Facebook Rapidly Expands Its Careers Services

Job seekers around the world commonly head to sites such as LinkedIn, Monster.com, Indeed or Glassdoor to search available job listings, but Facebook is usually relegated to catching up with friends or playing games.But no more! Facebook has entered the job seeker business.

Facebook Business SectionMillions of people log into the social media site every day, so it makes sense for Facebook to give them the opportunity to search for new jobs at a site they already visit regularly.

In February 2017, Facebook began allowing prospective employers to add job listings to its Facebook Business section. Job seekers can search through the available listings at Facebook Careers.

Taking on LinkedIn

The social media giant opted to aim the new job listing features to appeal to small- and medium-sized business owners that typically find it challenging to locate the right recruits.Taking the scope of the new platform one step further:

 “Facebook has chosen to target one of LinkedIn’s weak spots, particularly appealing to those business owners seeking part-time or hourly workers,” said  Andrew Bosworth, Facebook’s Vice-President of Ads and Business Platform.

Bosworth explained further, saying businesses were already placing job openings and listing on their Facebook business pages. In response, Facebook directly provided businesses with an easier way to reach a larger audience.
Macys.com
User-Friendly Job Applications

The objective of Facebook’s job listings section is to allow business owners to post job listings that have the potential to reach a broader audience than many other online recruitment sites can offer. Jobs openings posted appear on the newsfeed, but page admins can also host available listings on a ‘Jobs’ tab on their Facebook business page.

The platform also allows business owners to track any applications received and communicate directly with prospective job applicants through Facebook Messenger and view limited information about candidates via their public Facebook pages.

On the other side of the platform, Facebook users can apply for jobs right from their smartphones by clicking the ‘Apply Now’ button. Facebook’s interface automatically pre-fills the application for them, using the publicly available profile information available.
Rumbatime - Shop Now

Applicants can edit any of the auto-populated information before submitting the completed application, which is presented through Facebook Messenger.

Rapid Global Expansion

At the initial launch of Facebook Jobs in February 2017, only businesses within the U.S. and Canada were able to post job listings. However, the concept has expanded rapidly since its inception, spreading quickly to allow businesses from across parts of Europe, the U.K., Latin America, Asia and the South Pacific to also post job listings in their individual regions.

Job seekers have the ability to narrow their search criteria to specify their preferred city or region, as well as choose whether they’re looking for full-time or part-time work.

Reaching New Recruits

At present, it doesn’t cost anything for business owners to post job listings. Entrepreneurs can display the listing as a post on their Facebook business page, as well as have it listed in the Facebook Jobs section.
Lou & Grey

If a prospective job seeker has already liked the company’s page, they may see the post as part of their regular newsfeed. Alternatively, business owners have the option of paying to ‘boost’ the post to expand its reach and broaden the potential audience in a similar manner to boosting other Facebook ads.

Overcoming Social Media Challenges

While more entrepreneurs are relying on social media sites to improve brand recognition and expand their audience reach, Facebook is intent on making it easier for them to connect with people who already log into the site regularly.
eClincher Inc.

The biggest hurdle Facebook may need to overcome is that many of their users may be reluctant to combine their personal and professional profiles. In the past, it was easy for a person to create a professional profile on a social networking site like LinkedIn and keep their wild party pics and social escapades separated on other sites like Instagram or Facebook.

However, some recruiters already admit to scanning Twitter, Facebook, and various other social media sites to gain some insight into the suitability of some job applicants. The logic may be that a person’s Facebook profile and publicly available information could provide additional insight into the person behind the resume.

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