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How would you feel about receiving an unsolicited text from a company about job opportunities?
It would probably be 1 text with info or 2 texts with the second being able to opt-out.
We currently use texting for candidates for easier and quicker communications. We've started thinking about text blasts (like email blasts), but we're concerned how this will affect our brand. Meaning, will it turn people off from our company because of the texts (we're a smaller company about 1500, so not tiny, but not massive either). I could see this coming from a company like Amazon/UPS/Nike and no one blinks an eye, but from a smaller company, no one needs bad publicity, right?
And before anyone blasts me, in the recruiting world, you do not need to "opt-in" first because we're not selling anything. Some guy already filed a lawsuit and lost (multiple cases, look it up).
I would be annoyed by texts or robo-calls and would consider your company low class and shady. Sign your company up with a reputable service such as Indeed, Monster, etc
First and foremost, we wouldn't do it, just to do it. That's brand suicide. However, you need to read more before posting a page with very little actual information.
The laws surrounding text messages falls under the TCPA, which states "commercial", "advertising", and "telemarketing" and illegal. It was found in multiple lawsuits that a company texting about a job opening/offer is not considered commercial, advertising, or telemarking and therefore, you do not need prior consent. TCPA views texts as calls. TCPA is part of the Communications Act.
Glad to hear that you've done your homework on the legality. I think the thread is showing you that just because something is legal to do doesn't make it a good idea.
Let me add my vote to the previous comments suggesting that this would make me hold the employer in low regard.
I get my job openings from online sources, like Indeed. I get daily emails from them. If your company were in my area, offering a job in my category, an ad on Indeed would get pushed to me.
I'd assume it's a scam, honestly. I'd probably report whatever number it was from to the FTC.
I'd purposely avoid taking whatever action was in the text, assuming it was a scam/virus/etc.
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Originally Posted by fishbrains
I would find it annoying and intrusive unless I had signed up for your services
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Originally Posted by jelenap
I’d be incredibly annoyed about ANY unsolicited text. I prefer texts for urgent / important notifications: my flight is delayed, neighbor needs help, etc. “We have a job opening” is not one of those things. Send an email or, better yet, post online. Anyone who is seriously looking will find it there. No point in bothering others.
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Originally Posted by bondaroo
I'd think it was unprofessional, and delete it.
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Originally Posted by Lekrii
I would question the competence of any company that took something like that as consent for unsolicited text messages. Any unsolicited text message is tacky, and would turn me off from ever applying to work for that company.
I assume you're sending email blasts and not getting responses. Work on making your company more attractive to work for instead of trying to find way to blast ads at more people.
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Originally Posted by macroy
And therein lies the problem. Legal and appropriate aren't necessarily the same thing. Being annoying isn't illegal, but it's not exactly how people want to be perceived.
The point here is that by giving you my phone number "may" be providing consent by the letter of the law (I'm just guessing, I've no knowledge either way), that doesn't mean people want that.
I get all sorts of text alerts coming to me (banks, certain twitter feeds, work, etc.). The big difference is that I specifically set those up. I'd be pretty annoyed if businesses started to solicit me via text.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlmostSeniorinNJ
I would be annoyed by texts or robo-calls and would consider your company low class and shady. Sign your company up with a reputable service such as Indeed, Monster, etc
These things. Unless you have something of some value for me-- not something you think or hope has value, but something you actually know *I* want-- leave me alone and don't contact me unsolicited. Companies that annoy me with their advertising end up on my "do not give them my money" list.
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Originally Posted by psichick
What if the relationship is that they previously applied for a job or put them in a pool for us to reach out to if the right opportunity arose, but maybe we haven't had any communication with them in over a year. Would your response be different?
The fact that they gave us their phone number, actually is express consent. However, we don't want to abuse that consent so that's why I'm asking C-D what they'd think. And by offering a way to opt-out, we're in the clear, no FCC violations. And again, not that we want to push it because no one wants an FCC violation for trying to recruit.
Nope. If you have read my resume and have a specific job you want me for, then call me and invite me for an interview.
And no, an "opt out" option isn't cool in my book-- I don't click links in or reply to unsolicited texts because they're likely to come from scammers, so no, I won't be taking advantage of whatever "opt out" you have because I don't know who you are or what it might open me up to.
