Many job candidates – especially Gen Z – get a bad rap for being on their phones too much. But the reality is that just about all of us spend a lot of time on our phones. And since the best way to connect with other people is to meet them where they’re at, one of the best ways to increase candidate engagement is by sending messages directly to their phones.
And emails alone don’t seem to cut it.
Do most of us have access to email on our phones? Yes, but the difference in open rate between the two are staggering. 98% of texts get opened compared to just 21.5% of emails. So if you’re looking for a chance to increase your candidate engagement by more than 4x, consider using SMS to boost your assessment completion rates.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with sending emails! In fact, we recommend using SMS in conjunction with emails can help you cover your bases and create multiple points of opportunity to connect with candidates – in whatever way is easiest for them. While older candidates might prefer email correspondence, that’s not the case for everyone. Many younger job seekers view texts to their phone as lower pressure compared to emails, which may contribute to high SMS open rates.
Here are 4 ways that SMS can drive more completed applications into your hiring pipeline.
1. Use SMS notifications to increase candidate engagement.
As we just shared, the difference in open rate between SMS and emails is stark. But text messaging is a powerhouse for other engagement metrics too. In addition to a 98% open rate, SMS has a 90% visualization rate within the first 3 seconds, and they are replied to within an average of 90 seconds.
With such a high rate of success, text messages are a great way to move the needle on your candidate engagement numbers. SMS messaging puts critical information directly into the hands of your job applicants and makes it easy for them to take action.
2. Pair SMS invitations with mobile-friendly tests.
Based on their open and response rate, SMS assessment invitations are a great way to drive up assessment completion rates all on its own. But when you pair text invites with mobile-friendly assessments, the ball really starts rolling.
Making things easy is the name of the game when it comes to reducing candidate drop-off, and SMS invitations to device-agnostic tests helps reduce friction in your hiring process.
And remember – many Criteria assessments are mobile-friendly, making assessments highly accessible and easy to complete. Especially when coupled with an invitation via text!
3. Remind candidates of testing deadlines with SMS.
If candidates haven’t yet completed their assessments, SMS reminders can be used to gently nudge candidates towards finishing them.
You can send a text that mentions the assessment deadline in the initial invitation SMS, and then an additional ping a few days before their assessment link is set to expire.
Just be sure not to blow up their phone with messages or at odd hours of the day – a few well-timed messages are all you need.
4. Send SMS to improve candidate communication.
We know that open and clear communication is a top priority for job candidates. In fact, more than half of them report “poor communication from employers or recruiters” as the reason why they’ve abandoned a hiring process. Sending SMS messages enables you to quickly reach candidates and share important information with them.
SMS reminders help improve assessment completion rates.
This is especially helpful when sharing details on any assessments required for your hiring process. You can send texts inviting them to start assessments and reminders about assessment expiration dates, which both help increase the likelihood of your candidates successfully completing any necessary assessments.
Using SMS is an easy way to make sure candidates are seeing any important information about your application process.
If you’re looking for an easy way to send out SMS reminders and invitations to your candidates, consider a subscription to Criteria’s Talent Success Suite and learn more about how to leverage our technology to engage your candidates.
