Recruiting text messages to candidates: sequences and rules

Recruiting texts work best as short sequences tied to each hiring step: confirm the application, offer interview times, remind the day before, flag the offer, and re-engage past finalists when a new role opens. Each text names you and the company, asks one easy question, and stops as soon as the candidate replies, so a recruiter takes over.

This guide covers what candidates say they want, what consent you need, when to send, and ready-to-paste sequences for every stage, plus how to keep your texts from looking like the job scams candidates now expect. It is the recruiting chapter of our guide to SMS for sales and customer follow-up.

Do candidates want recruiters to text them?

Many say so. In a 2023 survey of 1,000 US job seekers by iCIMS, a company that sells hiring software including text recruiting, "almost half (47%) say that texting is their preferred form of communication", and 56% ranked getting a phone call last (iCIMS, 2023). In the same survey, 80% said status updates during the application process would improve their experience and their view of the employer.

Treat these as vendor survey figures: self-reported, from a company with a stake in the answer, and from 2023. They fit a simpler fact: 91% of US adults own a smartphone (Pew Research Center, 2025), so a text reaches candidates between shifts, classes and other interviews.

What can texting speed up in hiring?

Scheduling is the step with the most back-and-forth, and texts suit it well. In 2024 Chipotle introduced an automated hiring assistant that "chats with candidates, answers their questions, collects basic information, schedules interviews, and sends offers in real time". The company said this cuts the time to hire for restaurant roles "by as much as 75%" (Nation's Restaurant News, 2024). That is Chipotle's own "up to" figure, given at launch, for a chat assistant that does more than send texts, and no independent study has checked it. What it does show is that scheduling is where hiring stalls.

Candidates expect speed too: in the iCIMS survey, 72% expected the whole process, from application to offer, to take three weeks or less. A short text with a booking link takes seconds to answer.

What consent do you need to text candidates?

You need the candidate's agreement to receive texts from you, recorded with where and when they gave it. This section summarizes public rules and is not legal advice; ask a lawyer about your own program.

United States. Texts about a candidate's own application are informational. CTIA's carrier guidance says informational messages need the person's "express permission", and that messages "should be sent only after the Consumer has opted-in" (CTIA, 2023). Federal rules require "prior express consent" for autodialed calls and texts to mobile numbers (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(1)). The usual place to get it is the application form, with a line such as: "I agree to receive texts from Northwind about my application, including interview scheduling and reminders. Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help." More wording is in our opt-in examples.

Sourced candidates. People you found on a job board or professional network never gave you their number for texts. Carriers expect an opt-in for every business text, and CTIA says senders "should not use opt-in lists that have been rented, sold, or shared". Reach them by email or a call first and ask whether they'd like updates by text. Our guide to whether cold texting is legal explains the rules.

Canada. CASL covers commercial texts, and whether a recruiting text is commercial depends on its content. The regulations exclude a message "sent in response to a request, inquiry or complaint or is otherwise solicited by the person to whom the message is sent" (SOR/2013-221, s. 3(b)). Staffing firms texting past candidates about new roles should read our CASL text message guide.

When should you text candidates?

Text during the day in the candidate's time zone, and use business-day waits so nothing lands on a Sunday. Federal quiet hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. apply to telephone solicitations (47 CFR 64.1200(c)), and several states use 8 p.m. Many candidates have jobs, so a window of 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. gives them a chance to answer on a break or after work.

Stage	First text	Follow-up	Close
Application received	Within an hour	1 business day	2 business days
Interview scheduling	As soon as they pass screening	1 business day	Recruiter calls
Interview reminder	The day before	Morning of, for hourly roles	After a miss: rebook
Offer	When the offer email goes out	2 business days	Recruiter calls
Past finalists	When a matching role opens	3 business days	Stop

Related: texting quiet hours.

Recruiting text sequences

Every template fits in one segment (160 characters) with the fields filled in, before the opt-out line is added. Swap "Sam" and "Northwind" for your name and company.

Application received

Text 1, within an hour:

Hi First name, it's Sam at Northwind. Thanks for applying for Role. Is a 10-minute call this week good? Reply with a day that works.

Wait 1 business day. If no reply:

I can also share pay, hours and location here if that's easier. Any questions about Role?

Wait 2 business days. If no reply:

I'll keep your application open for Role. Reply any time this week if you'd like to talk.

Interview scheduling and reminders

Text 1, after screening:

Good news, First name: you're through to an interview for Role. Pick a time here: Booking link, or reply with a day.

Wait 1 business day. If no reply:

Just checking the interview link reached you. Reply with a day and time and I'll book it for you.

