I want to start this blog off with a disclaimer. Messaging can be tricky, what has worked in the past might not work now and what works now might not work in the future. Along with that, what works for one person might not work for the next. Just be yourself and don’t over think it! The most important thing is actually sending the message! Do not be afraid to try different things or ideas and see what works for you!
Let’s get started. Effective messaging can take you a long way in recruiting! It is the first thing candidates see about the position and company. A message can sway the prospect’s opinion positively or negatively. In this blog, I will go over some of the techniques I use to recruit top talent.
Keep It Short
No one wants to read a multiple paragraph message that might take up valuable time. I try to keep my messages to 3-4 sentences and get the most important information out there quickly. Getting to the point right away can go a long way. A catchy title is important to ensure that the recipient doesn’t scroll on by. My messages tend to follow a similar outline:
- The company and what position they are looking for
- What the company does
- Call to action
Throwing too much detail at a person initially can lead to not reading the message at all.
Don’t Think Too Much
This is a big one! I know it is not as easy as saying “don’t over think it” but try your best not to rack your brain coming up with messages. Chances are some of the people you are messaging won’t even read the message. The most important thing is to get the message out. If it sucks, that’s okay! You can always change it up and try a new message the next time. Play around with it. Be creative, but keep it short and concise… and don’t over think it! Try different messages and track to see what types get the most positive responses.
Message People with Qualifications That Fit the Job
This one may fall under sourcing more but it can really improve the effectiveness of your messages. If candidates think the position is a good fit for them as well, they are more likely to agree to a next step.
Taking a little extra time to make sure the people you are messaging fit the role can drastically improve positive response rates.
Examples
Below are examples of 2 different messages I use in my day-to-day recruiting. Depending on the position, I will change aspects of the messages to fit my targets better, but these two templates help me on 80% of my roles.
Hey (Candidate Name),
(Company Name) is looking for (Position Name). (Quick one liner about what the company does). Are you open to a quick chat?
So for this template, if I was recruiting for a recruiter here at RecEx, it might look something like this:
Hey John,
Recruiting Experiences if looking to bring on a new Recruiter. We create positive experiences for candidates and hiring teams through proper recruiting practices. Are you open to a quick chat?
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This next example is a bit longer and it is an older message that has been in use for a while! Our founder Amy Oviedo created this one.
Dear {firstName},
I would take a daring bet and say you’ve never heard of (Company Name) before BUT if can swallow one more recruiter email and read this message all the way through, then consider that your good deed for today!
(Company Name, followed by quick one liner about the company). We are looking to bring on a (Position Name) to our team.
Would you be open to a brief call this week to learn more?
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This templated message for a software engineer might look like this:
Dear {firstName},
I would take a daring bet and say you’ve never heard of Engineering Experiences before BUT if you can swallow one more recruiter email and read this message all the way through, then consider that your good deed for the today!
Engineering Experiences is a software services firm with a proven track record of creating retail solutions for small and scaling local retailers. We are looking to bring on a Lead Software Engineer to our team.
Would you be open to a brief call this week to learn more?
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As I said in the beginning, messaging can be tricky. Play around with it and see what works. Just be yourself and send some messages!
If you enjoyed this blog, you might like another blog we have about the recruiters influence on the hiring process: https://www.recruitingexperiences.com/what-is-the-recruiters-influence-on-the-hiring-process/
