Texting gets fast answers from candidates, especially for hourly, field and healthcare roles where people rarely sit at a desk. This recruiting text message template set starts with the opt-in line you need before the first text, then gives you a first message, an interview reminder and a reschedule text. Every recruiter SMS here is free to copy and edit, and the consent notes below are general, with official sources linked at the end.
Recruiting text message template
Step 1: the opt-in line on your application or form
Step 2: the first text after someone opts in
Step 3: the interview reminder
When to use it
Use texts for short, time-sensitive steps with candidates who have given you their number and agreed to receive texts: confirming interest, booking a screen, reminders, directions and quick updates. It's the right channel for high-volume hiring, where a reply in an hour matters more than a polished pitch.
Don't use text for long explanations, pay negotiations, rejections or anything confidential. Move those to a call or an email, and tell the candidate in the text where to look.
How to customize it
- Put your name and company at the start of every text. Candidates often apply to several jobs at once, and an unknown number with no name gets ignored or reported.
- Ask one question per text. "Can you do Tuesday at 10 or Wednesday at 2?" gets answers; a paragraph with three questions gets one reply to the wrong one.
- Use a keyword reply (like MOVE or YES) only if someone or something actually watches for it, and answer free-text replies too.
- Match reminders to the interview type: an address and a parking tip for onsite, a working video link for remote, a phone number for a phone screen.
- Send from a number that can receive replies, and route those replies to a person who can answer during the day.
Consent and opt-out basics for recruiting texts
The FCC's rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act generally require the recipient's prior express consent before automated texts, and prior express written consent for marketing texts. That's why the template starts with an opt-in line rather than a cold text. Recruiting texts can fall into gray areas, and some states add their own rules, so check with counsel before you text people who haven't opted in.
On opt-outs, the current FCC rule lets people revoke consent by any reasonable method, and it lists replies such as "stop", "quit", "end", "revoke", "opt out", "cancel" and "unsubscribe" as valid. Requests must be honored within a reasonable time, no more than ten business days, and a single confirmation text is allowed if it contains no promotional content. Separately, FCC rules bar telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. at the recipient's location, which is a useful outer limit for any text. The FCC has amended these rules recently, so read the current text. This is not legal advice.
Variations
Reschedule after a missed interview
Same-day hourly role check
Mistakes to avoid
- Texting a number you found online or bought on a list. Without the candidate's permission, you're taking on legal risk and starting the relationship badly.
- Making STOP hard to use, or treating "please stop texting me" differently from the word STOP. A clear request in plain words counts.
- Sending reminders at 6 a.m. or 10 p.m. because the scheduler runs on the recruiter's time zone instead of the candidate's.
- Shortened links from unknown domains. They look like phishing; use your own domain or your scheduling tool's standard link.
- Letting texts and emails go out on the same topic at the same moment. Pick one channel per step, and see the follow-up email template for the email side.
Automating this with Carolina
Carolina handles candidate outreach and updates by SMS, email and WhatsApp, and schedules interviews against your team's Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoom or Calendly calendars. That covers the first text, the booking and the reminder. You decide how much it does alone: each action can be set to suggest, ask first or auto, and offers and compensation changes always wait for a person. More on how booking works is in our interview scheduling glossary entry.
Try it with one open role on the free Starter plan, then check plans and pricing when you need more seats.
Questions
Can recruiters text candidates without permission?
It's risky. The FCC's rules generally require the recipient's prior express consent for automated texts, and prior express written consent for marketing texts, and state laws can add more. The safest habit is to ask for permission to text on your application or in a first email, and keep a record of it. This is not legal advice.
What should a recruiting text say first?
Your name, your company and why you're texting, in the first line. Then one clear request, such as picking an interview time, and a reminder that the person can reply STOP to opt out. Save details for a link or a call.
What time of day should recruiters send texts?
Send during normal working hours in the candidate's time zone. FCC rules bar telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. at the recipient's location, and that window is a sensible outer limit for recruiting texts too. Many candidates can't look at a phone during a shift, so lunchtime and early evening often work well.
Want to see a recruiting text go out, get a reply and turn into a booked interview? Book a 20-minute demo. If your candidates live on WhatsApp instead, use the WhatsApp recruiting message, and find the rest in our template library.
