Dear Stephen,
I’m an Area VP of Sales for a major manufacturer, involved in hiring decisions made by my regional managers who report to me, as well as leadership recruitment for my own team. For many years, I relied on email for communication. It was the best option for me, as it allowed me to maintain a record of correspondence—resumes, follow-up details, conversation threads—all of which I could easily share or forward to others.
Lately, I’ve noticed a trend within our organization where managers use texting to discuss candidates they’re interviewing and hiring decisions. Taking it a step further, candidates themselves who have my cell number are often texting me!
At first, I was a bit put off by receiving texts from candidates, especially “thank you” notes. I admit it took some getting used to, and communicating directly with a potential hire through text was surprising. Now, however, this has all become much more common, and I’ve grown accustomed to it. In fact, I find it much more efficient. Texting is faster, and I can quickly set up appointments and communicate with the hiring manager or one of my colleagues.
I’m curious about your thoughts and experiences regarding the use of texting versus email in the hiring process. Do you believe texting a hiring manager could reflect negatively on a candidate?
Signed,
SMS
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Dear SMS,
For many years, I personally frowned upon using text messages between someone making a hire and a candidate. I saw several downsides: it’s easier to make a typo in a text, there’s no paper trail (which is often necessary for hires), and the informal nature of texting seemed unprofessional. Additionally, I found the abbreviations like are = r and you = u off-putting in a professional context.
I must admit, the trend has shifted against my initial views on texting. Today, clients at all levels—CEOs, VPs like yourself, even sales reps—frequently text me and each other with their immediate thoughts on a hire. It’s now commonplace rather than the exception. Long story short, while I’m not a fan of abbreviations, I’m pro-text.
I find that once a candidate has interviewed with a client or hiring manager and they exchange cell phone numbers, it’s not unusual for them to begin texting immediately. Like everything else in society today, people want immediate results. And guess what? It works! You can often make a hire happen faster and more efficiently, or any work situation progress faster, by texting.
That said, some pitfalls to texting remain:
1. Talk-to-text is prone to making mistakes and should be avoided.
2. Texting resumes makes printing and sharing more cumbersome. Resumes are better sent via email.
3. A texted “thank you” note to a prospective employer, while polite, still lacks the professionalism of a proper email. My advice to candidates is to send a brief text if they wish but always follow it up with a thoughtful “thank you” email. Some things never change.
I’ve also discovered that my European clients love to text. With European companies, it’s very common to have extensive business conversations through text—or, often, WhatsApp. This could be because there’s no paper trail on a company’s email, which may align with the client’s preference.
Even here in the United States, my smartest clients have started engaging in text dialogues with candidates. It seems to create a better bond and provides the immediate response that everyone wants. It also allows hiring authorities to test the waters with casual communication, making the interaction more personal and giving them better insight into the candidate’s personality.
I guess what I’m saying (admittedly begrudgingly) is that texting may be the new email!
Barriers be gone. Just take my advice: always read everything you’ve written before you hit that send button. You’ll be glad you did.
Signed,
Stephen