Texting, so popular in many other areas of life, is now moving into the interview and job hiring process. According to a June 21, 2017 Wall Street Journal article, some employers feel that prospects are too slow to pick up the phone or respond to email so they’re trying out text messaging apps to screen candidates or conduct initial interviews more efficiently.
Several larger employers such as staffing firm Aegis Worldwide, LLC and restaurant booking service Open Table have been using Canvas, a messaging app from Canvas Talent Inc. The app suggests open-ended questions that the recruiter can ask and analyzes the responses. At Aegis, for example, recruiters who used to schedule 30 back-to-back conversations can now manage conversations with 90-120 candidates at the same time.
The app seems to be the most natural fit with millennials who are job searching, but it has also been used for plant workers and IT professionals who have only limited availability to talk. In Silicon Valley, texting may address the aversion to talking on the phone and may seem more convenient to people who are very short of time.
Etiquette for texting is still somewhat unclear because the previous rules for job search communication are more formal than the typical style of texting. While some job seekers enjoy taking time to think about the questions before responding, others worry that perhaps they are not evidencing enough enthusiasm if they don’t respond right away. Some people may wonder whether to include an emoji or not. We know that some things can be misinterpreted when we write them down.
Bottom line, we are still new in the use of texting for job interviews. Try it with the next text you get and see how it goes.
