When texting with candidates, it's important to inform yourself on opt-in and opt-out rules and best practices to ensure you're creating the best possible candidate experience.

With that in mind, let's look at some best practices below for both....

There are several ways you can approach receiving opt in from candidates:

The most common scenario is to use the application process to acquire expressed consent from candidates. User consent to receive messages is not just good practice, it is required by US carriers.

Add a required opt-in question to your applications, below are a few examples:

“Opt-in to receive text messages about jobs at [Company name]? Please answer with Yes or No.”

“I would like to receive updates from a recruiter about this job via SMS. Please answer with Yes or No.”

“I would like to receive interview, timecard, or payment notifications and reminders via SMS. Please answer with Yes or No.”

If you're having trouble wading through this topic, please chat with us below. We'd be happy to help!

See SMS Consent Question Examples for more inspo ✨

When you first start texting with a candidate, make sure they are aware of their ability to opt out – we recommend adding a line like the one below in your first message to a candidate:

"Text STOP to opt out"

You want to keep this language short and clear, so there is no confusion and so you don't use up too many characters (there's a 480 character limit on messages sent via Grayscale).

As an added measure, outbound messages will be blocked if candidates have opted out by replying with any of the following industry standard terms:

It is important you manage or track opt-outs in your ATS or candidate system of record.

Looking for more information on SMS compliance and opt-in? Check out these articles:

What You Need to Know About SMS Opt-In Compliance

Do candidates need to opt-in before I can text them?

If you're having trouble figuring out the best way to handle opt out at your company, please chat with us below!