Facebook’s job search feature was launched in 2017 as a way for employers to recruit candidates directly through the social media platform. The tool allowed users to look for jobs, apply, and communicate with recruiters, all without leaving Facebook. However, in 2022, Facebook quietly removed this functionality from its platform.
Why did Facebook launch job search?
Facebook introduced job search for a few key reasons:
- To compete with LinkedIn – LinkedIn is the dominant player in social media recruiting. Facebook wanted to take a piece of that market.
- To monetize its platform – Facebook saw an opportunity to make money by having employers pay to promote their job postings.
- To enhance user engagement – Job search gave people another reason to spend more time on Facebook.
The feature was part of Facebook’s larger push into facilitating economic transactions on its platform, alongside Marketplace, fundraising tools, and peer-to-peer payments.
How did Facebook’s job search feature work?
Facebook’s job search tool allowed users to:
- Search for jobs – Users could search for open positions by keyword, location, company name, etc. Facebook partnered with large job sites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn to aggregate listings.
- Apply for jobs – Users could apply for jobs directly within Facebook, either on the company’s page or through an Apply Now button on listings.
- Communicate with recruiters – Recruiters could contact candidates via Messenger to schedule interviews, ask follow-up questions, etc.
- Get notifications – Users who opted in would get notifications in their News Feed about new job openings that matched their skills, location, etc.
For employers, Facebook provided an interface to post openings, screen candidates, collect applications, and communicate with applicants. They could target postings using Facebook’s advertising tools based on user data like education, job titles, and interests.
Why did Facebook remove the job search feature?
In 2022, without much fanfare, Facebook eliminated its job search functionality. The company did not give an official reason, but a few factors likely contributed to the decision:
- Lack of adoption – Despite Facebook’s massive user base, job search on the platform never really gained traction. Most candidates and employers still favored traditional job portals.
- Increased competition – Since launch, LinkedIn strengthened its hold on social media recruiting while new players like Handshake entered the space.
- Regulatory concerns – Facebook faced scrutiny from regulators about how it was using user data for targeting job ads.
- Refocus on groups – Facebook began emphasizing community interaction through groups and events rather than transactions.
While Facebook job search remained live in some countries, the company essentially pivoted away from its ambitions to disrupt the recruiting industry.
How successful was Facebook’s job search feature?
By most measures, Facebook’s job search tool never lived up to its potential and failed to become a major player in the space:
- Low usage – Despite having over 2 billion monthly active users, only about 2 million people (0.1%) used Facebook’s job search feature per month at its peak.
- Minimal paid adoption – Less than 40,000 employers ever paid to promote job postings on the platform.
- Niche demographic – The tool was predominantly used by blue-collar and hourly workers rather than white-collar professionals.
- No discernible revenue – Facebook job search likely generated little revenue compared to Facebook’s advertising business.
While the tool saw spikes in usage during times of high unemployment, overall it lacked stickiness and remained a minor feature compared to Facebook’s other offerings.
What alternatives exist now that Facebook job search is gone?
Candidates and employers have several alternative options for social media recruiting now that Facebook’s built-in tool is phased out:
- LinkedIn – Still the primary social media site for professional networking and job searching.
- Handshake – Fast-growing platform specializing in connecting college students and recent grads with employers.
- Twitter – Many companies tweet out job openings or advertise roles on their Twitter pages.
- TikTok – A nascent but growing channel for recruiting, especially for younger demographics.
- Reddit – Some industries have active Reddit communities where jobs are posted.
- Talent networks – Companies build their own talent networks and communities to source candidates.
- Professional groups – Facebook groups, Slack channels, etc. focused on careers and industries.
Employers can also get creative and try to organically reach potential applicants on any social platform through hashtags, influencer partnerships, social listening, and engagement with their brand.
Could Facebook bring back job search in the future?
While Facebook has largely moved on from its previous ambitions in the recruiting space, there are a few scenarios where the company could revive or relaunch job search functionality:
- Economic downturn – During recessions with spiking unemployment, job search tools see increased usage. That could motivate Facebook to bring it back.
- LinkedIn competitor – If another professional social network gains momentum, Facebook may re-enter to compete.
- Enterprise focus – Facebook could reintroduce the tool but focus on serving large corporate employers rather than consumers.
- Regulatory changes – If antitrust regulation forced separation of Facebook and LinkedIn, job search could help fill that gap.
However, for now Facebook seems content to phase out this feature and leave talent acquisition to other platforms. The social network giant has shifted its focus to areas like augmented and virtual reality, e-commerce, and the metaverse – not recruiting.
Conclusion
Facebook’s experiment with job search demonstrates the challenges of disrupting the entrenched recruiting industry. While the company benefitted from its massive user base, it clearly struggled to get job seekers and employers to change their behavior. LinkedIn’s dominance as the professional social network proved hard to overcome. While the tool saw spikes during times like the COVID-19 pandemic, overall adoption remained relatively low. Facebook ultimately threw in the towel and quietly sunsetted the functionality in 2022 as it refocused priorities elsewhere. For now, recruiters and job seekers will continue relying on traditional job boards and LinkedIn rather than Facebook to connect.