DETROIT – As technology evolves, so do communications practices. A new survey shows some 70 percent of Detroit tech leaders said their company uses texts to coordinate interviews with prospective candidates, 3 points above the national average.
Robert Half Technology Survey said in today’s hot job market, time is of the essence and texting with candidates is one more channel to communicate quickly and easily – why speed was cited as the biggest benefit by both workers and managers.
But not all employers and professionals view texting as the way to go. Responses included: texting leaves too much room for miscommunication; Too personal: prefer to text with family and friends; and Too much room for making mistakes.
“The biggest downfall of texting is miscommunication and errors,” said Jelina Auon, Robert Half Technology Detroit Regional Vice President. “It’s important for candidates and mangers to use texting wisely.”
The survey asked, “What do you think is/would be the biggest benefit of texting?”
| Managers | Workers |
Speed | 43% | 44% |
Discretion | 24% | 19% |
Ease and preference | 22% | 20% |
None: texting leaves too much room for miscommunication | 12% | 17% |
The survey asked, “What do you think is/would be the biggest problems caused by texting?”
| Managers | Workers |
Miscommunication: May take longer to clarify details | 45% | 40% |
Too personal: prefer to text with family and friends* | — | 17% |
Text speak: Shorthand can be a problem | 29% | 17% |
Too much room for making mistakes | 16% | 12% |
None | 10% | 14% |
* This response was not an option for managers
She said texting is used in combination with phone calls, emails, and face-to-face interviews. Texting typically is used in the initial processing of candidates, or to set up the initial interviews.
“Recruiting is tracking trends in technology,” Auon said. “We have to accommodate those trends to be successful. We encourage hiring managers to use it. Many candidates are not available during business hours. Text messages initiate the process.”
Auon said the Detroit market is extremely competitive not just for technology jobs, but also from the up-and-coming companies particularly in downtown Detroit. Software developers are at less than a 2 percent unemployment rate.
“If we don’t become tech savvy and progress, we will be challenged finding talent out there,” she said.
To read the survey, click on http://rh-us.mediaroom.com/2019-07-16-Texting-While-Hiring-67-Of-Tech-Leaders-Say-Their-Companies-Text-In-Hiring-Process