Testing "Facebook Jobs"

"Facebook Jobs" recently launched in Germany. We tested the new feature and explain its benefits and weaknesses. My conclusion: Used properly, it will at least attract attention.

Master glazier Sven Sterz from Geestland in Cuxhaven leaves his workshop holding a pane of glass. He drops it after a few steps and it shatters into a thousand shards. This describes the opening scene of the small glazier's job ad that’s now gone viral. The eye-catching intro is followed by an attractive and well-remunerated job offer from Sterz to interested trainees. A glazier master smashing glass? Someone really understood how viral video works on the social web.

Finding good apprentices is currently as difficult as recruiting experienced people in the digital economy. It seldom suffices to put out a job ad or to hire a headhunter. And both Xing and Linkedin aren’t always suitable for all job levels and industries. A new option has arisen because people spend a lot of time on social networks and the divide between their professional and private lives is dissolving. "Facebook Jobs", the integrated job application feature, was introduced to the German market in May.

Facebook Jobs: an offer to SMEs?

Now, companies can advertise job openings on Facebook and job seekers can submit their application through a native online form. The applications arrive in the regular inbox on the company's Facebook page. Companies can opt-in to receive e-mail notifications about new applicants and can either reply directly via Facebook or the attached e-mail address.

According to Facebook, the new feature is aimed primarily at local, medium-sized and handicraft companies and doesn’t compete with the other business platforms such as LinkedIn, XING and Co. But if Facebook Jobs works well, then in my opinion, the other players need to watch out.

What are the benefits of Facebook Jobs?

Compared to traditional job portals and platforms, Facebook Jobs offers the following benefits:

• Mobile application: there’s probably no faster way of sending out job applications. Today, more than 55 million Germans use a smartphone. It’s only logical that Facebook is offering a compact way to deliver a good first impression with a short resume via mobile instead of sending an elaborate portfolio.
• Abandonment of “adjective bingo”: Petty standard phrases such as "leading, innovative, successful", which are found in the vast majority of job advertisements, are not widespread on Facebook jobs. Instead, potential employers stand out through their unusual appearance and regional connections. This opens up new opportunities for companies, looking for innovative and creative minds, to set themselves apart from competitors.
• Flexible and scalable costs: On the one hand, companies can share a full job description on their site for free. In addition to being shown on the company’s Facebook page, the post is also shown in the "Discover" tab, the Marketplace and the News Feed. On the other hand, employers should - as with all content formats on Facebook - plan in an advertising budget, so that the post receives better placement and higher reach.

What are its weaknesses?

At first glance, the offer seems very attractive. For smaller companies the new feature is a simple way out of hardly being considered as an employer. However, there is also some room for improvement:

• Little space for individual applications: The fact that an application on Facebook jobs can be completed in just a few steps not only brings benefits, but also has its limits: space for individuality and creativity is barely offered. Links to a PDF, an external website or other social media profiles that host the actual "creative application" could significantly increase an applicants’ success.
• Incorrect hit list: Many companies make the mistake of posting their job listings in the wrong categories or filling them out incorrectly. Focusing solely on reach, leads to a chain reaction that turns job hunting immensely difficult for applicants. Job seekers are often offered jobs that do not match their actual search pattern. This in turn leads to user dissatisfaction and ultimately, a higher bounce rate.
• Delicate privacy: Of course, Facebook also benefits from its new feature. The US company receives all the personal data that applicants upload to the Facebook server. Companies should definitely integrate any recruiting done via Facebook into their GDPR-compliance program.

Appreciate applicants and refute stereotypes

My personal conclusion: at gyro, we’ve already had many positive experiences with Instagram as a recruiting channel and therefore also welcome Facebook Jobs. On the one hand, the feature offers us the opportunity to show jobseekers in our region that we have many exciting jobs to fill. On the other hand, we can emphasise that we are just as attractive as other companies in far-off Berlin.

I often stumble over prejudice that Munich is an underrated marketing hub, where people work hard but lack creativity. In my opinion, small features like Facebook Jobs are exactly the right recipe to attract attention and break with cliché thinking.

Read the German version of this article on haufe.de here.