneur in the XYZ domain to recruit for this xyz position. So I am checking to see if you are open to discussing this opportunity in detail. Number, Email. Thanks. Regards.