Over the past 10 years social media has grown exponentially. It has been estimated that 2.77 billion people use some form of social media in 2019. This is pushing very close to 50% of our planet’s population. It makes sense that employers and recruiters would take the bull by the horns and use websites like Facebook to look for their next great hire. As a result, more and more people are finding work on Facebook through use of groups, pages and more.

In this article we’ll go through some of our favourite tips to help you with finding work on the world’s most popular social media platform.

1. Facebook Job Groups

If you haven’t already joined local job groups on Facebook you’re missing out on the best and most effective places for finding work on Facebook. Job groups are available for almost every location within the UK and even cover a variety of specific sectors. For the most part they are generic job groups but you will see some that are tailored to industries like Driving, IT, Engineering etc.

Finding your local job group on Facebook is easy. Simply do a search for your town or city name followed by “jobs” e.g Norwich Jobs. A number of options will appear just like in the image below.

From this results page you can join with ease or you can click into each individual group to inspect further. Once inside a group you can conduct searches to find jobs that match your skills, you can browse through employer and recruiter listings or you can post what work you’re looking for.

Top tip for finding work on Facebook Jobs Groups

When posting within groups to alert other members that you are looking for work, be sure to add specifics. If you just ask “any work about?” you will be bombarded with lost of irrelevant vacancies to your skill-set and experience. By explaining the hours you wish to work, what sectors or industries you have experience in and locations you can commute to, you will dramatically increase your chances of being contacted by somebody relevant.

2. Follow relevant recruitment pages on Facebook

Recruitment is a huge industry in itself. Every city is jam packed full of recruitment companies that regularly source staff on behalf of their clients. By following their pages you will regularly see freshly posted job listings. Make sure the recruitment companies you follow on Facebook are relevant to the work you are looking for.

Some companies and agencies only recruit for the care industry whilst others may focus on engineering or IT jobs. Save yourself and your newsfeed a lot of hassle by only following recruitment companies that are looking for staff like you!

Top tip for following Facebook pages

Nearly every business page on Facebook has a message feature. The majority of them would love to hear from you too! Don’t forget to message them with the type of work you’re looking for. Make sure you have a CV to hand as they will most probably ask to see this.

3. Contact companies directly on Facebook

By following the same steps outlined in point 2 of this article you can contact companies directly via their Facebook pages. It’s really easy! Just find the company you would like to work for, search for their Facebook page and hit the “Send Message” button!

Contacting companies directly and asking for information on their vacancies is still a great way to get your foot in the door. It shows initiative and is usually always welcomed.

4. Be responsive on Facebook

Respond to potential work offers as quickly as possible. Chances are they are speaking to other people regarding the role and will want to make a fast hire. In this instance the early bird more often than not does catch the worm.

The important things to keep an eye out for are:

• Messages in response to your queries about a particular role
• Comments on your work request posts
• Replies to your comments on job posts and ads

When expecting a reply to a job application or enquiry keep your phone nearby and notifications turned on.

5. Be polite on Facebook

We understand that behind the keyboard people can often act out of character. When interacting publicly on Facebook remember that potential employers will be watching. Being rude to employers, recruiters and other jobseekers is a sure fire way to get negative attention from those who otherwise would have offered you an opportunity.

It goes without saying, treat other users with respect. Don’t mock jobseekers trying to better their situation and remember, not every role requires a grade A English student. Just because somebody’s grammar and spelling isn’t on point doesn’t mean they won’t excel in other areas.

6. Facebook Message requests… What message requests?

The number of messages on Facebook that go completely unnoticed and unread is huge. Thousands upon thousands of messages sent every day will probably never be seen by the recipient. For this we thank the social media platform’s clever filtering system.

If you aren’t connected in anyway with somebody, when they message you it is likely to go into your “Message Requests” folder. Let’s take a look at how you can see these hidden messages that will help you on your journey in finding work on Facebook.

On a computer or laptop

• Open Facebook in your browser and ensure you are logged in
• Click on the message icon at the top to reveal your recent chat history
• Just above your latest conversation you will see “Message Requests”
• Click here to reveal messages received from people you aren’t connected with.

There is also an option to “See Filtered Requests”. Make sure you check this too as there could be something important in there.

On a smart phone or tablet

• Open the Facebook Messenger app on your device
• Click on the cog to enter the settings screen
• Select the option labelled “People”
• Once on the “People” page, tap on “Message Requests”

Again you will be able to see an option for viewing the “Filtered Requests” and hopefully you’re not too late in replying to some of these.

7. Finding work on Facebook with a little help from your friends

Networking is a great way to find a job and who better and easier to network with than your nearest and dearest? A single message to a friend in the know can be life changing!

There are plenty of jobs on the market and prior to spending money on advertising and recruitment, many companies will either try to hire internally or through their existing employees and network. Find out from your friends and family if their employer is hiring! You can ask plenty of people in no time using Facebook messenger.

8. Have your CV ready!

This is really important. Employers and recruiters alike will almost always want to take a look at your CV. Before gaining traction on your social media job search, get your CV in order! Make sure it is up to date and includes all of the relevant information to your job search.

Finding work on Facebook is always made easier when you’re prepared and ready for whatever your network may ask for. If you are struggling to put together a CV you can find plenty of templates and advice online.

9. Be interview ready!

Just like the point above, be ready for anything! That includes being ready to attend an interview at short notice. If you’ve followed this article and all of its points thus far you will be a shining example of a digital age jobseeker. The interview invitations will be flooding.

Press your blouse, dry clean your favourite boxers, polish your shoes and dust off your hairbrush. Dress to impress, feel confident and go prepared. Should you be invited in for an interview do a little research into the business and know why you would like to work there.

10. Be safe and vigilant

For the uninitiated the internet can be a daunting place. Fear not however! There is plenty of information to help with online safety and security. But one saying to stand by when finding work on Facebook is “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Job groups are busy places and despite admin’s best efforts, some scams and fake jobs can slip through the net. Here is a list of some things you can do to check the legitimacy of a job posting social media:

• Does the company have a website? – If they do not have a website it is unlikely that they are taking on employees. A legitimate online presence is something to always look out for.
• Do they have an active Facebook page? – An active social media presence increases the likelihood of a company being real with actual job opportunities.
• Is the advertised salary in British pounds? – Fake job posters from overseas often forget that we don’t use dollars. All legitimate job postings for UK based roles will have salary stated in GBP (£).
• Have they turned off commenting? – When somebody turns off commenting for their post it usually means they are hiding something. By encouraging people to message directly they can use this to trick users without being exposed publicly.
• Are they using a free email address? – Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook, Yahoo and others are all considered free email addresses. 9 times out of 10 a legitimate company will have their company name after the @ in their email address. E.g example@i4jobs.co.uk

Should you have your suspicions surrounding a post on Facebook don’t be afraid to ask other users and admins for the group it is posted in.

Finding work on Facebook: Summary

In short, Facebook is a fantastic tool for finding work. With the help from a variety of social media communities you should be able to find a job in no time.

Remember to keep your profile clean as over 50% of hiring managers check to gauge what you’re about. If your profile shows you acting in a manner that will reflect badly upon an employer’s company you are far less likely to be contacted!

The i4 Jobs blog is packed full of great advice for both employers and jobseekers. Be sure to head on over and read more articles that we have put together to help you.

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