Washington - You already get your news, gossip and cat
videos from Facebook. Could you find your next job there too?
Starting this week, Facebook users in the United States
and Canada can search and apply for jobs directly from the social-media
platform. It's one more way Facebook is trying to expand its reach,
particularly among low-wage, hourly workers who may not have profiles on
job-search sites such as LinkedIn or Monster.com.
Analysts say the new jobs feature is yet another way the
social media site is testing how much privacy its 1.86 billion users are
willing to sacrifice for the sake of convenience.
"Facebook is pushing the limits to see what people
are willing to do on the site, and jobs is a natural step," said R
"Ray" Wang, founder of Constellation Research, a Silicon Valley
technology research and advisory firm. "It's an area where people will
say, 'Oh, this makes a lot of sense.' Facebook is covering a very important
gap."
Social media is increasingly playing a role in job
searches. Roughly 14.4 million Americans say they have used social media to
find employment, according to a recent survey by ADP. In addition, the survey
found, 73 percent of companies said they had successfully hired employees using
social media.
Facebook executives said they are also hoping to target
users who may not be actively looking for a new job by flagging nearby
opportunities in businesses they may frequent or support.
"Two-thirds of job seekers are already
employed," Andrew Bosworth, Facebook's vice president of ads and business
platform, told Tech Crunch. "They're not spending their days and nights
out there canvassing for jobs. They're open to a job if a job comes."
Read also: Job-hunting on Monday? You're not alone
Businesses can post jobs free through their profile
pages. Users, meanwhile, can search for nearby listings and quickly apply for
jobs by clicking an "Apply now" button. Facebook automatically fills
in basic information, such as a user's name, location and photo, into the
application, which is sent to the business via Facebook Messenger.
A recent search for Washington-area jobs turned up a
doughnut-making position at Duck Donuts in Fairfax, Va., an engineering job at
Tenable Network Securities in Columbia, Md., and a part-time bartending gig at
Killarney House Irish Restaurant and Pub in Davidson, Md.
Blue Feather Music in Arlington, Va., meanwhile, was
looking for piano, guitar and voice instructors. Pay: $50 per hour.
"I thought this would be a great way to find a big
audience," owner Laura Peacock said of the job posting, which went live
Thursday morning. "I'm hiring, I need people and they're already all on
Facebook."
But not everyone is convinced the plan will work in the
long run. Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research in Provo, Utah, says
users are likely to be wary of combining their personal profiles with
professional pursuits. Although most applicants know potential employers may
look through their social media accounts, he said that's different from linking
a user's Facebook profile to their job application.
"This is something many people are going to be very
uncomfortable with," Dawson said. "Ultimately people are on Facebook
to connect with their friends and to watch funny videos. They're not there to
apply for jobs."