How texting is reshaping the way businesses hire
Businesses embracing texting to hire young employees
It's a job-seeker's market out there these days, but with Millennials and Generation Z making up the majority of people looking for work, businesses have to embrace new methods to get in contact with job candidates.
The U.S.’s unemployment rate is currently the lowest it’s been since 1969 at just 3.5 percent, and because of that, employers have to consider everything when it comes to reaching out to younger generations to find new employees. Where a phone call or an email might have been enough ten years ago, now recruiters are harnessing the power of text messages.
“I think with advances in tech we’ve really seen the format of communication change,” says Damon O’Donnell with employment agency Premier Talent Partners. “Text messaging is really becoming a big way we communicate with a lot of our candidates.”
At O'Donnell's firm, text messages, sent from computers and from phones, has become one of the preferred ways to reach younger generations.
“It’s really just become such an important way that [younger generations] communicate with one another,” O’Donnell says. “And I think it’s really the form of communication that probably they know best.”
According to a study by mobile engagement firm OpenMarket, 75% of millennials prefer texting over a phone call.
But if you're an employer, consider these guidelines before recruiting via text:
- The Type of Job: Texting is best for candidates who aren't at a computer 24/5
- Age: Older applicants may sitll prefer email or phone calls
- Type of Info You Want: Texting may not be the best playofrm for asking someone why they want a job