If you had to guess, do you think increasingly more people use emojis nowadays – or less? With the entry of text recruiting, which witnesses over 90% higher open rates than email, emojis are growing in popularity. Many Millennial and Gen Z candidates prefer to be contacted via text or even social media instead of more traditional communications. With the widespread adoption of remote and hybrid working arrangements, finding ways to incorporate technology into workflows is a must, according to Neogov.
What are the benefits of adding emojis into your recruiting strategy? Says Mandy Watson, the founder of Ambitions Personnel: “Candidates are much more comfortable responding to recruiters if they feel the process is informal. Emojis are an easy way to do that. ” Here are 3 perks of including emojis in your next campaign:
- Say what you mean to say: Much of our communication in the digital-first era is textual, but everyone has different ways of understanding or interpreting what they read. An emoji can help convey tone of voice, lighten the mood, or even say something in fewer words.
- Make interviewing less stressful: Candidates bring their personal stories and experiences to the table during a screening call or interview – and that can be nerve-wracking! As a recruiter, the small gesture of adding a smiley or thumbs up can put everyone at ease and encourage applicants to be more authentic.
- Gather candidate feedback: Collecting honest feedback from job seekers is helpful for identifying areas of improvement in the recruitment process. Emojis are a great way to capture candidate responses to qualitative measures, e.g. culture fit, sense of belonging.
How about you – does your recruitment team use emojis? Do you feel they are appropriate in a professional setting? Make sure to vote in our polls this week on Twitter and LinkedIn.