Posting a job on Facebook takes five steps. Just fill out a short form about your position and budget a little money to boost the post so job seekers can find it easier. North American Facebook users get free job postings for 30 days, allowing applicants to contact you through Facebook or email.
Keeping track of all the places you post and advertise job openings can get overwhelming. Recruiting software tools like Freshteam make it easy. Freshteam can track all your job postings in one place, as well as manage applications, resumes, and interviews with its applicant tracking system. The best part is that if you have fewer than 50 employees, you can use Freshteam for free.
Here’s how to post a job on Facebook in five simple steps:
1. Start From Your Facebook Business Page
Facebook jobs is a free option available to business owners or nonprofits (anyone, really) that have already set up a Facebook business account. Since Inc.com reports that 79% of job seekers use social media in their job search, Facebook serves as great place to post your open positions. You’ll start on your business page. If you haven’t set up your free business account on Facebook, that needs to be done first.
From the left-hand side menu on your business page, you will see the option for “Jobs,” as shown below.
Facebook job postings are managed from your Facebook Business Page.
Allow Messaging
One setting to change on your Facebook business page is the messaging setting; that allows job seekers to contact you. You may already be using this free feature as part of your Facebook marketing. To change from the default setup, choose “Settings” from the menu at the top of your business page, and then select “Messaging.” Then, add a message button to your business page.
Change your Facebook default settings so that job seekers can message you.
2. Create a Facebook Job Post
As is common with most online software, there is often more than one way to accomplish a task, including how to create a job post on Facebook. Here are two alternative ways to start your Facebook job postings—both are available from your Facebook Business page.
How to Post a Job on Facebook Using the Menu
The first option is to scroll down on the left-hand menu on your business page until you come to the “Jobs” option. Once you click Jobs, it will give you an option to “Create Job.”
To post a job on Facebook, choose Jobs, Create Job.
How to Post a Job on Facebook Using the Manage Jobs Tab
The second way is to choose “Manage Jobs” from the menu tab at the top of your business page. In either case, you’ll have an option called “Create Job.” That’s the option you’ll choose to post a job on Facebook.
To post a job on Facebook, choose Manage Jobs, then Create Job.
In either case, you’ll get a pop-up form to complete with information about the job. Only the job title, location, and job type are required fields. But as a best HR practice, include enough information about the job to help job seekers find it. That includes a job title that’s relevant, keywords related to the job, and specific details about the job—this information is likely available on an existing job description.
When you choose the Create Job option, you’ll get a form to complete online.
Compliance Reminder When Using Facebook Job Postings
Facebook requires you to comply with their Facebook Job Policy, which covers anti-discrimination and applicable laws. It’s a best practice to be aware of federal labor laws in general and to avoid violating any local anti-discrimination laws that may extend coverage to protected classes of people like pregnant women or those who identify as another gender.
3. Fill Out the “Create Job” Form Completely
Similar to any job posting, enter enough information so that individuals searching for work can find your job posting and determine whether it’s a job they want and that they’re qualified for. We recommend that you complete all fields, including the optional ones, as it will increase your chances of finding the best job candidate.
Best Practice Information to Provide About Your Job
To attract top talent, it’s important to give job seekers enough information about the job to know whether they’re a good fit. That includes providing the title of the job, where it’s located, and how much it pays. Fortunately, Facebook job postings make this easy for you with fill-in-the-blank fields—both required and optional.
Facebook provides fill-in-the-blank fields to make job posting easy.
Here is the information we recommend you complete to post a job on Facebook:
- Job title: Input the job title or choose a standard job title from the drop-down options.
- Job location: Add the city and state to indicate where the job is located. You could also type in a phrase like “remote” if the job can be done offsite.
- Salary range: While this is optional within Facebook, you’ll have a better chance of attracting candidates if you input the exact rate, or indicate a pay range.
- Job type: This gives you the option to choose full or part-time, for example.
- Job description: This is where you’ll list the job duties and requirements. You have 5,000 characters to use. Use bullets to make it easy for job seekers to read.
For a step-by-step guide on how to write a compelling job ad and maximize your 5,000-character job description, read our article on how to advertise a job. It provides details such as how to choose the most effective job title and how best to format your job description. It also provides tips on how to describe your company culture in a way that attracts the kind of workers you’re looking for.
