Facebook Tackles Job Postings To Rival LinkedIn

Facebook on Wednesday, 15 February, have announced that they have begun letting businesses in the US or Canada post jobs and take applications from job seekers, posing a challenge to Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. Recruitment has been present on Facebook has been present for quite some time and it was only natural that they look to formalise the process.

The Job posting features release does come at a time where Facebook is looking to stabilise its user engagement numbers and also increase its regular use of their site, audits have had their engagement numbers under question lately. Its introduction is also a push for more business-centric content, which tends to attract a higher quality readership and engagement, as opposed to headline skimmers and click-baiter articles which Facebook is famous for.

The primary motivation for the jobs feature

Facebook's VP of Ads, Andrew Bosworth, told Business Insider that the feature is rolling out after a Facebook-commissioned survey of small business owners in the US that showed the hardest problem they had is finding the right people to hire.

How finding Jobs on Facebook will work

The platform's users will be able to find help-wanted posts at business pages on Facebook or by looking in a new 'jobs' bookmark on the leading social network's mobile application. "Businesses and people already use Facebook to fill and find jobs, so we're rolling out new features that allow job posting and application directly on Facebook," the California-based internet giant said in an online message. Job postings may appear in news feed streams if companies pay to promote them. Clicking on an "apply now" button will open an online form already filled out with relevant information from a person's Facebook profile, according to the social network. Applicants will then be able to add, edit, and review forms before submitting them, according to Facebook.

Company representatives managing business pages at Facebook will be able to examine applications and then contact potential candidates using the Messenger text communication service. Facebook said it tested the new tools in the US and will be rolling them out more broadly to Canada in the coming weeks. In addition, Facebook will also let businesses pay to boost the reach of their listings to specific demographics, and listings will also show up in the News Feed for people who have liked a business's page.

Tech companies moving into recruitment

Microsoft recently reported a rise in profits over the past quarter, showing gains in cloud computing and other new areas of focus as it absorbed the LinkedIn social network. The US tech giant, which is shifting away from dependence on software to a broader array of services, said the LinkedIn acquisition boosted its revenue in the last three months of the year but dragged on profit. Microsoft also owns a small piece of Facebook due to an investment in the social network about a decade ago, nice one Microsoft.

Social Media Recruitment

There is no doubt in my mind that once Facebook jobs platform expands worldwide it will gain a reasonable amount of traction due to their large number base. However, with all the fake news, fake profiles and Facebook scammers, I predict won't be all smooth sailing for their platform. Recruiters everywhere will flock in their droves to use it, especially for those targeting entry level job recruitment, which has already been a popular tactic prior to the release of the platform. While I do feel the jobs platform will benefit Facebook, I don't feel it has what it takes to other recruitment websites like Glassdoor or LinkedIn.

These websites, specifically LinkedIn, have a strong self-policing community and have a very low tolerance for anything business related, their users are also more likely to share sensitive information like job history, qualifications and work activities, which some may feel they would like to keep separate from their Facebook.

Facebook simply does not have the authority and authenticity that LinkedIn provides and may even be a welcomed by other job sites. As mentioned earlier Facebook jobs are likely to attract spammers while low-quality posts will be making their rounds on Facebook. Glassdoor, LinkedIn and other recruitment sites may benefit even more, with quality leads and richer networking opportunities.

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Tags: facebook, linkedin, Social Media