Best Practices for Texting Candidates

Clear, timely communication is an important part of creating a positive candidate experience. While Trakstar Hire includes built-in email functionality for communicating with candidates, text messaging can be an effective way to send quick updates and reminders throughout the hiring process.

This article shares best practices for texting candidates and introduces Keeyora, a third-party Chrome extension that allows you to send text messages from within a candidate's profile in Trakstar Hire.

When to Use Text Messages

Text messaging works best for brief, time-sensitive communications, such as:

• Interview reminders
• Interview confirmations
• Quick follow-ups
• Gauging a candidate's interest in an opportunity

For longer conversations or messages that require more detail, email is typically the better choice.

Best Practices for Texting Candidates

Be Professional

Although text messages are often more casual than email, maintain a professional tone in every conversation.

• Use complete sentences.
• Check your spelling and grammar before sending.
• If emojis align with your company's brand, use them sparingly.
• Keep conversations focused on the hiring process.

Keep Messages Brief

Text messages should be concise and easy to read.

Good uses for text messaging include:

• Interview reminders
• Interview confirmations
• Quick follow-up messages
• Simple scheduling updates

If your message is more than a sentence or two, consider sending an email instead.

Introduce Yourself

Candidates may not recognize your phone number and may be interviewing with multiple companies at the same time.

Whenever you send a text message, identify:

• Yourself
• Your company

This helps candidates immediately understand who is contacting them.

Send Messages at Appropriate Times

When possible, send text messages between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM in the candidate's local time zone.

Being mindful of timing helps ensure your communication is well received.

Using Keeyora with Trakstar Hire

If you'd like to communicate with candidates by text directly from their Trakstar Hire workflow, Trakstar recommends Keeyora (formerly Rectxt).

Keeyora is a Google Chrome extension that allows you to send text messages from a candidate's profile in Trakstar Hire. It also includes features such as:

• Sending individual text messages
• Sending mass messages to groups of candidates
• Easy unsubscribe options for recipients

Getting Started with Keeyora

To begin using Keeyora:

1. Create a Keeyora account.
2. Select the subscription plan that best fits your needs.
3. Log in to your account.
4. Follow the prompts to install the Keeyora Google Chrome extension.

Send a Text Message from Trakstar Hire

After installing the extension:

1. Open the candidate's profile in Trakstar Hire.
2. Use the Keeyora extension to compose and send your text message.
3. If needed, use Keeyora's mass messaging feature to contact multiple candidates simultaneously.

Click on the phone number or the Keeyora icon from the extension toolbar to get started.  A pop-up will appear, and the phone number should auto-populate.  Fill in the rest of the information to create the candidate profile. Keeyora allows you to group candidates, so select from the Talent Pools drop-down to further organize candidates.

Once the candidate has been imported into Keeyora,  click the Text Now button to compose your message.

Write your message, and then send it to the candidate!

The message will be sent as a text to the candidate, and they can unsubscribe or reply from their phone.  When they reply, you will receive a Chrome alert, and the incoming message will appear in your chat.

You can also mass message groups of candidates - Keeyora's talent pools - in the Mass Message tab.

To search through chats or candidates you've added to Keeyora, toggle to that specific tab. 

For additional information on Keeyora, check out their support documents or visit their pricing page. And if you'd like to see a full Hire integration with Keeyora, please let us know.