Traditional recruiters are facing an increasingly tough market – the answer to this dilemma is clear: adapt and modernise to the mobile society.
With the rise of national job sites and apps, two-thirds of the UK’s job seekers are bypassing the recruiter to find their next role direct.
The latest research has found that 89% of UK job seekers searching for new roles believe that their smartphone is a necessity for the job hunting process. This figure makes one thing clear: whether via traditional routes or modern apps, today’s job market is heavily reliant on their mobile device. Recruiters must work with what their applicants want and need – if candidates believe smartphones are a necessity, recruiters must work towards a mobile-led communications strategy to connect with users on the devices they rely on, and the benefits are plentiful…
Feature phones vs. smartphones
It’s worth remembering that there was, and still is, a world before smartphones! Although the majority of the population own a smartphone, this is not the case for everyone. This means that the 10% of the population with a feature phone is unable to access apps or mobile pages, so SMS and phone calls are the only means of getting in contact.
Social media hit & miss
When looking to adopt a social media strategy, some agencies may be tempted by cost-free social media messaging. However, this comes with its pitfalls – there is no guarantee that a candidate will read a message sent on social media. Depending on the level of their privacy settings, messages from unknown contacts may not land in users’ main inbox and be unintentionally missed. Compare this to the success of SMS – where 98% of messages will most likely be read by the end of the day.
Constant contact
The power of SMS lies in the ability to quickly and easily contact candidates instantaneously. If there’s a change in time for an interview, this information can be sent there and then, safe in the knowledge that 90% of business texts are read within 3 minutes. This constant contact can be utilised throughout the recruitment process – from getting to know applicants and their requirements for a new job to sending potential matching roles, to organising interviews, sending reminders and personalised interview tips, to collating feedback both post-interview and post-accepting the role.
Timing is everything
Job searching can be a sensitive task for those looking for a new role whilst still working their current job. During work hours, the discretion of SMS is far superior to a disruptive phone call. Avoiding the ‘Sorry I can’t talk right now, I’m at work’ situation not only improves recruiter-candidate relationships through increased trust but also saves time for recruiters from unsuccessful phone conversations.
The SMS world is your oyster!
The text messages your recruitment agency sends can also be tailored to each candidate, and be as rich and sophisticated as you like. It may be the case where you simply wish to send a plain text SMS – for example, to confirm an appointment time – but you can also send content-rich messages with Short Codes to take candidates to a mobile landing page with further information on a new role or even interactive location maps to help candidates find their way to interviews.
If you’d like to find out more about how your recruitment agency could improve relationships and save time with SMS, why not get in touch and sign up for your free account?
