Facebook Jobs for Employees

Years ago it was seen as ridiculous for businesses to have a Facebook account. Now it is practically unheard of for businesses NOT to have an account. The lines between business and personal use of Facebook have been blurred, is job-hunting the next logical step? Last time we explored how Facebook Jobs worked for the employers posting jobs. Today, we cover the employee-side of things: how applying to a job on Facebook actually works, and the potential risks or benefits to doing so.

How Facebook Jobs Works for Job Seekers

Similar to the employer side, visit the jobs section of Facebook, or, on a business’s page, select the Jobs tab in the left-hand column to view that company’s available jobs. Jobs may also appear in your newsfeed alongside normal posts and ads.

The jobs section has a very basic search function, with the option to set your location, industry, and job type (full-time, etc) filters.

When you find a job you’re interested in, click Apply. This will bring you to a new page with the full description of the job.

Click Apply again, and a standard application pops up. The application, which is uniform for all employers, has spaces for your name, phone number, location, and email address. All of these fields will auto-populate with information you have made public on your Facebook profile. Below it is a box with the question “Why do you think you’re a good candidate for [name of company]?”.

At the bottom are spaces for experience and education. These sections will also auto-populate with information from your profile. All of the auto-populated information is editable and removable.

Hit Apply and you’re done! Your application will be submitted in a Facebook message to the company.

Pros:

Simplicity – It is very easy to apply to a job. Since employers don’t (currently) have the ability to customize their application form, the process is very simple.

One and Done – If you already have all of the necessary information included in your Facebook profile, you won’t need to keep re-entering information in separate applications.

Easy Access – You’re already on Facebook, you can see potential jobs easily, even if you aren’t actively looking for a new one.

Visibility – Facebook Messenger tells you if your post has been seen, you can easily monitor whether or not your application has been viewed.

Cons:

Privacy – This actively invites potential employers to view your Facebook profile. Is this something you’re interested in? Your profile picture may be cool or flattering, but it may not be business-appropriate. How does your public profile look, and how would it look to a potential employer? Even if you have your privacy settings at a level you are comfortable with, and any employer could find you and look at it if they wanted, attaching your profile to your application really invites them to look at. The status quo has always been to keep your business and personal lives separate – this really blurs the line.

Simplicity – The pre-populated information feature is only useful if you already have that information in your profile. I personally have never listed my place of business on my Facebook profile. I don’t hide that information and it is probably very easy for anyone to figure out, but it is still information I don’t actively list. This means that I would have to either enter information into an application multiple times (like any other job application), or I would have to list information on my Facebook profile that I’m not interested in having. On that note, Facebook only allows you to list where you worked, your position, and dates of employment. This leaves no room to outline your responsibilities, accomplishments, or any other important information related to your career.

Casual – The simple application may lead you to be more casual in your application than you would be otherwise. It is still a job application and should be taken seriously.

Search Function – I’m not sure how good the search function is. I searched for Marketing and got a whole span of different options, such as a Recruiter for an energy company, barista for a local coffee shop, sales rep for a plumbing company, and a machine operator for a pharmaceutical. This could be a side-effect of early adoption, but for now I’m not super impressed.

Is it Worth it?

Is Facebook Jobs the answer applicants have been dreaming of, or is this just another way for employers to burrow into your personal life? That’s going to be up to you. Yes, another copout answer, but the answer truly lies within your own comfort levels. However, the point of Facebook Jobs is to help you get a job. Moving past comfort and privacy concerns, here is the real big question:

Will this give employers a real view of who I am and what I can do?

If you aren’t giving yourself the best opportunity to get a job, then what’s the point? The job application is simple, and that makes it very easy to submit an application. But having to provide less information means that hiring managers will receive less information about you, your skills, and why they should consider hiring you. Unlike LinkedIn, there is no part of the Experience section to provide details about your work. For many jobs, title, company name, and employment dates won’t paint a big enough picture for potential employers.

The “tell us why you’d be a good fit” section gives you the opportunity to share more details – but if you’d have to enter this information each time, it kind of defeats the auto-populating benefit.

The issues of outlined above may not be an issue for all jobs or all applicants. If not, then apply away! But if you do have these concerns, here are some ways around it:

Link to Your Resume

The lack of an option to upload your resume is a bit annoying. But you can still send it! Upload a copy of your resume online (I recommend either to Google Drive or Dropbox), setting the access to “people with this link can view”. Grab the link and add it to the “why I’d be a good fit” section.

Look for the Job on the Company’s Website

If you aren’t fully comfortable with sending your Facebook profile to potential employers, or if the application won’t be the best representation of you, there are other ways to apply. Visit the company’s website and check out their careers page – chances are Facebook isn’t the only place the job is posted. This is a common technique for job hunting. Use the platform, whether it is LinkedIn, Facebook, or another employment site, to find different jobs in one place, and then apply directly on the company’s website.

Overall it sounds like, in its current state, Facebook is not going to become a one-stop job center. The potential is there, and I think this could be a great option for local businesses that might not be able to compete for visibility on LinkedIn or other job posting sites. It’s an interesting tool, and there may be more features rolled out in the future that address certain concerns. For now, I recommend using Facebook Jobs as another tool in your job-hunting tool belt.

What do you think about the new Facebook jobs feature? Is LinkedIn doomed? Let us know in the comments below!

Angie Goldman
Marketing Analyst

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