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Facebook Rolls Out Job Posts To Become the Blue-Collar LinkedIn (techcrunch.com)

Posted by msmash on from the aggressive-expansion dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: LinkedIn wasn't built for low-skilled job seekers, so Facebook is barging in. Today Facebook is rolling out job posts to 40 more countries to make itself more meaningful to people's lives while laying the foundation for a lucrative business. Businesses will be able to post job openings to a Jobs tab on their Page, Jobs dashboard, Facebook Marketplace, and the News Feed that they can promote with ads. Meanwhile, job seekers can discover openings, auto-fill applications with their Facebook profile information, edit and submit their application, and communicate via Messenger to schedule interviews.

49 comments

  1. Somehow this feels like a bad idea by foxalopex · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm not sure but this doesn't seem like a good idea. I imagine most folks would prefer to keep their fun social life away from their work social life. Usually getting the two mixed up might not pass as the smartest move.

    1. Re:Somehow this feels like a bad idea by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 1

      You haven't seen the fitness center receptionists live-blogging the fat people walking through the door, or the sales floor help tweeting complaints about their customers then.

    2. Re:Somehow this feels like a bad idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not sure but this doesn't seem like a good idea. I imagine most folks would prefer to keep their fun social life away from their work social life. Usually getting the two mixed up might not pass as the smartest move.

      Well, it's probably better than making LinkedIn even worse by filling it with McJob listings. Facebook has become so infected with ads that I don't see how anyone has "fun" anymore.

    3. Re:Somehow this feels like a bad idea by forkfail · · Score: 2

      I'm not sure but this doesn't seem like a good idea. I imagine most folks would prefer to keep their trolling, rabid political arguments, drunk posts, and family drama away from their pretending to enjoy the company of those they work with.. Usually getting the two mixed up might not pass as the smartest move.

      FTFY

      --
      Check your premises.
    4. Re:Somehow this feels like a bad idea by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Well, it's probably better than making LinkedIn even worse by filling it with McJob listings.

      Currently, blue collar and entry level job listings are on Craigslist, not LinkedIn.

    5. Re:Somehow this feels like a bad idea by nospam007 · · Score: 1

      But OTOH the complete lower classes hang out there.

    6. Re:Somehow this feels like a bad idea by BLToday · · Score: 1

      That’s my thought too. Facebook is trying to kill Craigslist again. They have the Facebook Marketplace and now going after the core of Craigslist revenue.

      But if Craigslist is gone, where will I read ads by “hot young women looking for older men”? Or ads for “willing to give up sold-out concert ticket for 1/2 hour of....”

  2. Political beliefs by lucasnate1 · · Score: 3, Informative

    People like to post their political opinions on facebook. Could this be the formalization of opinion based hiring?

    --
    Avantgarde Hebrew science fiction
    1. Re: Political beliefs by DogDude · · Score: 1

      Informally, it's already here. I don't know where Trump people are finding jobs these days. I don't know anybody who hires them.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    2. Re: Political beliefs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're deep in the closet, they've learned to shut their mouths. You have to dig to try to catch them. Silencing the opposition used to sound so horrible and 1984-like, but now that it's here, it's really satisfying. James Damore is unemployable.

    3. Re: Political beliefs by lucasnate1 · · Score: 1

      Considering the tons of job offers that James Damore got, I'm not worried about them. I am worried about a society where people are not hired for their skills but for their connections, I prefer US to not end up like Italy.

      --
      Avantgarde Hebrew science fiction
    4. Re: Political beliefs by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

      Informally, it's already here. I don't know where Trump people are finding jobs these days. I don't know anybody who hires them.

      Reminds me of the famous lady who "didn't know" anybody who voted for Nixon.

    5. Re: Political beliefs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Informally, it's already here. I don't know where Trump people are finding jobs these days. I don't know anybody who hires them.

      What's it like living in a reality-distortion bubble?

    6. Re: Political beliefs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You actually think the US isn't a lot worse than Italy already?

    7. Re:Political beliefs by helpfulcorn · · Score: 1

      Interestingly, a long time ago (50s and prior) people did hire often along political lines, or at least let it heavily weigh on whether or not the person is hired; it was surprisingly often more divisive then than now.

  3. Like Craigslist by bengoerz · · Score: 2

    I call BS. Craigslist has job posts, and Facebook Marketplace has already copied everything else about their platform.

    The only reason to draw the LinkedIn comparison is because it has an attractive valuation.

  4. Facebook is desperate to find more users by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

    Look at it from their point of view. Conservatives hate them because FB bans them for no reason. The left blames them for OMGRUSSIAFAKENEWSSTOLETHEELECTION. Kids won't use FB because they think their parents use it and all their friends are on Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram. Their parents don't actually use FB because they only wanted to use it to see if their kids were up to no good. Retired people don't actually use any social media. There are few troll/meme groups left, but FB hates them and is trying to shut them down because anything funny is hate speech. If you live in the UK people have actually been arrested for FB posts.

