Ozy.com is reporting that text messaging is becoming an option for job seekers in places where expensive cell data plans and Internet cafe’s are cost prohibitive. Shannon Sims gives an example of Maria Angélica de Souza Santos, 26, who found herself without work in Taboão da Serra, Brazil. She registered with a job site, Emprego Ligado, which only required simple one word replies to text messages. Within two weeks, Santos had gotten an interview and obtained a job as a stock person for a supermarket perfume counter.
Text messaging is becoming a viable option for employers to reach workers who would otherwise not be able to communicate with them based on limited access to digital resources or restricted finances to access those resources. Sims writes:
“How does it work? You could almost text the answer. Job candidates text their skills, interests and where they live to Emprego Ligado, which then responds with a text message whenever a company wants to share job details or set up an interview. Candidates even get a text reminder so that they won’t miss their appointment. So far this year, more than 2 million job opportunities have passed through the system in the São Paulo region, according to the company. About 30 percent of job seekers have received an offer within their first week of using the program, while 60 percent secured an offer within a month, the company says. “We saw a huge demand in urban centers for people trying to find jobs,” Derek Fears, Emprego Ligado’s co-founder, tells OZY.”
Read more at Ozy.com.
