It wasn’t so long ago that job seekers excluded Facebook as a source of jobs but now days that is changing rapidly as Facebook jobs opportunities are on the rise.
It seems incredible that in an age where one in every seven minutes online is spent on Facebook and, where over half of people actively seeking employment look at company pages on the site to find job opportunities that many companies still prefer the old methods of resume mail shots and formal application procedures.
The main benefit of using Facebook as a recruitment tool is the visibility of both parties. It’s a much less formal platform than a website, and much more interactive. The potential employee will make judgements about the company based on what it posts and how it responds to personal questions, while potential employers can examine aspects of the candidate’s life in more detail than a few bullet points on a resume.
Facebook’s youthful demographics also makes it an ideal place to recruit junior workers, as over 55% of the US workforce will be aged under 35 before the 2018 election. Having a visible and honest page will attract the right kind of candidates who will also look favorably on a company who lists job openings on their Facebook page. Earls, a restaurant business chain, lists all the jobs currently available in all locations and consequently has over 1,000 likes.
It’s still early days in the progress of Facebook recruitment, meaning that any early adopters will benefit from a much wider pool of potential employees. By using more sophisticated tools, such as Graph Search and targeted advertisements, employers can move their recruitment techniques into the digital era and get exactly the right person for the job.
Steve Blythe (Recruitment and Social Media Commentator).