• Facebook Business is expanding a free job postings feature it launched last year in the U.S. and Canada.
  • It will now be available in 40 more countries.
  • The postings are expanding into a greater number of job categories — ranging from side gigs, part-time jobs, summer jobs and other skilled and non-skilled blue collar jobs.
  • Currently, the postings are free for a business to list jobs on the service.
  • However, to reach more potential workers, the business will be encouraged to use Facebook ads.

 

How it works for businesses and job seekers

Businesses are able to post job openings to a Jobs tab on their company Facebook Page, a Jobs dashboard, the Facebook Marketplace, and the News Feed that they can promote with ads.

Job seekers can discover openings, auto-fill applications with their Facebook profile information, edit and submit their application, and communicate via Messenger to schedule interviews.

Challenge: Can work and Facebook fun co-exist?

Facebook stresses that potential employers can only see what’s been made public on an applicants profile. However, some users may be hard to convince that their party pictures won’t show up on the job application.

Facebook’s local strategy

While many analysts are focusing on the “blue collar” nature of the job listings, a different way to view Facebook’s direction is to view it as a “Facebook meets Craigslist strategy.”

Facebook business pages, Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Jobs are metaphoric infrastructures of a small town, urban neighborhood, or suburban community. All of these, plus features like food ordering, more local news, and the massive commitment it will take to train small business owners and managers how to use these tools will be a massive investment on the part of Facebook.

However, Facebook has that covered, as well. According to Alex Himel, VP of Facebooks Local:

“We know there is more Facebook can do to connect people and businesses. Since 2011, Facebook has invested more than $1 billion to help local businesses grow and help people find jobs. And in 2018 we plan to invest the same amount in more teams, technology, and new programs. Because when businesses succeed, communities thrive.”

How to use Facebook Jobs

 

Where jobs listings will appear on a Facebook Business page.

  • The Jobs dashboard
  • The “Jobs” option in the “Explore” section on mobile
  • Click on the Jobs icon in Marketplace
  • Visit the Jobs tab on any business’ Page.

Here’s how an applicant interacts with the posting

  • Create an application, which will populate with job history and other information in your Facebook profile
  • Edit your application, the “Submit” it
    • Once submitted, a Messenger conversation will open with the business Page so you can have direct contact with the employer and confirm when your information has been received.
    • Businesses will only be able to see the information you provide them directly, and what’s available publicly on your Facebook profile.
  • To stay on top of the type of job you’re interested in, you can also subscribe to alerts.

Here’s how businesses interact with the job posting feature

  • Page admins can create job posts directly from their Page with details like job title, job type (full-time, intern, part-time), salary and more.
  • While the listings are free, businesses can purchase Facebook advertising to boost posts to reach more candidates.
  • Businesses can also manage their applications and communicate with applicants, including scheduling interviews and sending automated reminders, directly through Messenger.

Photos: Facebook, istock

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