Can Facebook Help You Find Your Dream Job?

facebook vs linkedin for job postingsThis fall, Facebook has changed the way professionals approach social media. In early November, TechCrunch announced that Facebook was testing a new “Jobs” tab that companies could use to create job postings. This feature would allow companies to create job postings and promote those postings on users’ timelines, allowing brands to recruit directly through Facebook.

With this update, Facebook is positioned for a bare-knuckle fight with Microsoft, which is finalizing its $26 billion acquisition of LinkedIn this quarter. Until now, LinkedIn has been the white-collar worker’s go-to social network for job hunting, recruiting, and making new professional connections.

Unsure what to make of this latest social development? Here are the quick facts that brands need to know…

Effects Felt by Job Seekers and Employers

Facebook’s entry into the job market is likely to create ripples across the professional world, affecting seekers and employers alike.

Given Facebook’s 1.6 billion user base, it’s unlikely that employers will pass up the chance to harness Facebook as a recruitment platform. Many brands — particularly small businesses — already use Facebook to announce and promote their job openings. But with the added functionality of Facebook’s “Jobs” tab, you can expect that number to substantially increase.

There’s a lot for recruiters to like about the new “Jobs” tab. Job postings generated through this tab will have a distinct appearance compared to normal posts. In the same way that “Life Events” posts have a unique timeline appearance, “Jobs” posts will be easy for users to identify when they appear. Posts are also formatted differently, with built-in fields for a position’s title, salary, and hours. Brands will be able to harness Facebook’s powerful targeting algorithms to have their postings appear on the timelines of top candidates.

For job seekers, there are also clear benefits. Facebook users will see more relevant job postings, and will be able to apply to job posting more easily. When users click an “Apply Now” button on a job posting, their application will be generated using their Facebook information, making it easier to fill out and submit their application. As Facebook becomes more widely used as a recruitment tool, users on the job market will be able to tailor their profiles to ensure they are seeing the kinds of postings they want on their timelines.

Measuring Facebook “Jobs” Against LinkedIn

Facebook’s success as a recruitment platform will hinge on how it stacks up against LinkedIn. While Facebook has been able to chip away — or wipe out — it’s competition in other social niches, LinkedIn has maintained a comfortable hold on the professional market over the past half-decade. Now that Microsoft has added LinkedIn to its portfolio, its unlikely the network will go down without a fight.

Functionality concerns with Facebook “Jobs” may give LinkedIn an edge. One big concern with Facebook’s new feature is that job applications are received as messages, meaning they’ll end up lumped in with customer feedback and complaints. LinkedIn also possesses a built-in user base and reputation among the professional set. Plus, users seem to prefer separate personal and professional social networks, using Facebook for friends and LinkedIn for the office.

But in the end, sheer numbers might spell defeat for LinkedIn. In the United States alone, Facebook has nearly three times as many active users as LinkedIn, with 155 million compared to 55 million. More telling is the amount of time users spend on each network. While LinkedIn users spend 356 million minutes a month on the network, users spend a staggering 53.5 billion minutes per month on Facebook.

Granted, much of users’ time on Facebook is spent reading articles, sharing photos, or responding to friends’ comments. But the fact remains that even frequent LinkedIn users generally spend more time on their Facebook timeline than they do looking at LinkedIn. And when finding more talent means reaching more eyeballs, that gives Facebook the clear edge.

Whether you’re searching for new customers or new workers, getting noticed on social media isn’t always easy. But with the Qiigo’s digital marketing experts on your team, reaching your target market is a piece of cake. Call us today at (888) 673-1212 to find out how our team can help your brand conquer the social landscape.

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