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Originally Posted by psichick
Not sure if anyone will get to this point and read this, but maybe I shouldn't have used the word "unsolicited". I suppose if you gave us your information at one point, for a job or for us to keep in touch about jobs, then a random text might not be "unsolicited". However, I chose that word since these people we want to text may not have been contacted for 1-2 years, so it may seem unsolicited.
It's unsolicited, period. It would be solicited if I called you and said "yes please sign me up for your text message list." if I didn't? Leave me alone. if I had to be open to random spammy contact from everyone I'd ever given my phone number to, and had to allow them to contact me for any reason even if it's unrelated to what I originally gave it for, I'd have to put up with BS every minute of every day. No. Leave me alone. You're scrambling for excuses why you should do this even though multiple people have told you repeatedly that no, this would not be well-received.
Would you like it if, after applying for a job with your company, I sent you multiple text messages saying "Hey, still available, do you want to hire me yet?" You're proposing doing the same thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by psichick
Oh, I completely agree. Me and another colleague are 100% against the idea, but my manager and a few recruiters think it's a good idea. To them, it's a numbers game. To us, it's about not committing employer branding suicide.
Trust me, we're not going to do it, just to do it. I just need ammo to give to my boss to put a stop to this.
It's unsolicited, period. It would be solicited if I called you and said "yes please sign me up for your text message list." if I didn't? Leave me alone. if I had to be open to random spammy contact from everyone I'd ever given my phone number to, and had to allow them to contact me for any reason even if it's unrelated to what I originally gave it for, I'd have to put up with BS every minute of every day. No. Leave me alone. You're scrambling for excuses why you should do this even though multiple people have told you repeatedly that no, this would not be well-received.
Would you like it if, after applying for a job with your company, I sent you multiple text messages saying "Hey, still available, do you want to hire me yet?" You're proposing doing the same thing.
And now you're backpedaling.
I never was backpedaling. I initiated this thread as I did to get true responses from you, which is what I'm getting (I wouldn't have gotten the anger, irritation, hatred otherwise). And just because I told you the real reason for this thread doesn't mean I'm backpedaling, it means you now know the whole story. I'm on your side.
Unfortunately all the articles online are from HR groups or HR vendors saying that recruiting via text messaging is the NEW THING!!! Including robotexts. So this is going to become the newest nuisance. Get ready for it. But those articles aren't from the candidate's POV and that's what I wanted to gather here. I mean, every company used to think (or still doess) that robocalls, robofaxes, roboemails are great for drumming up business, so why not robotexts for recruiting?
I never was backpedaling. I initiated this thread as I did to get true responses from you, which is what I'm getting (I wouldn't have gotten the anger, irritation, hatred otherwise). And just because I told you the real reason for this thread doesn't mean I'm backpedaling, it means you now know the whole story. I'm on your side.
Unfortunately all the articles online are from HR groups or HR vendors saying that recruiting via text messaging is the NEW THING!!! Including robotexts. So this is going to become the newest nuisance. Get ready for it. But those articles aren't from the candidate's POV and that's what I wanted to gather here. I mean, every company used to think (or still doess) that robocalls, robofaxes, roboemails are great for drumming up business, so why not robotexts for recruiting?
You spent the entire thread trying to sell us on this idea and argue for why it would technically be legal, then suddenly went "oops no I actually think it's a bad idea, just wanted ammo to argue against it"? No. Not buying it.
Program something within an email that sends them to a weird site that does strange things to their browser by wanting full access to their data, and top if off by requesting permission to install Norton Antivirus. They'll know it's totally legit when it asks to install Norton. Extra cookie points if the installer wants to install Bing.
Program something within an email that sends them to a weird site that does strange things to their browser by wanting full access to their data, and top if off by requesting permission to install Norton Antivirus. They'll know it's totally legit when it asks to install Norton. Extra cookie points if the installer wants to install Bing.
Haha! Oh yes, Norton, gotta install Norton for it to be legit. I'll definitely keep this in mind.
You spent the entire thread trying to sell us on this idea and argue for why it would technically be legal, then suddenly went "oops no I actually think it's a bad idea, just wanted ammo to argue against it"? No. Not buying it.
LMAO! Gotta love these boards
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So this is going to become the newest nuisance. Get ready for it. But those articles aren't from the candidate's POV and that's what I wanted to gather here. I mean, every company used to think (or still doess) that robocalls, robofaxes, roboemails are great for drumming up business, so why not robotexts for recruiting?
