Facebook Adds Job Search Feature

Looking for a new job? You might not have to switch from Facebook over to LinkedIn.

Facebook has started rolling out a job search feature that lets businesses list job openings for free, and lets Facebook users apply for the job from with the app or desktop website. For users of the Facebook mobile app, the feature will appear in the menu, which also lists events, friends, groups and other functions. For desktop users, the Jobs feature will appear in the Shortcuts menu on the left of the screen. The rollout of the feature is expected to take several weeks.

The social media giant has been beta testing the job listing feature since November of last year. The feature, which will connect employers and job searchers through the Messenger app, will be for users in the United States and Canada.

“Businesses and people already use Facebook to fill and find jobs, so we’re rolling out new features that allow job posting and application directly on Facebook,” Facebook V.P. Andrew Bosworth said in a statement.

Currently, the most-used professional networking and job recruiting social media site is LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft. The site also allows users to create topic-focused groups where they can hold discussions, as well as provide references or referrals for each other.

While the basic job listings will be free for employers, if they want those listings to show in the news feed of demographically or geographically-selected users, the business will have to pay a fee, according to analysts. The move into the employment search space could prove profitable for Facebook and popular among its users. Facebook has an estimated 1.9 billion users worldwide.

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