Around nine out of ten members of Generations Y and Z use WhatsApp to post or consume content themselves. And even the post-war generation and the baby boomers are mostly loyal users of the messenger service. For employers, this fast medium means enormous opportunities in the recruiting area, as the following use cases show.
Seven use cases for WhatsApp in recruiting
How can WhatsApp be used effectively in HR? These use cases show how it could be used in practice.
Use case #1: Sending current job offers
An individual job newsletter that means no effort for the employer? This can now be implemented via WhatsApp newsletter. At the beginning, a chatbot asks which jobs the recipients are interested in (e.g. profession, region, full-time/part-time) and obtains their permission to send them job offers. As soon as there is a job offer that matches the preferences, it reaches the registered users via push notification.
Use case #2: 5-minute application via WhatsApp
A chatbot also provides valuable services in this use case. Interested parties can simply apply via WhatsApp. To do this, call up the channel specified in the job advertisement. Now they don’t have to spend time submitting their documents, but the chatbot asks several questions to record the most important key points such as education, professional experience and the desired position. This only takes a few minutes. If the recruiter is still missing documents, he can easily request them via Messenger. This low-threshold contact option increases the likelihood of a speedy response.
Use case #3: Direct contact between applicants and HR
Calls during working hours are unpleasant, e-mails go unanswered for days, making appointments difficult – the candidates are easily reachable via WhatsApp. Short queries can be dealt with unbureaucratically and long waiting times vanish into thin air. The direct line between HR and applicants is convenient for both sides.
Use case #4: Pre-sorting of requests via chatbot
Another scenario in which chatbots make life easier for HR: In large companies, a large number of inquiries sometimes come in via WhatsApp. So that the overview is not lost, they should be pre-sorted. The chatbot can also be used to query on an automated basis whether the applicant would like to view a job advertisement, clarify a question or apply directly. Depending on the request, the bot directly asks for further details. In this way, the HR department receives concrete clues for starting communication.
Use case #5: Recruiting with a short assessment via WhatsApp
An assessment center via WhatsApp sounds too crazy? Not at all – in fact, it’s surprisingly easy to implement. All candidates are asked questions via WhatsApp chat to which they have to answer. The result is images of the candidates that are easy to compare. This can help to get to know the applicants better and more personally. The survey could be designed even more individually with the help of artificial intelligence in combination with chatbots, but a fixed catalog of questions is also conceivable.
Use case #6: Information for employees
A newsletter for employees via WhatsApp is easy to maintain and enjoys a high profile. If job advertisements also appear in this channel, you can forward them to friends and acquaintances who are currently looking for a new job without any effort. In this way, employers can reach even more people with their job offers.
Use Case #7: Video Applications
In some jobs, the hard facts from your CV are less important than creativity and new ideas. In what format could you present such skills better than in a video application? These can be easily recorded and sent to the employer via WhatsApp. Apply in just a minute? WhatsApp makes it possible.
And what about data protection?
The question of data protection always arises when using WhatsApp. Because a lot of personal data is transmitted in the recruiting area in particular. The GDPR cannot be easily complied with because the WhatsApp operator’s servers are located in the USA. In addition, when using the messenger service, the entire address book of the device used is automatically read and transmitted to the same server. Both are not permitted.
There is a solution to this challenge: the WhatsApp Business API. To put it simply, with such a programming interface, it is not the smartphone or tablet used that accesses WhatsApp, but software. Accordingly, WhatsApp cannot read and save an address book with this addressing. The only drawback: the API is often only accessible via commercial providers of corresponding (paid) software.
In addition, WhatsApp chats are now based on GDPR-compliant end-to-end encryption, which prevents personal data from being tapped between these two ends. This allows companies to use WhatsApp in compliance with data protection regulations.
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