Watch out, Linkedin! Facebook is spreading its wings once again to a new arena – the job market. We have all seen many businesses posting jobs on Facebook already, but now Facebook has a special type of post specifically design for job posts.
Post a Job on your Business’s Facebook Page:
Go to your Facebook page, and instead of just making a regular text post, look for the “Publish a Job Post” button (as seen below). If you don’t see it, be sure to click the “See All” link to show you all of your options, as sometimes it is hidden behind that link.
Next, fill out all of the information about the job that you can. You will have limited text in the Introduction (I usually like to encourage sharing!), but more room to describe the job opening in the details. If you have a more detailed job description or an application online, go ahead and include a link in the Details. It is optional to list salary or add a different image, other than your cover image. When you are putting your job listing together, you can preview what it will look like on the desktop or mobile. After you hit publish, Facebook will review it to make sure it fits Employment guidelines. I have had some job posts take over 24 hours to go live, so be patient. The job posting will be Active for 30 days. If it is filled you can Close it early, or Renew it anytime.
If people choose to use the “Apply Now” button, it will pre-populate their contact information, experience, and education from their Facebook profile, in a direct message to the business’s Facebook Page. It would also allow them to add a personal message, and go into their Facebook profile to include any missing information. After the applicant submits that Facebook “application”, the employer can ask the person to fill out a more formal application, come in for an interview, or ask follow-up questions as fit.
View Job Applications in Messages/Inbox
The Employer will be able to view any incoming Facebook Applications in their Inbox/Messages. The Inbox has been constantly changing over the past few months and I have noticed some of my Facebook Pages have the “new” Inbox and others do not. The overall “instant messaging” feature is the same. Newer Inbox features include being able to move contacts/conversations in folders such as “Done”, “Follow Up” or “Spam” and also be able to more easily manage Facebook and Instagram comments.
Advertising a Job Post on Facebook
With the Facebook Jobs growing, I predict that many small businesses will use Facebook Ads for the first time to advertise a job opening. To use Facebook Ads to promote your job opening on Facebook, I recommend making the job post live on your page first, then go to the Ads Manager, and select the engagement objective. From there, you can build your target audience – location, workplaces, education level, interests, etc. (this is the key difference compared to traditional print advertising in the Help Wanted section of the Newspaper). Under Placement, you will want to edit your placements so that only Facebook Feeds are selected (right column ads and others will not work). Under Ad – Page & Post, you should be able to select the job listing from your selection of page posts. If you are running a Facebook ad for employment, housing, or credit opportunities, Facebook may ask you to acknowledge their policies (see “Certification” that Facebook requests below).
Searching for Jobs on Facebook
Will people see your job posting if you don’t put some ad dollars behind it? I have seen the reach for organic job postings to be very low. Facebook doesn’t seem to be promoting the organic posts but if people are actively looking for a job like yours, hopefully they will do a job search here and find your opportunity —> https://www.facebook.com/jobs/openings. On this job search page, people can drill down to their location, industry and job type, and even subscribe to new job openings.
Have you been able to hire for an open position or find a job on Facebook? Do you need help getting a Facebook Ad going for your next job opening? We would love to hear from you! Find us on the Vivid Image Facebook page, or connect with me on Twitter or Linkedin!
