How HR Professionals Can Connect With Candidates and Employees Through Short Code Messaging

With 96% of Americans owning mobile phones, HR recruiters are now leaning toward tools such as online chatbots and short code messaging. With so many cases of fraudsters, and a surge in robocalling, people now do not answer calls from numbers they do not know. And, with the CTIA reportingOpens a new window that 93% of consumers consider text messaging to be a trusted communication environment,” short codes offer the perfect opportunity for starting a trusted conversation between recruiters and candidates.

Despite what feels like an increasingly bleak job landscape, interestingly, the tail end of 2020 saw a growing demand for a wide range of positions across the U.S. According to a recent LinkedIn studyOpens a new window published in December of 2020, opportunities have increased for receptionists, food specialists, training supervisors, and cloud technology engineers. Yet, the task of filling positions hasn’t gotten any easier for recruiters even with millions still unemployed. Here’s why: In addition to competing for talent with other companies that are hiring, recruiters are discovering that many Americans are now working from home. With geographic boundaries shifting, recruiters are now appealing to talented candidates to fill positions outside their traditional footprint. For many employers, a key first step might be something as simple as finding more engaging ways to reach potential candidates.

The Changing Landscape of Recruiting

COVID-19 has inarguably forced recruiters to take a closer look at every aspect of the hiring process, recognizing the challenges of trying to connect with potential hires in meaningful ways that are both personalized, professional, and safe. Traditionally, the first point of contact with a potential candidate is a phone call or email. These approaches are fast becoming more difficult with the rise of robocalls, which have resulted in millions ignoring unidentified numbers. Emails, too, often end up getting lost amongst the clutter and junk mail, or simply go unchecked for days. What many recruiters might not realize is that often the answer to these challenges is quite literally in the palm of every candidate.

The Gap: Why Text Messaging via Short Codes Is Effective

It’s hard to imagine anyone being surprised to learn that 96 percentOpens a new window of Americans own a mobile phone and that at least half of them check it about once every five minutes. As robocalls become increasingly pervasive and some people simply don’t care to answer phone calls from numbers they don’t immediately recognize, it’s equally unsurprising to learn that 93 percent of mobile phone users think of text messaging as the best choice when it comes to reliable and trustworthy forms of communication, according to CTIA. Mobile messaging boasts higher open and response rates than any other form of communication, and overwhelmingly the best choice for increasing trust from the sender, even further is the use of short codesOpens a new window . Short codes are five- or six-digit numbers that can be personalized to spell out an organization’s name or a relevant word, maximizing memorability and reinforcing the message.

Mnemonics and code length are two reasons why short codes are more straightforward for job seekers to remember. For example, companies could use a string of digits in a sequence, i.e., 123123, or personalize their short code selection, like Target, which uses 827438, spelling “TARGET” on the customer’s dial pad. They are universally accessible on most carrier networks and mobile devices. The use of short codes helps establish a trusted form of communication between a recruiter and a job- seeker. That is thanks to the relationship that  has been established between the sender and the recipient.  Since the consumer must opt-in to receive information, messages sent via short codes have very high open rates and substantially higher response rates than other text messaging options.

Putting Short Codes Into Practice

Aside from being incredibly effective, short codes are necessary for recruiters who want to provide the job-seeking experience that most of the current workforce has come to expect based on their lifestyles. That workforce today includes 56 million millennials, 98 percent of whom own smartphonesOpens a new window . While that might not come as much of a surprise, this might: A likely result of that near-universal smartphone usage is that millennials now think of email as the lowest form of electronic communication. As Gen Z also starts to enter the workforce (they already account for 5 percent of it), the trend toward text messaging is likely to continue, which makes refining a company’s approach to using them all the more important. Using short codes and other automation tools is a good start, but it is essential to understand how to deal with this elite generation of texters and act accordingly:

• Get permission: The nature of a short code is that it requires the end user to initiate the conversation and allows them to opt-out or stop at any time.
• Be consise: Automated or not, messages should always reflect the intention of the sender in a simple and clear way.
• Be strategic: Modernizing your communication strategy doesn’t trump common sense. If you’re recruiting for an executive-level position, this might not be the best approach, and even if it is, be mindful of how and when you send your text messages.
• Be personal: Identify the company you represent, even when using short codes. This is a great way to let people know that your messages are coming from someone they know and trust.

When it comes to communicating with a company’s already established workforce, mobile messaging tools can be equally useful as more and more employees work from home. Companies have begun to contemplate extending work-from-home policies indefinitelyOpens a new window . Short-code text messaging is a fun and engaging way to automate many of the essential HR functions that most of us take for granted:

• Birthday and work anniversary messages: These can also include fun multimedia elements that will work well when sent to smartphones.
• Onboarding: Get new hires up to speed immediately by sending them essential first-day information via text message.
• Training: Quickly and interactively engage employees to make sure they’re up to the task at hand.
• Open enrollment: Alert employees when it starts, send out links to their coverage options or even encourage stragglers to sign up.
• General alerts and reminders: Text messaging is an ideal option for instant communication and reminders, i.e., staff meetings, upcoming events, or timely alerts such as building closures and weather alerts.

All things considered, short codes are becoming an increasingly beneficial tool for the workforce. Through seamless and simple implementation, recruiters and businesses can better reach their target audience, and quicker.