There are several “apps” that integrate with Facebook to assist you with tapping into your network of connections for your job search.
BranchOut bills itself as “the largest professional network on Facebook,” and operates the largest job board on the social networking site, with more than 3 million jobs listed. Jobseekers can build a professional profile for themselves — like on LinkedIn — integrating their work history, education, endorsements, skills, and a photo of your choice.
According to BranchOut: “One of the main benefits of BranchOut is that users are able to see where their Facebook friends — and friends of friends — work, creating expansive networks of contacts at companies which interest them. On average, a network of 300 Facebook friends translates into 30,000 professional connections through BranchOut,
You can search job titles, companies, and keywords, and it mines your Facebook contacts and connections to find matches. You can also view open positions at the companies where your friends work, and “follow” companies. BranchOut also offers a mobile app for smartphones to allow jobseekers to review job descriptions and people profiles “on the go.”
Glassdoor is a “jobs and career community that offers the world an inside look at jobs and companies.” The distinguishing characteristic of Glassdoor is that it collects, analyzes, and publishes “user-generated content” — salary information, company reviews, actual interview questions, and more — are posted by employees, jobseekers, and company representatives. The site offers more than 2.5 million salaries and company reviews.
When you join Glassdoor, you’ll see how many connections you already have.
The site offers a 30-day full membership trial. You can upgrade to a free, “unlimited” membership by contributing content to the site — for example, posting salary information, an interview review, a workplace photo, or a company review. This “you share yours; we’ll share ours” approach to collecting information encourages — and rewards — feedback.
Facebook partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the DirectEmployers Association and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies to produce a new Facebook app to help you find and share employment opportunities.
Like most job websites and applications, you can narrow down the type of job you’re looking for by keyword, category, subcategory and location. After you add your job specifications and click “Search Jobs,” Facebook will return a list of matching job openings. You can browse results by clicking on each of the five listing providers.
Clicking on the job title gives you a quick rundown of the job specifics, such as the location and team, and a button to click that will send you to the recruiter’s website for more details.
Within each search result is also a “Like” button that will display how many people have liked that job (and where you can like the position as well). It also includes a “Send” button that lets you share the job listing with a Facebook friend or send it to someone’s email address.
Three key stats from employers surveyed by NACE:
· 50% of employers use Facebook in their hiring process. Facebook is predicted to become a more important part of the talent-acquisition process in the future.
· Nearly 90% of companies say that by using Facebook for recruiting talent, they have decreased the amount of print advertising, making Facebook a cost-effective way to find new talent.
· 87% of recruiters recommend that candidates using Facebook “Like” a desired company’s Facebook page, followed by using Facebook as a networking tool.
Facebook is emerging as an important influence in job search networking and linking qualified jobs with qualified candidates. These apps help job seekers tap into the growing community of people and companies who share information about their organizations and job opportunities with the Facebook community.
