COMING SOON!
AI Interview Invitations via SMS
Overview
BrightHire now supports sending AI Interview invitations by SMS in addition to email. Candidates receive a text message containing the same AI interview link they would normally receive by email, helping ensure invitations are seen quickly, especially by mobile-first candidates.
This feature is designed to improve candidate engagement while keeping the interview experience consistent and compliant.
How SMS Invitations Work
When SMS is enabled for your organization, recruiters can choose how invitations are delivered for each AI Interviewer:
Email only (default)
Email + text message
If a candidate has a valid phone number on file and SMS is enabled, they may receive both an email and a text message containing the same BrightHire AI interview link.
If no valid phone number is available, BrightHire automatically falls back to email delivery only.
Benefits of SMS Invitations
Adding SMS notifications can help teams:
Reach mobile-first and frontline candidates more effectively
Improve visibility of interview invitations
Reduce missed invitations caused by inbox overload or spam filtering
Speed up candidate response and interview completion times
Maintain one consistent interview experience across channels
BrightHire is not replacing email invitations. SMS simply provides an additional delivery method to help candidates see and access their interview faster.
Supported Use Cases
SMS invitations are especially helpful for:
High-volume hiring
Hourly and frontline recruiting
Field-based roles
Teams experiencing low email engagement
Organizations already collecting candidate phone numbers during the application process
Requirements
To use SMS invitations, your organization must:
Have SMS enabled by BrightHire Customer Success
Add the required SMS disclosure language to your ATS application flow
Be using a supported ATS integration in v1:
Greenhouse
Ashby
Workday
Current Geographic Availability
SMS invitations are currently supported for:
United States
Canada
Additional regions are planned for future releases.
Configuring SMS Invitations
Once SMS is enabled for your organization:
Open your AI Interviewer settings
Select:
Email only, or
Email + text
Customize the SMS invitation message if desired
BrightHire provides a default SMS template, and recruiters can edit portions of the message using supported variables.
To maintain compliance and deliverability:
Required company identification remains enforced
The interview link cannot be removed
“Reply STOP to opt out.” is automatically appended to all messages
Candidate Experience
Candidates receive:
An email invitation
Optionally, a text message containing the same interview link
The interview experience itself does not change. The SMS simply provides another way for candidates to access the same BrightHire-hosted AI interview.
Candidates can:
Reply STOP to opt out of future SMS messages
Continue using email invitations normally
BrightHire also respects messaging quiet hours based on the candidate’s local time zone.
Compliance and Messaging Rules
BrightHire supports compliant SMS delivery by:
Requiring customer-managed disclosure language on application forms
Honoring SMS opt-out requests via STOP replies
Respecting quiet hours and delivery restrictions
Using BrightHire-hosted links for carrier compliance
Please note:
BrightHire does not store a separate checkbox consent record within the product
Consent is handled through the customer’s application disclosure flow
Important Notes
Included in v1
AI Interview invitation texts only
Planned for Future Releases
Additional SMS workflows are planned after launch, including:
Reminder texts
Incomplete interview reminders
Completion confirmations
Current Limitations
SMS is not currently supported for:
Some ATS-less workflows
Certain Sense-enabled organizations
Unsupported geographic regions
Additional support is planned in future iterations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SMS replace email invitations?
No. Email invitations continue to be sent. SMS adds an additional notification channel.
What happens if a candidate doesn’t have a phone number?
BrightHire automatically sends the invitation by email only.
Can recruiters customize the SMS message?
Yes. Recruiters can customize the greeting and body of the message while maintaining required compliance language.
Can candidates opt out?
Yes. Candidates can reply STOP to unsubscribe from future text messages.
Why are BrightHire links required?
Mobile carriers often block generic link shorteners. BrightHire-hosted links help ensure reliable message delivery.
Need Help?
If you'd like to enable SMS invitations for your organization, please reach out to [email protected] or your Customer Success Manager