How recruitment agencies and HR use Messengers to inspire applicants

The shortage of skilled workers and young talent on the labor market now affects almost all industries. Companies and organizations must not only reach the best applicants, but also recruit them quickly and effectively. In this article, we’ll show you how recruitment agencies and human resources (HR) can use professional messenger communication to attract the best applicants.

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In the article you will learn:

• Why you should adopt Messengers for your HR and application process?
• In which phases of the application process can recruiters and HR successfully use professional messenger communication?
• How to implement efficient and privacy-compliant applicant communication via Messengers?

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Why you should adopt Messengers for your HR and application process?

Your target group communicates on the move

While 98 percent of the population uses the internet in the UK, 89.4 percent of them access the internet via mobile phones. Moreover, as of 2019 100 percent of people aged 16 to 24 used a mobile phone to surf the internet, while 97 percent of people aged 25 to 34 did the same.

In the USA, 90 percent of internet users access it via smartphone. For the age group of 18 to 49, which is most relevant for HR, the usage of smartphones in the United States is at 95 percent of the population.

Your target group is already there

In the UK, 75 percent of all internet users aged 16 to 64 use WhatsApp. The total number of daily WhatsApp users is at 40.23 million.

The USA had over 145 million messenger users as of 2020. The leading messaging app is the Messenger by Meta being used by 83 percent of total messenger users.

💡 Find more numbers on messenger usage here .

Your target group is looking for personal contact

A study conducted in Germany shows, over 52 percent of 14-29 year-olds and around 48% of 25-34 year-olds want direct contact with companies via WhatsApp. In Brazil, the usage of messengers to contact companies is already at 78 percent.

Achieve cost benefit and reduce workload through automation

You can save resources by using bots or chatbots. For example, if you use a chatbot to pre-qualify applicants and their inquiries, you relieve your team of additional work. You can use the resources this frees up for personal applicant consulting and interviewing.

Use speed and multimedia for an optimized application process

With messages via Messengers, you can reach your applicants in almost real time. Over 90% of all messages are read within 15 minutes. In Messenger Communication, you can use all relevant media and file types (voice messages, file attachments, videos, images). This allows you to easily explain complex issues with the best combination of media.

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In which phases of the application process can recruiters and HR successfully use professional messenger communication?

1. Information phase: How can your company inform future employees about itself?

Applicants are looking for information about jobs in their fields. They look around to see which companies they come across and which positions they offer.

1.1 The CEO personally inspires applicants for the company via WhatsApp.

“Ask me on WhatsApp” : Which applicant wouldn’t like to chat in person with the future CEO on WhatsApp in the run-up to an application? “Ask the CEO” or “Ask your next boss” are WhatsApp talk formats that attract great interest among applicants.

1.2 Active help for applicants to find the right job

“What type of job are you?” : The central question for applicants is which job suits them best. With the help of a WhatsApp chatbot , you can create a skills profile together with the applicant. This takes the applicant one step further in their decision-making process.

The German Federal Employment Agency has set an example with its “WhatsMeBot”. It allowed trainees to find out quickly, in a contemporary and entertaining way what type of job they are suited for. The result:

• After six weeks, already more than 180,000 users
• 89% answered questions till the end
• 64,000 participants sought direct contact with the Federal Employment Agency
• 20,000 young people advised per day, more than usual in the whole year

2. Job Search: What positions does your company offer?

Now that applicants know where and how they can contact your company easily, quickly and conveniently via Messengers, they are interested in whether and which suitable jobs are available for them.

Send suitable jobs via WhatsApp

You can send open job postings to applicants via WhatsApp. If there is one that they favor, the chatbot briefly asks for their qualifications. This pre-qualification of an applicant via HR WhatsApp chatbot saves you and your HR colleagues a lot of working time.

From the field: Alex, the WhatsApp chatbot from Merkuria

The delivery service on Lake Constance uses WhatsApp to offer applicants the opportunity to store the most important application data so that they can receive job offers on the spot, if any are available. Chatbot Alex queries the applicant’s relevant data, which is then compared with the job database. If there is an open position, the head of the organization contacts the applicant personally via WhatsApp. The advantage for the company is that automation with the help of the chatbot saves a lot of time in the application process. The applicant, in turn, also saves time in the job search because he or she receives the job offer directly from the company.

From the field: Zoe, the WhatsApp chatbot from KCS Medical

KCS Medical is a recruitment company specializing in the medical sector that offers job seekers the opportunity to find a job as a nurse or midwife, for example, via chatbot Zoe.

“Jobs sent via WhatsApp Notification”: Which applicant would refuse to receive selected jobs that exactly match their qualification profile? The applicant is sent jobs that match his or her qualifications via WhatsApp notifications .

