They grow up so fast… it seems like one minute they’re in school and next thing you know they’re out in the adult job force. Where does the time go?!
As silly as it may seem to liken Facebook to a child growing up before our eyes, the metaphor isn’t so far-fetched. Since its start as a collegiate social hub, social media’s powerhouse has matured significantly. And now this new “job board application,” (actual name: Social Jobs Partnership) is set to change the face of online recruiting as we know it.
The “Social Jobs Partnership” app is an interactive employment portal that connects 1.9 million openings with the social media platform’s one billion users. Forbes explains that the launch comes, “after a yearlong “Social Jobs Partnership” with the U.S. Department of Labor and other government agencies,” (J.J. Colao, Forbes, 2012). Established recruiting companies Work4 Labs, BranchOut, Jobvite, DirectEmployers, and Monster.com are already part of the job board, providing a massive amount of job postings as well as experience and credibility in the industry.
A screenshot of Fb’s newest App
Facebook’s Blog explains the Social Jobs Partnership Application has been created “ to tap into the growing trend of talent acquisition through social media.” Facebook used data from a recent National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) study to explain how prevalent the use of Facebook already is in talent acquisition; you can read the detailed findings here. In summary, the study found what many of us have known for years – that Facebook matters when it comes to looking for jobs.
Earlier this year I published this article about employers using Facebook to screen prospective employees. Also, it should be common knowledge by now that when job hunting, especially in certain industries, Facebook users make sure their profiles don’t contain anything that could jeopardize their chances of getting hired.
Will the Social Jobs Partnership app take over the digital recruiting industry? Because of Facebook’s sheer size and reach, it seems very possible. Facebook is, however, insisting that this is not a venture into a new market, and that Fb isn’t in the recruiting industry now – that it’s merely an app to connect people looking for jobs with jobs looking for people. CNet explains, “Facebook is not making any money directly off this application, so this doesn’t mean the company is getting into the jobs listing business just yet,” (Donna Tam, CNET, 2012).
Another question being asked by many in light of this app’s launch: how worried should LinkedIn be right now? Just skimming the titles of articles and stories on Fb’s new job board, concern for LinkedIn is a common theme. I think it’s far too soon to tell. If you want to read more on that angle though – this Yahoo Editorial tackles the issue, examining the risk to LinkedIn, as well as some downsides to the Fb app, and Fb and LinkedIn’s different target demographics.
Will you be using Facebook to look for a job? If you’re an employer, would you go there to seek prospective hires?
As a member of the Facebook generation, it is really interesting to the see the network grow and mature with its userbase, shifting from superficial and fun to a serious business and powerful tool. Those of us who were in college when the site first came out, are now adults in the workforce; it feels like Facebook is aging with us. Really though, since I’m roughly the same age as the platform’s creators, that concept may not be so far-fetched.
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