The technical side of Google’s new email guidelines: what recruiters need to know

Google and Yahoo's recent announcement about cracking down on unwanted or unsolicited email has left many recruiters scratching their heads. The guidelines, set to take effect in February 2024, have sparked concerns and questions about how they will impact recruiting efforts. For this blog post, we picked the brain of our CTO & co-founder, Ilia Cheishvili to get the Explain Like I’m Five version of the guidelines and their impacts. Because what else are smart technology people for if not dumbing super complicated and scary things down so the rest of us can understand?! Prefer to listen to Ilia’s thoughts on these changing regulations? You’re in luck — he joined us on the Becoming a Hiring Machine podcast to do just that. Check out his episode on avoiding email purgatory here. Alright: Let’s break down these new guidelines and provide insights into what recruiters need to know to navigate them effectively.

Understanding the guidelines

According to the announcement, Gmail will require senders who send 5,000 or more messages a day to Gmail accounts to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Authenticate outgoing email
• Avoid sending unwanted or unsolicited email
• Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe

While these guidelines may seem straightforward at first glance, they can be quite complex, especially for recruiters who rely heavily on email communication in their daily operations.

Key considerations for recruiters

One of the first things recruiters need to understand is that the 5,000-message threshold applies to their domain, not just individual senders. This means that all email communication originating from their company, including marketing automation, sales outreach, and candidate engagement, will be subject to these guidelines if sent to Gmail accounts.One of the primary requirements outlined in the guidelines is to keep spam rates below 0.3%. While this may seem like a small threshold, just three spam reports for every 1,000 emails could result in penalties. Recruiters must be mindful of the content and frequency of their emails to avoid triggering spam filters.Another crucial aspect of the guidelines is the implementation of email authentication mechanisms such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). These protocols help verify the authenticity of email senders and prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks. Recruiters should ensure that these authentication mechanisms are properly configured for their domain to improve email deliverability and avoid being flagged as spam.Additionally, recruiters must ensure that their sending domains or IPs have valid forward and reverse DNS records (PTR records). This helps establish the legitimacy of the sender's domain and IP address, reducing the likelihood of emails being marked as spam.Furthermore, recruiters should prioritize providing a seamless unsubscribe experience for recipients. Including a one-click unsubscribe option and a clearly visible unsubscribe link in email messages can help maintain a positive sender reputation and reduce the risk of emails being reported as spam.

Implications for candidate outreach

Recruiters should pay special attention to candidate outreach efforts, as emails sent to personal Gmail accounts will be subject to stricter scrutiny. While business development emails may be less affected, candidate outreach emails must adhere strictly to the guidelines to avoid being marked as spam or sent to the promotions folder.

Mitigating risks and ensuring compliance

To mitigate the risks associated with Google's new email sender guidelines, recruiters should consider implementing the following strategies:

• Regularly monitor email deliverability and spam rates to identify and address any issues promptly.
• Work with email service providers or IT teams to ensure proper configuration of authentication mechanisms and DNS records.
• Segment email lists and tailor messaging to specific audience groups to minimize the risk of triggering spam filters.
• Provide recipients with clear and easy-to-use unsubscribe options to maintain a positive sender reputation.

In conclusion, while Google's new email sender guidelines may present challenges for recruiters, understanding and adhering to these guidelines is essential for maintaining email deliverability and sender reputation. By implementing best practices and staying informed about updates to the guidelines, recruiters can ensure their email communication remains effective and compliant.

Key takeaways

• Google and Yahoo have announced new email sender guidelines that will impact recruiters.
• Recruiters need to authenticate outgoing email, avoid sending unwanted or unsolicited email, and make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe.
• Setting up SPF and DKIM email authentication, ensuring valid forward and reverse DNS records, and using a TLS connection for transmitting email are important requirements.
• Recruiters should be mindful of their email practices to avoid being marked as spam and should separate their messaging for different purposes.
• If reputation is damaged, it can be difficult to repair, so it's important to follow best practices and partner with a platform that can help navigate these changes.