    I think most people use it as as yet another free IM service but it's hard to make any money out of that.

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    1. Re:Facebook is desperate to find more users by Frederic54 · · Score: 1

      It's true, FB became lame, I never post on FB, I browsed it from time to time to see what's new for my extended family around the world, but it's all ads everywhere now, it's annoying. My kids (15 to 33) don't use it anymore and it's been months they went on it, they use Instagram instead.
      But I use Messenger a lot as about my only IM.

      --
      "Science will win because it works." - Stephen Hawking
    2. Re:Facebook is desperate to find more users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh, many still use Facebook. They've learbed its limitations, and the market is saturated. Getting markets that actually have jobs, or are getting jobs, and might be getting more money to spend after they get the job is useful.

      Most people use it because it's grown large enough to be likely to have your contacts on it, and to enter the reverberating echo space that is the "Like!" crowd for your particular social clique. You know, the cliques that pretend "there is no difference between men and women, it's all the fault of the male patriarchy" which obviously does not exist because there has never actually *been* a difference between men and women, and for whom gender identity is entirely a personal concept but for whom genderchange must be funded without cost. In other words, the spoiled rich kids who don't actually have to pay for anything or actually raise children.

  5. This will do nicely... by AmazingRuss · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... to document exactly when Facebook jumped the shark.

    1. Re:This will do nicely... by rnturn · · Score: 1

      On a similar note, LinkedIn jumped the shark shortly after falling under Microsoft's control and it began turning it into something Facebook-like. Ever notice how the default selection for your LI feed is "Top" posts (i.e., "popular")? Oh, you can change that to "Recent" but you cannot make that your default setting.

      IMHO, LI stopped being a great place for finding jobs several years ago. But it's not bad if you don't mind your feed being inundated with useless crap that's somehow "Trending in Information Technology". That stuff is not why I joined years ago.

      --
      CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
    2. Re:This will do nicely... by helpfulcorn · · Score: 1

      I think the rule states they also need to do email for that to be the case.

      So... I guess that was years ago.

  6. Where is the line? by jellomizer · · Score: 2

    Where is the line between a blue collar job and a white collar job now a days?

    It isn't pay, as many Blue collar jobs may pay just as well if not higher then some white collar jobs.
    It isn't education, as Some blue collar jobs requires more training and education then some white collar jobs.
    It isn't physical activity, as a blue collar job may require you to just sit in front of a machine all day watching and correcting for faults, while a white collar job sits in front of a different machine finding and correcting faults.

    There really isn't as much of a difference today. It is just the old stereotypes that stick around.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:Where is the line? by Gilgaron · · Score: 2

      Salary versus wages+overtime is probably the last vestige of the old system.

    2. Re:Where is the line? by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      The line is pretty much where it's always been: White color jobs are generally jobs that can be performed in an office setting while blue collar jobs are jobs that are not. Blue collar jobs are mostly made up of jobs in the manufacturing or service industries. The names come from the time when the phrases were coined. "blue collar" referring to the blue work shirts or overalls often worn in manufacturing, white collar referring to dress shirts. Then there is healthcare which, outside of physicians, has always kind of been it's own thing (sometimes in the past referred to as pink color). Pay and education has never been part of the definition. There are many low paying white collar jobs and many high paying blue collar jobs. Just look back at the unionized industries like steel and automotive back in their heydays. Yes today we have less manufacturing jobs than ever before, but there are still millions of "blue collar" workers in service, construction, transportation, labor, and skilled labor jobs.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    3. Re:Where is the line? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      There are a lot of hourly jobs that are considered White Collar.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    4. Re:Where is the line? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      The question where does IT jobs fit in?
      I can be working in an Office Setting, then you may see me in a cherry picker testing a network connection in the ceiling, or in a manufacturing location or construction site, where I will need to look at the situation in real time.

      I have been in situations where I start the day in the office, then somethings falls apart and here I am in my dress shirt, under a dusty desk, or hanging on the rafters having to fix something.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    5. Re:Where is the line? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is autonomy. White collar jobs allow you to have some discretion in how you go about your tasks.
      Also I see you using qualifiers like "many" and "some". Exceptions are not the rule.

    6. Re:Where is the line? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Autonomy doesn't seem to match up either.
      A job such as construction may require you to think on your feet, and work at your schedule. While a white collar job may be operationalized where you have to do the job that one way.

