What do you do on Facebook? Share pictures with family and catch up with friends? Get information about events, post a status update, and keep up with organizations you support? Now you can add looking for a job to that list.

Facebook Jobs

Although Facebook is fairly new to helping job seekers and job posters connect with each other, a poll showed that one in four people said they had searched for or found a job using Facebook. The popularity of it is easy to understand when you consider that many people go on Facebook on a regular basis anyway, for the reasons listed above and more. That makes it easy to add a job search to any quick Facebook visit.

Facebook is familiar and accessible. It’s easy to use – and that goes for the jobs feature, too: Facebook Jobs has an autofill feature which allows people to apply for jobs and talk to hiring managers directly on Facebook Messenger. That appeals to many people, especially those who have busy lives and are trying to fit a job search in among their other daily tasks.

Social Media Importance in Recruiting

If you doubt whether social media plays a role in recruiting, consider the fact that Facebook simply formalized something they already saw happening on the site. Job seekers and the people offering jobs were already using the site this way, but Facebook made the process easier for both of them.

For hiring managers, the sheer amount of traffic can make Facebook a very valuable tool: the site has 1.86 billion users. That number is compounded by the fact that users come back every day for a variety of reasons. A hiring manager can’t ignore those numbers because the perfect new hire might see a job listing the next time they visit the site.

Words of Caution

When you go into a job interview, you put your best foot forward, and it’s important to do that in this context, as well. Officially turning Facebook into a job searching platform is likely to blur the boundaries between people’s private and public lives even further.

Privacy settings are always important, but they can be even more important in this situation. Be careful of what you post on Facebook because it may be your chance to put your best foot forward. The takeaway here is this: don’t have photos of yourself chugging booze in public if you’re actively applying for a job. It seems like common sense, but here’s your friendly reminder.

Is Facebook for You?

At 365 Healthcare Staffing Services, we specialize in the recruitment and placement of healthcare professionals in per diem, travel, and permanent assignments in healthcare facilities across the country. Have you used Facebook to search for a job? If you’re looking for your next assignment, we can help. Call us at 310.436.3650.