Facebook is currently testing a new feature that allows users to look for jobs while staying logged in. This update will allow the social media giant's page administrators to post job openings and receive applications.
The feature is very similar to the main function of the professional online network, LinkedIn. LinkedIn, the so-called social network for business, earns money from job seekers and recruiters who pay monthly dues to access its services.
An FB spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company came up with the decision after seeing small businesses post job openings on their pages. If successful, it could pose a direct challenge to LinkedIn, which suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in losses in the second quarter of 2016, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
When the feature is rolled out, Facebook pages will have a "Jobs" tab, and job postings will have an "Apply Now" button. The button will lead to a standard job application process that contains information from a user's Facebook profile.
Pages will receive applications as Facebook messages, and the company believes it would encourage more businesses to use Facebook Messenger. Tech experts warn, however, that job applications might get mixed with other messages from customers. Some suggest that there be a function to forward applications to a company's e-mail address instead.
The move comes after Facebook created Marketplace, a buying and selling platform. It is not yet known when the testing period for the jobs feature will end and when it will be launched.
While LinkedIn, which is set to be acquired by Microsoft, has had a bad year in terms of finances, Facebook has been beating expectations. According to Reuters, Facebook reported earnings of more than $7 billion in the third quarter of this year, topping forecasts. The increase came mostly from advertising revenues.
Facebook now has some 1.79 billion users worldwide as of September 30. The numbers increased by 243 million, or about 16 percent, from the previous year. Facebook hopes that adding more features such as job postings and recruitment would further boost its numbers and user engagement with the social networking site.
