The race for candidates is on - 5 ways texting can help

The race for candidates is on - but it’s feeling more like a marathon than a sprint. We’re in a competitive hiring landscape with a slew of challenges, and while there are more obvious solutions like increasing compensation or casting a wider sourcing net (both of which we recommend), these efforts are negated if you can’t compete on time to hire. 

This is particularly true for hourly hiring. People Matters found that after 72 hours, 20% of the candidate pool will disappear and move on to other employment opportunities. And this trend continues - for each 24-hour period of time, another 20% of candidates will disappear and remove themselves from the potential candidate pool.

You need to hire in days, not weeks. Here are five ways texting can accelerate your time to hire:

1. Cut through the email clutter

Compared to email, texts achieve 4X more responses 5X faster. 

Text messages also receive an average open rate of +90%. If your emails aren’t stacking up to that metric, you now have an instant solution to drastically improve the number of candidates that engage in your hiring process - just by adding another communication channel.

2. Engage with the on-the-go, 24/7

You need to engage candidates anytime, anywhere. 53% of text conversations are happening outside of business hours for one of the world’s top retail employers thanks to HireVue Hiring Assistant’s conversational AI-powered workflow automation. You need that same always-on hiring to compete.

While conversational AI can engage candidates through other channels such as webchat, mobile channels like text and WhatsApp add an extra layer of flexibility and freedom for candidates, resulting in more conversations progressing to the next step. 

Candidates can text-to-apply when they see a sign at their favorite coffee shop, reply to screening questions on the go without interrupting their day, and schedule their interview while watching their favorite show. Meanwhile, your hiring team can log on to a calendar full of pre-qualified candidates ready to interview and see candidates’ updated statuses in their ATS. 

3. Meet consumer-grade candidate experience expectations

As consumers, we demand instantaneous answers. We are used to chatbots that help us return our packages, texting to schedule our next haircut, and automated reminders before our upcoming doctor’s appointment. Those consumer-grade expectations are extending to hiring too, but most hiring processes aren’t up to those standards. 

There has been a 40% increase in candidate resentment since 2016, and those poor experiences are landing on review sites like Glassdoor and impacting candidate buying behaviors. Automated text messages can help: 81% of job seekers say employers communicating status updates to them would greatly improve the overall experience - keeping them engaged, feeling prioritized, and more likely to say “yes.”

4. Finally talk to every candidate

In the chatbot era, there is no excuse for candidates that feel forgotten, yet 75% of candidates don’t hear back after submitting an application. 

It’s unreasonable to think an already stretched recruiting team can reply to every applicant, but with automation, you can accomplish exactly that. When all candidates know where they stand, have clear next steps, and are receiving frequent reminders, fewer drop out of the process and more move faster through the funnel.

5. Empower recruiters to do more by doing less

Texting that also automates tedious workflows is a game-changer for the recruiter experience. While HireVue Hiring Assistant automates these time-consuming hiring tasks like scheduling interviews, sending reminders, and updating ATS statuses, recruiters and hiring managers can focus on activities where high-touch human interaction and decision-making are required. 

With automated text messaging on their side, companies are able to make offers before their competition has even reviewed their resume. 

“[HireVue Hiring Assistant] closed 66% of open requisitions in 2 weeks and has created an amazing experience for our restaurant. All our applicants first talk with [the chatbot], and if qualified, are directly scheduled with the restaurant.” - Brooke Burgiel, Senior Director of Human Resources at Maggiano’s Little Italy

To get started texting candidates, schedule a HireVue Hiring Assistant demo today.