On the hunt for a new job? Facebook says apply here
Social network to give LinkedIn a run for its money
Facebook is getting into the job market.
After years of speculation the social network would harness its audience to take on LinkedIn and online job boards, Facebook has created tools for businesses to post job openings and for job seekers to hunt for new gigs.
The new features are aimed at small and mid- sized businesses that typically struggle to find the right people to hire, particularly part- time and hourly workers, targeting a weak spot for LinkedIn, Andrew Bosworth, Facebook’s vice president of ads and business platform, told USA TODAY.
Businesses already were trying to connect with prospective employees by placing openings on their Facebook pages, Bosworth said. Facebook is just giving them an easier way to do it.
Starting this week, businesses in the U. S. and Canada will be able to post job listings, track applications and commu- nicate with applicants through their Facebook pages.
Job seekers can apply for open positions by clicking the “Apply Now” button, with Facebook auto- filling some of the public information from their Facebook profile such as name and location. Applicants can review and edit the information before submitting the application. Once submitted, the application creates a conversation between the business and the job candidate on Facebook Messenger. Facebook also is adding a “Jobs” tab for job seekers.
Facebook may be testing the water for a bigger push into the recruiting space by capitalizing on the growing use of social media by recruiters. Some 84% of organizations are hunting for new employees on social media and 9% say they plan to do it, according to a 2015 survey from the Society for Human Resource Management.
By far the most popular social media service for recruiters is LinkedIn at 96%. But, the survey found, Facebook is gaining, with 66% of recruiters turning to it. More than half of recruiters also use Twitter to recruit, according to the survey.