The day before the interview:

Hi First name, a reminder of your interview for Role tomorrow at Time. Reply here if you need to change it.

The morning of, for in-person hourly roles:

See you today at Time at Address, First name. Ask for Sam at the front desk.

After a missed interview:

Hi First name, we missed you at today's interview for Role. Want to pick a new time?

Wait 1 business day. If no reply:

Here's the link if it's easier: Booking link

Two reminders before an appointment led to fewer misses than one in a trial of 54,066 patients (American Journal of Managed Care, 2018). More timing detail is in our reminder sequences guide.

Offer

Send the offer itself by email or your document system, and use a text to make sure it's seen:

Hi First name, good news from Northwind: we'd like to offer you the Role role. Details are in your email. Questions? Reply here.

Wait 2 business days. If no reply:

Did the offer email reach you OK? Happy to talk anything through before you decide.

Once they accept, a start-day text saves a lot of first-morning confusion:

Welcome aboard, First name. You start Date at Time at Address. Bring photo ID, and reply here with any questions.

Re-engaging past finalists

Silver medallists already know your company and passed your interviews. Check that their consent to texts still covers new roles before you add them.

Text 1, when a matching role opens:

Hi First name, Sam at Northwind. You were a finalist for Role last year, and a similar role just opened in City. Want the details?

Wait 3 business days. If no reply:

No pressure either way. Reply YES and I'll send pay, hours and the start date.

How do you keep your texts from looking like a job scam?

Be specific from the first line. The FTC listed "phony job opportunities" as the second most reported text scam of 2024 and noted that these scams "often start with an unexpected text offering work without specifics" (FTC, 2025). Candidates are right to be wary, so:

1. Name yourself, the company and the role in the first text.
2. Say how they reached you: the application, the job fair, the referral.
3. Use links on your own domain for booking and offers. CTIA asks senders to use a link shortener "dedicated to the exclusive use of the Message Sender" (CTIA, 2023).
4. Never ask for money, bank details or Social Security numbers by text. Collect those through your onboarding system.
5. Text from one number so candidates can save it and recognize you.

How should you handle candidate replies?

Stop the sequence for anyone who replies, and answer from the same number. Questions about pay, hours and location deserve a same-day answer, since a slow reply is often where candidates drop out. "Who is this?" needs your name, the company and the role they applied for. If the answer is no, thank them and ask whether you can keep them in mind. STOP and the other opt-out words end texts for good; US rules set an outer limit of 10 business days to honor them (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(10)), and stopping at once is the safe practice. More reply wording is in our follow-up text templates.

Where does Textually fit?

Textually runs candidate sequences for recruiters and staffing teams in the US and Canada. You import candidates by CSV export or paste, push them into a campaign, and write Text, Wait and Condition steps with any column, such as Role or City, as a field. Waits can count business days only. Sending days and hours are set per campaign in its time zone, so split candidates across time zones into separate campaigns. Textually registers your number for 10DLC in the US and verifies toll-free numbers for Canada, checks phone types so landlines from old applications are skipped, and keeps each candidate on the same number. A text step sends only when the candidate has a consent record or the campaign has a campaign-wide consent confirmation. A reply ends that candidate's sequence and lands in one shared inbox with the full history and suggested replies, and STOP or ARRET ends texts at once. See pricing and why text, or apply for access.

Questions

Is it legal to text job candidates?

Yes, with their consent. In the US, CTIA's carrier guidance expects express permission for informational texts such as application updates, and federal rules require prior express consent for autodialed texts to mobiles. A clear line about texts on your application form is the usual way to get it. This is not legal advice.

Can I text candidates I sourced online?

Only after they agree to texts. A number on a profile or job board was shared for other purposes, and carriers expect an opt-in given to you. Reach out by email or a call first and ask whether they'd like updates by text.

What is a good interview reminder text?

Name the role, the day and time, and how to reschedule: "Hi Jordan, a reminder of your interview for forklift operator tomorrow at 2:30 PM. Reply here if you need to change it." Send it the day before, and add a morning-of text for in-person hourly roles.

Should I send a job offer by text?

Send the formal offer by email or your document system, and use a text to tell the candidate it's there and invite questions. Keep pay details and personal information out of the text.

What time should recruiters text candidates?

Weekdays between about 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the candidate's time zone. Federal quiet hours for telephone solicitations run from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., and several states use 8 p.m. as the cut-off.

Do candidates prefer texts or calls?

In a 2023 iCIMS survey of 1,000 US job seekers, 47% said texting was their preferred form of communication and 56% ranked a phone call last. iCIMS sells hiring software, so treat the figures as vendor data, and offer a call to anyone who asks.