Texting and calling for government and public sector recruiting and HR

Reach applicants faster than the civil-service process expects

Reach drivers, maintenance crews, seasonal staff and office roles where they actually reply — by text — from inside your ATS or HCM. Keep candidates engaged through every step of the process without a single voicemail, then keep the same thread going for schedules and open enrollment.

DH

Dana · City HR

via Emissary

Today 10:12 AM

Hi Devon, it's Dana with the city's HR department. Still interested in the Parks maintenance role? Reply YES and I'll send times for your interview. Text STOP to opt out.

Yes! Thursday works

Booked Thu 1:00 PM. Calendar invite on its way.

Logged to the candidate record in Workday

Sounds familiar

Qualified applicants drop out of a process that takes weeks and only communicates by mail and email

Drop-off

Candidates lost between steps

Eligibility lists, exams and interviews stretch over weeks. Without a nudge at each step, applicants take a private-sector offer first.

Reach

Public notices nobody reads

Letters and email reach an inbox; a text reaches the person. Interview invitations and reminders need both.

Seasonal

Hundreds of seasonal roles, one hiring team

Lifeguards, parks crews and election workers all start the same month. One send to a qualified pool beats hundreds of calls.

What you can do

Four things public-sector recruiting and HR teams do with Emissary every day

Every text and call is synced to the candidate record, so HR, hiring managers and records staff see the same conversation.

Book a demo
01

Seasonal hiring campaigns

Text last year's seasonal staff and new applicants in one send and fill the roster from the first replies.

Sample textSummer lifeguard positions are open again at the city pools. Returning for 2027? Reply YES to start your application.
02

Step-by-step reminders

Automated nudges for each stage — exam, documents, interview — so nobody is lost between steps.

Sample textReminder: your written exam is Tue 9am at City Hall, Room 2B. Reply C to confirm.
03

Document nudges

Automated reminders for each missing form or ID, written back to the record.

Sample textStill need your driver's license for the file — a photo reply is fine.
04

Keeping new hires warm before day one

Orientation details, badge pickup and a hello from the supervisor, scheduled ahead.

Sample textOrientation Mon 8am at City Hall, 2nd floor. Bring a photo ID. Questions? Just text back.

Trusted by

Public employers that hire at scale

City governments use Emissary to reach applicants by text and keep them engaged through the civil-service process.

Works with your systems

Built on the HCM and ATS platforms public agencies already run

Two-way sync through each partner's APIs — no middleware, no exports.

WorkdayUKGSAP SuccessFactorsOracle TaleoDayforce

Also integrates with BambooHR, Greenhouse, BrassRing, Jobscore, Visibility and symplr HealthcareSource.

See all integrations →

Compliance

Built for public records and public trust

Emissary texts are for scheduling, screening and logistics. Every message is logged to the candidate record and opt-outs are honored automatically.

TCPASTOP handled instantly across every campaign, with each opt-out recorded on the candidate record.
10DLCCarrier-registered numbers so high-volume sends are delivered, not filtered.
SOC 2Independently audited controls, with role-based access for every recruiter and manager.
SSO readySign in through your identity provider, with MFA enforced by your SSO.

Your next hire is one text away.

See how public-sector recruiting and HR teams screen, schedule and onboard from inside their ATS or HCM.

Book a demo