Alex Himel, VP of Local at Facebook – Credit: Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Facebook
Facebook is on a mission to help connect job seekers with local businesses looking to fill positions with the social media site’s job search and posting features.
During a New York City event on Feb. 28, Facebook officially announced that its jobs service is expanding beyond the U.S. and Canada into 40 countries. In addition, the company is also planning a massive new investment, revealed Alex Himel, vice president of Local at Facebook.
“Since 2011, we’ve invested a billion dollars in helping small businesses grow and helping people find jobs, and we’ve pledged that in 2018 we’re going to do a billion dollars more, which is with the same theme of helping small businesses be successful,” Himel said.
The added investment aside, Facebook is relying on its sheer reach to help users land a new job and small businesses find new workers. Himel cited a research study that found “one in four people in the U.S. have used Facebook to search for or find a job.” The social platform is also home to 70 million active businesses, 44 percent of which have used Facebook to build their business, he added.
And as those businesses have grown, half of them have hired more people to keep up with demand. Of course, there is also the massive web of potential career-enhancing connections that exists by virtue of Facebook’s userbase. At last count, Facebook has more than 2 billion users.
Connecting job-seekers and local businesses
Users looking for their next job can visit facebook.com/jobs in their browsers, the Jobs option that appears under the Explore section of the mobile app, the Marketplace and the Jobs tab in a business’s page.
If a good match is found, Facebook uses a little automation and intelligent capabilities to speed up the application process. Facebook automatically populates the job application with job history information stored in an applicant’s profile. Before applying, users have an opportunity to edit their applications.
Once sent, the application triggers a conversation in Messenger, establishing direct contact with a potential employer. Apart from completed job applications, employers can view an applicant’s public profile.
A lack of matches doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a job search. Users can set alerts that will notify them if a suitable job posting appears.
Employers looking for new workers can post jobs on their business page, complete with details about open positions, including salaries, hours and the like. Job posts appear on business pages, along with other places including the News Feed and Marketplace.
Does it work?
After struggling to find workers Troy Roberson, owner of Striper Sniper Tackle, got 27 applications soon after posting a job and was able to hire 10 applicants. Sky Zone, a trampoline park in Illinois, was able to fill 11 positions in a week out of more than 200 applicants.
Facebook’s other recent efforts to help its users include Facebook Community Boost, a multi-city, small business and job seeker outreach program. Attendees learn the in-demand digital and social media skills that are important factor that small and midsized business in the U.S. consider in hiring new workers.