From the field: The WhatsApp Job Alert from Azubiyo

The online job market for trainees and dual students, offers exactly that to applicants. Candidates create a profile on the platform and receive job alerts via WhatsApp upon request.

The special feature is that applicants receive a maximum of one job at a time. If they are dissatisfied with the position sent, they can use the command #more to request another vacant position, to which they can apply if necessary. In this way, no one is overloaded with job offers and, on the other hand, applicants always have a choice.

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3. Application process: How can your company support candidates via Messengers?

After applicants have learnt about your company and found suitable jobs, the question now arises as to how you can effectively support them in the application process.

3.1 Tips for the application and events via Messengers

“Chatbot with tips on how to apply” : if the company speaks the applicant’s language, the applicant is motivated to apply there. If it’s also a chatbot that gives the applicant practical tips on how to apply in an entertaining way, the company has a good chance that the applicant will decide in its favor.

Migros shows how a company can support applicants in the application process in a contemporary and target group-oriented way. Switzerland’s largest retail chain has embedded a WhatsApp bot / chatbot on its website for trainees looking for apprenticeships called “Mino”. Once the privacy policy has been accepted, the applicant can add Mino on WhatsApp. Mino is “cool” and uses text as well as image elements.

The BMW Group supports trainees and dual students via Notify App when applying for suitable positions. With tips and simplified application procedures (resume instead of complete application), the company encourages trainees to start their careers there. This is supported by the use of multimedia (for example, videos) and by employees who act as testimonials.

3.2 Submit the application directly via WhatsApp & Co.

The standard at many companies is still a central application form, which is usually not mobile optimized. However, applicants want to apply quickly and in a meaningful way. Both are possible via Messengers such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Apple Business Chat. The advantage: Applicants can submit their documents to the company via a channel they are familiar with. Companies, in turn, have direct and personal contact with the applicant. The entire application process is faster and more effective for both sides.

From the field: Sending application documents via Messengers

At MessengerPeople, applicants can apply directly via WhatsApp. To do so, they have to go to our “ Job ” page, where they can directly access our Messenger Support Channel via our widget. After providing relevant personal information, applicants can get in direct contact with our HR colleagues under the “Application” section. In further course of the chat, the application can be sent via WhatsApp.

3.3 Find out the current status of the application via WhatsApp notification

Applicants understandably want to know the current status of their application. In order to avoid additional work for the company in providing information, this can be realized via WhatsApp notifications. This way, applicants know at any time what the status of their application is and in which department it is currently located and by whom it is being processed. The advantage for you – you can enrich the notification with different file and media formats (PDF, images, videos, voice messages).

WhatsApp Notifications are WhatsApp messages that companies can send to their customers or applicants on various occasions if they use the WhatsApp Business API . WhatsApp notifications are comparable to a service SMS, which is still familiar from online banking or airline tickets today. To receive such messages, the applicant must actively register or give their consent.

For HR service providers and HR, the following WhatsApp notifications are suitable, among others:

• Alert Update – new job that matches the applicant’s profile.
• Appointment Update – arrange appointment with applicants for job interview on site or via WhatsApp
• Service New Entry – you inform applicants after a longer period of time that there are currently suitable job postings for them.

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4. Onboarding: How to support your new colleagues in the beginning via WhatsApp chat?

The applicant has the new job and now he needs to be trained quickly. The question is how you can best help him.

Arrive at the new company via a fun onboarding chatbot

“Onboarding via Messenger Game” : The new colleague must quickly find his way around his workplace and be trained. This can be supported by using a messenger game via WhatsApp to get to know the new company in a fun way. How about your company asking him 5-10 questions via Messenger?

• Who is the CMO?
• How is the sales department organized?
• At which levels do you serve the best coffee?
• What values does the company stand for?
• What are the most important products?
• Etc.

Each question is followed by two possible answers. The more questions the colleague answers correctly, the cooler the prizes he gets. If all questions are answered correctly by the colleague, he gets the opportunity to meet with the CEO to tell him about his experiences around the application process. If a question is answered incorrectly, the correct result is displayed and they are encouraged not to quit.

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How to implement efficient and privacy-compliant applicant communication via Messengers?

You can map all use cases with our software solution that is GDPR-compliant . It can be used immediately and is browser-based. The unified messenger approach is a win-win for you and your applicants. On the one hand, your company is always available for your applicants on the most popular messengers such as WhatsApp, Apple Business Chat, Facebook Messenger, Viber or Telegram. On the other hand, you can process the requests from the different messengers centrally via our tool. Auto-routing makes it possible for your HR colleagues to always be assigned the right requests automatically. This way, applicants are always handled by the same HR employee. Our Chatbot Builder helps  your company make the collection and processing of applicant data as well as the applicant consultation more efficient through targeted automations via chatbot.

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