Until recently, staffing companies and employers could post jobs on Facebook for free using Facebook Marketplace’s Jobs on Facebook feature. Candidates could use the feature to find jobs and apply directly through the social media site. Employers and job seekers alike considered this a win-win.
Unfortunately, Jobs on Facebook is coming to an end. Mark your calendars for February 22nd, 2022: After that date, Jobs on Facebook will be no more.
Visit Facebook’s Business Help Center for the full details of these changes. For now, here’s what to expect:
- Job Groups will become General Groups. Existing Facebook Groups categorized under the “Jobs” group type will be categorized under the “General” group type, and the “Jobs” type will be disappearing.
- Partner Integrations will disappear. Companies who have worked to be accepted into Facebook’s partner integration program will be disappointed because those integrations will no longer be available.
- The Jobs on Facebook browser will disappear. The Facebook Lite app and Facebook’s mobile website will no longer support Jobs on Facebook.
How Will This Change Impact Your Company?
As you can imagine, Facebook’s decision to get rid of Jobs on Facebook will have an impact on your company. First and foremost, you’ll no longer be able to post job openings in Facebook Marketplace, but only on your Facebook page itself. Job seekers used to be able search for and find jobs within the Marketplace; now, they’ll need to navigate to your company’s individual Facebook page, view your wall and find the post, and apply.
Suffice it to say that most job seekers probably won’t be taking all of these steps.
One of the great things about Facebook’s Jobs feature was that it could integrate with your ATS, posting automatically when you added an opening. Because the integration feature is disappearing, you’ll need to manually post your jobs on your Facebook wall. Integrations disappearing also means that job applications themselves will be reverting to Messenger. You’ll need to review them through your Messenger Inbox and the Manage Jobs section of your page.
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What Can You Do About These Changes?
Let’s face it: The changes Facebook is making aren’t fun for anyone. But rather than feeling sorry for yourself (we’re all in the same boat), you can take action to make things better.
So, what can you do?
- Drive traffic to your job postings. Although you can still post job openings to your Facebook page for free, it’s not likely to result in much conversion. You’ll need to look into boosting your job posts to gain visibility or running aggressive advertising campaigns to drive traffic to those postings.
- Build a stronger Facebook following. Build your following both organically and through paid follower campaigns. Look for ways to make your posts more engaging in order to increase your following: Add in humor, make the posts authentic and get your team involved in sharing and commenting on posts.
- Launch a re-engagement campaign. Don’t forget that you probably already have a goldmine of job candidates waiting in your ATS. Remember that you can leverage that data and re-engage with those individuals. Consider using candidate engagement platforms like Sense or Herefish to shake things up — even asking candidates to update their contact information, job preferences or their interest is a great way to make things happen.
Frustrated by the changes Facebook is making? I get it. Although Jobs on Facebook is coming to an end this February, staffing companies and employers still have ways to reach potential candidates and drive engagement. It’s about doubling down on the methods you use outside of Facebook and the channels you already have in place.