WhatsApp recruitment in Singapore: rules and message templates

Messaging rules and guidance checked 9 October 2026.

A phone number on a CV is not permission to run a WhatsApp recruiting campaign. The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy requires opt-in permission for contact from your business. Singapore’s marketing and personal-data rules remain separate checks: template approval does not settle either.

Before sending, answer three questions: What is this message for? What contact has the candidate agreed to? Which WhatsApp product are we using? An interview reminder and a promotion for paid CV help are not the same communication. The sections below separate those checks, then give copy you can adapt.

DNC rules: assess the message, not the “recruitment” label

Do Not Call (DNC) rules concern specified marketing messages, not every message sent by a recruiter. PDPC’s business guidance covers messages promoting goods, services and business or investment opportunities. A recruitment campaign that includes paid CV help or training needs to be assessed for those marketing elements. PDPC’s business guidance on marketing messages

Keep a genuine job approach separate from a paid-service promotion. Give the privacy reviewer the actual text, linked offers and permission record for a mixed campaign—not just its “recruitment” label.

DNC treatment, permission to use the data and WhatsApp’s own conditions are separate questions. Satisfying one does not settle the others.

WhatsApp opt-in: check permission before sending

Check that the person supplied their number and agreed to receive messages from your business. A public-profile number and an approved template establish neither point. The policy also requires you to honour WhatsApp opt-outs received elsewhere, such as by email.

On an application form, make the business, channel and purpose clear. For example:

I agree to receive WhatsApp messages from [company] about this application, including interview arrangements. I can ask to use email instead or stop WhatsApp messages by contacting [recruitment address].

Keep the wording shown, the candidate’s response, their number and the date. This is suggested wording, not a Meta-prescribed checkbox. Adapt it to your privacy notice and actual contact options. Permission limited to this application should not become permission for unrelated vacancies or paid services.

For a former applicant, check what the retained permission actually covers before approaching them about another role. For a newly found contact, establish permission through a channel you are already permitted to use; do not send a cold WhatsApp message merely to ask for WhatsApp permission.

Business Platform templates and the 24-hour reply window

On the WhatsApp Business Platform, use an approved template to start a business-initiated conversation. You can reply without a template within 24 hours of the candidate’s last message; outside that window, an approved template is required. These are the Platform-specific terms in the policy linked above, not a description of every manual conversation in the Business App.

A candidate who starts a conversation about a vacancy has not necessarily opted into future job campaigns. Keep replies relevant to that enquiry and establish the permission needed for any broader contact.

A candidate last messages at 3pm on Friday, Singapore time. A reminder sent at 4pm on Saturday is 25 hours later and needs an approved template on the Platform. The weekend does not pause the clock. Your outbound messages and the candidate’s email replies do not restart it.

Check the window at the actual send time. A free-form reply queued on Friday may no longer be permitted when it is sent on Saturday. A new incoming WhatsApp message changes the window, but does not expand permission to unrelated vacancies or promotions.

Ask the administrator to identify the product and provider and map each recruiting step to the appropriate message route. Automated replies need the clear, prompt route to support required by WhatsApp’s policy. Test it from the candidate’s message: does someone receive the request and know which application it concerns?

With authorised test accounts, also try an expired reply window, a delayed send, a failed delivery and a stop request received by email. The stop request should cancel affected queued reminders, not just change a label in the ATS.

A first message the candidate can recognise

The messages below are sample copy, not Meta-approved templates. Use them only when the contact is permitted; where a Platform template is required, submit the adapted text for approval before use.

Hi [name], this is [recruiter] from [company], contacting you about your application for [role]. We would like to arrange [next step]. Are you available [specific options, with timezone]? You can reach us through [verified company contact] or let me know if you would prefer email.

Use “your application” only for an actual application, not a cold approach. Give a company contact the candidate can verify independently rather than asking them to trust an unfamiliar link. Singapore Police advises verifying job offers through official sources. Police advice on job scams

Do not ask candidates to prove who they are by sending passwords, Singpass credentials or full identity-document numbers in chat. The WhatsApp policy restricts requests for full-length personal ID numbers and other sensitive identifiers; a familiar chat interface does not make it an appropriate document-verification channel.

When a document is genuinely needed later, explain why and direct the candidate to the organisation’s approved document-collection process.

A reminder without pressure

For an interview that is already arranged, keep the reminder specific:

Hi [name], this is [recruiter] from [company]. Your [interview or next step] for [role] is scheduled for [date, time and timezone]. Please reply if you need to reschedule or use another format.

Check the reply window before using this reminder on the Platform. Send it only for an arranged interview; a failed delivery or no reply is not confirmation that the candidate has withdrawn.

Hand over the conversation when a recruiter is away

Keep a short handover in the approved recruitment record:

Application: [Candidate, role and record link].

Contact permission: [Source, date, scope and current preference].

Last incoming WhatsApp message: [Time and timezone; for Platform reply-window checks].

Next action: [Reply, reminder or follow-up; owner and date].

Queued messages: [What remains scheduled, or confirmation of cancellation].

Agree who controls the business account and can cover it when the recruiter is away. Access and permission records should not exist only on a personal phone.

Preserve the relevant conversation without copying every chat into every system. Follow your organisation’s retention policy; our Singapore retention guide explains which records to consider. Avoid group chats that reveal applicants’ contact details to one another.

What happens when the candidate says stop?

Stop the affected messages in every sending system, including queued reminders. Remove the person from the sending contact list as required by WhatsApp’s policy, and retain only the contact-preference information needed under your approved process to prevent another import from restarting messages.

Clarify the request only where necessary: stopping WhatsApp contact is not automatically withdrawing from the job. Check its scope across applications too. “Do not WhatsApp me again” should not be treated as permission to resume WhatsApp messages for the person’s second vacancy.

Do not send another WhatsApp message just to say that WhatsApp messages have stopped. Where a confirmation is appropriate and permitted through an already agreed contact route, it can say:

We have stopped WhatsApp messages and updated your contact preference. Your application remains open. You can reach our recruitment team at [company email] to agree another contact method.

Use “remains open” only when that is true. A request to stop all contact is different from a request to switch channels; honour its scope. Do not use the confirmation to promote another vacancy or restart an automated sequence.

Before the next message goes out

Check purpose, permission and product rules, then name the person who owns the reply.

The candidate should recognise the recruiter, understand the next step and need to say “stop” only once. Test that last part across every system sending on your behalf.

This guide provides general information, not legal advice or Meta approval of a message or campaign. Adapt the examples to the permissions you hold and the product you use. Check current platform policies and obtain appropriate advice for bulk outreach or messages combining recruitment with commercial offers.