Anyone who has ever applied for a job or seen a new doctor will tell you there’s nothing fun about paperwork. Whether in-person or online, the process almost always involves writing and rewriting the same information over and over again in different places: name, address, phone number, etc. This experience is particularly frustrating when technology is involved but unable to parse personal details from one form to another.
It’s no wonder one vendor survey found that “the candidate drop-off rate for people who click ‘Apply’ but never complete an application is a whopping 92%.”
Ninety-two percent. Let that sink for a second: 92% of candidates never bother to finish an application, so recruiters only review 8% of interested, available talent. Talk about a self-limiting approach to quality of hire. More than that, a high drop-off rate will impact other critical metrics, including cost-per-hire and time-to-fill. And in a job market where competition remains fierce, employers need every advantage they can get.
What’s Wrong
An earlier piece looked at how text messaging supports candidate engagement from that first point of contact. The same principle applies here, too (pun intended). Per SHRM, a recent report on the application flow of Fortune 500 companies looked at how many clicks it took from start to finish.
The results indicated candidates had to click an average of 51 times to get through the process—nine before they even got into the application. Along the way, they had to create user accounts and passwords, enter the same data already contained in their resumes, and answer the same questions more than once. It’s no surprise that 92% of candidates abandon ship before they reach the end.
Knowing how frustrating the situation is and where the problem lies creates an opportunity for improvement. The easiest way to boost engagement and lower drop-off rates is to streamline the application and reduce all those clicks – and that’s where texting comes in.
How Texting Helps
By augmenting or even supplanting the traditional online (or, in some scenarios, in-person) application with a text-based one, the bi-directional apply flow becomes interactive and looks something like this:
- Recruiters advertise openings with a unique phone number
- Candidates text ‘Apply’ to the number to opt-in
- They engage with a chatbot that asks basic questions, such as name, email, zip code, and the job category of interest
- Based on the provided information, the system builds a candidate profile
- Candidates receive additional information about the job via text
The last step varies depending on the position. In some instances, a longer, more formal application follows. In others, candidates are invited to schedule a phone screen or interview. The initial workload is reduced for both candidates and hiring teams through automation, providing the necessary details to advance the process. Recruiters and hiring managers can see which candidates came in via text and review their profiles at any time.
Text Applications in Action
With the prevalence of text messaging, it has become a non-intrusive way to start candidates on their journey. Text recruiting provides a quick way to connect with candidates and fill the talent pipeline, especially in high-volume hiring scenarios, such as retail, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, and the like.
The text messaging system allows candidates to apply anywhere, anytime, encouraging potential applicants to start when it’s most convenient for them. The automation factor initiates communication instantaneously, reaches candidates where they are, and speeds up the process.
At the same time, text recruiting features make it possible to reach multiple prospects, inviting them to attend a mass hiring event or demonstrate their interest. This is particularly handy for seasonal hirings, such as amplifying a retail presence ahead of the holidays or ensuring summer recreations like amusement parks and boardwalks are fully staffed in time for the vacation crowd.
When it comes to hiring this year and beyond, efficiency continues to be a top priority for recruiters and the organizations – and candidates – they support. Asking anyone to navigate 51 clicks on top of an application is not only excessive, but it’s also unnecessary. There are better ways to engage candidates and better ways to complete an application – and it’s all just a short message away.
Keep reading about the benefits of texting and how adding texting tools can optimize your hiring process.
- How, When and Why to Text: Employee Referrals
- How, When and Why to Text: Notification and Communication
- How, When, and Why to Text: Candidate Engagement
- Text Recruiting Software: The HR Tech You Need Now