      The using of the passive qualifiers is the point of the argument, There are many exceptions to the rules 49% is still an exception, however it is really big to be notices, that the rule isn't that good.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    7. Re:Where is the line? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is it based on whether you know that 'then' and 'than' are different words with different meanings, and not interchangable?

    8. Re:Where is the line? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Yes, they're called consultants.

      But then again, we're basically a lot like prostitutes anyway.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    9. Re: Where is the line? by datavirtue · · Score: 2

      Its blue collar if you click and drool and run around putting out fires you started and white collar if you script everything and maintain a resiliant system based best practices and comprehensive monitoring.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    10. Re:Where is the line? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Having some difficulty parsing you last sentence

    11. Re:Where is the line? by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      Yes, that's why I described it as vestigial. The types of jobs that they map current jobs to in order to decide on exempt/non-exempt are all circa WWII, if I recall correctly. The ultimate origins of white vs blue collar probably go back to classism of some kind.

    12. Re:Where is the line? by fred6666 · · Score: 1

      It isn't education, as Some blue collar jobs requires more training and education then some white collar jobs.

      While I agree you can have a job in an office (white collar) without any education (you can even be CEO), what are the examples of blue collar jobs requiring a college degree?

    13. Re:Where is the line? by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      It depends on the job. If you spend your time running cable or installing access points, for example, then it's traditionally a blue collar job, working at a terminal in an office, white collar.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    14. Re: Where is the line? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Look up the requirements for cutting hair in most states....

  7. In America by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 2

    Informally, it's already here. I don't know where Trump people are finding jobs these days. I don't know anybody who hires them.

    In America, obviously. Check out the economy.

  8. Globalization by zifn4b · · Score: 1

    Well, this is a neat service to offer but it's not going to help America. The majority of blue collar jobs were shipped overseas. Is this a diversification strategy to get into more global markets? :P

    --
    We'll make great pets
  9. Do they really think that's clever? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Do you want to be known as the "Craigslist for the working-poor"?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:Do they really think that's clever? by ponraul · · Score: 1

      I thought Craigslist was the Craigslist for the working poor?

  10. Blue Collar? by lgordon · · Score: 1

    Is someone with an MA in Sociology applying for a job at Starbucks still considered "blue collar?"

    1. Re:Blue Collar? by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      America seems to be heading to the place that the UK has been in for some time where class isn't defined by your salary or your job but your education and cultural attitudes.

      So went to trade school and have a business you're 'blue collar'. Meanwhile if you went to an expensive liberal arts college and work as a barista you're 'white collar'.

      I.e. it's like the UK model where you can be poor but middle class or rich but working class. Class is about attitudes not income. In the US I bet you'd find a massive difference in cultural attitudes between the trade school/small business types and the liberal arts college/Starbucks ones and it's that difference in cultural attitudes that has come to define class.

      It's very different from what Brits have seen as the traditional American ideal where it mattered if you were successful much more than whether you went to the right school - blue collar and white collar after all literally mean the job you do, and not your social class. However I think that has changed.

      But perhaps Brits have always romanticised America in that way - it's clear if you spend time there that America very much has British style class - someone with an expensive liberal arts degree but a minimum wage job isn't *seen* as being a member of the 99% despite their protestations to the contrary, and probably they never have been.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  11. Skills by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    LinkedIn wasn't built for low-skilled job seekers.

    If you equate white-collar with skills and blue-collar with no skills, you're sadly mistaken. Look up the definition of skill.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  12. FB LI by schematix · · Score: 2

    My Facebook account is only for friends and family. I do not accept your friend request unless we've socialized outside of work, and work events don't count. My LinkedIn account is only for work. It's the opposite - i don't accept friends or family.

    --
    Scott
  13. I'm sick of facebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Social networks have turned us into a nation of scolds who spend all their time naming, shaming, and blaming everyone who has committed an act of blasphemy. It's a church I don't want to belong to and I have excommunicated myself.

    Here's a great article on this subject:

    https://www.autostraddle.com/k...

  14. This has been happening for years... by jedrek · · Score: 1

    I sometimes forget how out of touch with reality the users on sites like Slashdot and HN are. Facebook has been a place to find work for years now, with massive groups centered around all sorts of jobs. I'm on a local group for people working/hiring in food production (restaurants, catering, etc) and there are 36 thousand(!) members. I got a friend who does prep work and bartending, said she hasn't found a job outside of Facebook in 2 years.

  15. stupid summary and headline by Goldsmith · · Score: 1

    The (bad) headline is from TechCrunch, but nothing that Facebook is putting out there seems to say "blue collar." As noted by everyone here, that's a stupid distinction that is not helpful in looking for employees or jobs.

    Facebook instead is trying to help low-skilled people with limited professional experience find local jobs. That's still a strange business goal for Facebook, but at least it's a well defined group of people they have a chance to engage with.