Connecting with candidates on the go is an important measure to the success of most recruiters. Mobile recruiting is a big topic but this is something a bit different. This is about short message Texting. I do not   consider sms and texting candidates to connect mobile recruiting. Texting is a tool to use to connect much like Twitter is a tool to connect. If you call a candidate’s cell phone is that mobile recruiting?

I guess technically it is, but the big difference here is that a full scale mobile recruitment program involves significant dollars and planning.

But this article is about SMS and Texting candidates. How often do you find partial contact info for a candidate? Maybe you have the candidate’s cell phone number but not their email, maybe it’s in the reverse.

*Warning* This process can be invasive so use it at your own discretion and certainly ask the candidate if it is ok to use this method to contact them.

How I use this method:

  1. I recruit in an RPO format so this is high mostly going to be of a high volume nature depending on the project. I use this much less on Director and Executive / Leadership roles.
  2. I contact the candidates as normal. Once I establish contact I ask if texting is ok to share quick info regarding the jobs they are being considered for. If yes, than I add them in. I am not running grand scale campaigns here. Each candidate is a separate case.
  3. I use my email address to send all of my text messages.

How to send the text via email:

  1. You need to get the carrier they are on
  2. The email address format should be: [10 digit number without dashes or spaces]@the carrier’s text exchange. [see below]
  3.  Open up your email carrier and use the format below to send an email. This is swapped and displayed as a text message and only text message rates apply.

The industries main mobile carriers and their text / email extensions:

ATT:

Verizon Mobile

 

  • Maximum message length: 160 characters, including the sender’s email address, subject line, and callback number
  • [email protected]

 

 

Virgina Mobile:

T-Mobile:

  • Maximum message length: 160 characters (including email address, subject line, and body of the message). The subject line is limited to 16 characters and the body of the message can be no longer than 140 characters.
  • [email protected]

Boost Mobile:

Spint PCS:

  • Maximum message length: 160 characters, including the sender’s email address, subject line, and callback number
  • [email protected]

Nextel:

  • Maximum message length: 500 characters (including letters, punctuation and system-generated characters).
  • [email protected]

All Tel:

  • Maximum message length: 200 characters [according to commenter Edward, below].
  • [email protected]

Do you know you Texting Short Speak?

 

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By Noel Cocca

CEO/Founder RecruitingDaily and avid skier, coach and avid father of two trying to keep up with my altruistic wife. Producing at the sweet spot talent acquisition to create great content for the living breathing human beings in recruiting and hiring. I try to ease the biggest to smallest problems from start-ups to enterprise. Founder of RecruitingDaily and our merry band of rabble-rousers.