So how does a company that has always prided itself on being at the leading edge of useful technology recruit call center sales representatives? One way is through a targeted email campaign (full disclosure: the campaign is going out through CollegeRecruiter.com). But if that was the extent of the story then I wouldn't have taken the time to write this blog posting. Thankfully there's a great twist to the story.

Although we deliver multiple targeted email campaigns for our employer, school, and other clients every week and often multiple campaigns a day, we've never delivered a campaign that instructs job seekers to send a cell phone text message (SMS) for information about the job opportunity. I love it. I love what Dell is doing because they understand that the candidates that they're recruiting communicate far more by text messaging than by email and wouldn't know a fax machine or snail mail envelope from a 386SX laptop.

Dell's candidates are Millenials a/k/a Gen Y'ers. They're not Baby Boomers or even Gen X'ers. And because Dell understands that to successfully recruit Millenials you must speak to their needs and wants, Dell is speaking in a loud and clear voice by including the SMS option that Dell is not only willing but actually eager to communicate with their Millenial candidates in the manner most desired by those candidates.

Too often we get caught up in what is efficient and forget that what is effective is just as important and often more so. Dell is being somewhat inefficient by allowing and even encouraging call center job seekers to communicate via SMS but that's okay because Dell is apparently betting on that communication leading to a more effective recruiting campaign. You know what? I'll take that bet...if I can bet on their side.

Bravo, Dell.