Facebook is the second most popular site after Google, as reported by Alexa, with 300 million active Facebook users. The average user spends at least 20 minutes on Facebook daily. The number of active users and the average time spent on Facebook makes it a pioneer in online communication. For the past few years, many employees have been fired over using Facebook and posting content that did not please their employers. Recently, however, the trend has changed from firing employees to hiring employees using Facebook as a recruitment medium. Recruiters are now using Facebook to uncover talent, if you’re serious about finding work, you must have a strong and good presence on this site.
Here are a few reasons to find job with Facebook and why it is so essential to consider this site while looking for a job in today’s focused world:
Facebook active users are equivalent to the population of USA
Firstly, the number of active users makes it almost equivalent to the population of the United States of America. Firms and hiring agencies make groups and applications targeted for the active users, and post vacancies to which users respond. The vacancies posted on Facebook can be regarding any occupation, sector, firm, industry etc. The posts can be made anytime, which are globally viewable, therefore, vacancies can be filled globally. Volunteers and interns are also recruited through Facebook, by firms and non-profit organizations through their respective pages. The most common kind of posts regarding vacancies on Facebook is through a status update that highlights the situation and basic criteria of the job. The privacy setting can be adjusted for public, friend and specific users viewing.
Most jobs come from referrals
Secondly, Facebook’s main theme is networking and sharing content. So it is natural for employees and employers to share job openings on their Facebook profiles and their Facebook friends to reply and share it further. Employee referrals, as it is known, is the fastest and best source of high quality hires, so Facebook becomes a hub for recruitment. Job seekers can also be active in particular groups that reflect their interests and build upon their Facebook network by posting information and updates regarding their field. A few conversations and interactions on posts can lead to being Facebook friends, albeit users will know each other online only. This basically will facilitate networking for the job seeker, so when an opportunity relevant to their field arises, they will automatically be considered.
Facebook Job Search Applications
Thirdly, Facebook has applications such as Branchout, CareerBuilder etc. and portals like Glassdoor and Marketplace that are specific to job searching. It is where users upload their resumes and they receive alerts regarding openings in their area or field. Facebook’s Marketplace can be scouted by users for local job listings with their description and identity of who made the post.
Reaching targeted audience through Facebook Ads
Lastly, Facebook users are now providing their full professional history in their profiles under ‘work and education’ and employers also check their short listed candidates on Facebook and assess them based on their profile. Employers are active on Facebook recently through Facebook Ads, as these Ads can be circulated to users falling under a specific mix of demographics that employers want to target.
Find out more about a company
Just as recruiters can get the information about the job candidates by looking at their Facebook profiles, this website also allows you to discover the details and atmosphere about a company by “liking” its Facebook Page. Use links from company’s Facebook Page to the company’s websites and blogs to gather information about its benefits and workplace culture.
Sometimes, you can also notice new job opportunities through a company’s Facebook Page. Many businesses are now using Facebook page to invite new talent and interact with potential candidates.
On the other hand, employees are also encouraged by their employers to maintain strict privacy settings and segregate work from friends. As a result employee can create new lists that have customized privacy settings so that when they share their posts it is seen by a specific set of people. Facebook, in conclusion, can be one of the strategies used to seek jobs but it cannot be the only strategy to look for jobs.