Facebook Job Post Tips in a Nutshell
1. Keep job posts short—most users are on mobile
2. Include an image—this will capture the audience’s attention
3. Use visual aids—post the job with an animated gif or company video
4. Paid ads—use Facebook ads to post your job to highly targeted candidates
5. Sponsored posts—make your job post a sponsored post by using the boost ad feature
(Source: Workable)
The other aspect of “content” that can really make a substantial impact on results, is the actual narrative that is used within the ad. Utilizing brand-building, energetic, pro-inclusive, and growth terminology as opposed to standard, story language, can really impact a job seeker.
For example, you should say, “Do you want to work for a growing dynamic team in a role that impacts the entire organization and partners with our awesome team of problem solvers? Then visit our website and apply…” instead of, “We have a mid-management level role in our marketing department that will focus on supervising the team, editing materials, and working with other departments to please customers.” These types of differences can be game-changing.
Pro-tip: When submitting a Facebook recruitment ad, keep your ad to 80 characters or less, as the majority of high-performing posts on Facebook keep their word-count low for ease and speed of viewing.
Optional Facebook Job Posting Information
To help you both attract qualified candidates and screen out those who aren’t a good fit, it’s in your best interest to complete the three optional fields at the bottom of the form.
Optional Facebook job posting fields include:
- Questions: You can add questions, up to 200-characters in length, to assess applicant qualifications right in your job posting; e.g., “Which POS systems have you used?” or “Are you currently attending school?”
- Photo: A photo of your business or job helps candidates get a feel for the job and your company. Consider posting a photo of existing workers on the job (but, get their OK first).
- Receive applications by email: This is a great option if you want to receive an email each time a job applicant applies for the position you’ve posted.
Here’s an example of optional fields you could use when posting a job on Facebook:
Add optional details when you complete your Facebook job posting.
It’s a good idea to base your job post on an existing job description, as well as to add additional details that will help a candidate determine whether they’re a match for your job.
4. Publish Your Job Post for Free
The best part of posting jobs on Facebook is that it’s free to post jobs, similar to free job boards like Indeed. Before you post your job, you’ll get a chance to look at it and change it as you like. Posting your job is done with one press of a button, illustrated in the screen capture image below.
Preview Your Job Posting
Prior to posting, you’ll get a chance to see what your job post will look like.
You’ll be able to preview how your job post will look on both desktop and mobile.
Post Job for Applicants to Apply Through Facebook
After you’ve confirmed the job posting details are correct, you post the job by pressing the Post Job button as shown above. Visitors to your Facebook business page will be able to see your job posting. In addition, Facebook users can subscribe to jobs by choosing job titles they’re interested in, like Administrative Assistant. When they search for jobs in your location or for job titles similar to yours, your job post will pop up so they can apply, right through Facebook.
Facebook job seekers can apply using their smartphone.
Post Job for Applicants to Apply Through Your ATS
If you’re using an applicant tracking system (ATS), such as Freshteam, you’ll want to paste a tracking link into the Facebook job description so that applicants can apply directly through your job post tracking link. The benefit of using an ATS is that each application coming into your ATS will be tracked by source. That allows you to know whether Facebook is, in fact, providing solid candidates.
Freshteam ATS provides a job tracking link as well as social media sharing.
Many applicant tracking systems provide a URL tracking link and allow you to promote your open jobs on social media sites like Facebook. For example, Freshteam, which is free if you have 50 or fewer employees, lets you create jobs and then cross-post them to social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Get Freshteam free.
Post Jobs for Applicants to Apply Through a Job Board
Similar to adding an ATS tracking link, if your job post or ad already exists on a major job board, like Indeed, you can direct candidates to click the job link and apply directly through the job board. That lets you view candidates through the job board rather than having to find or import their data from across various social media accounts.
5. Boost Your Facebook Job Post for as Low as $10
Job postings are free on Facebook. Yet, it often pays to advertise a job (which Facebook refers to as Boost), as it pushes the job out to be seen by more Facebook users. When you boost a job post, you provide a budget. Facebook uses your budget toward impressions and clicks, similar to any other kind of Facebook advertising.
Choose Boost Post instead of Post Job if you want pay-per-click advertising for your open job.
What Facebook Job Postings Cost
Job postings are free on Facebook, but the free job posting lasts for only 30 days. You can advertise your Facebook job posting beyond 30 days and reach more job seekers by boosting the job post. Pay-per-click advertising for a job starts at $10 per day.
On average, businesses spend about $86 to advertise a job. However, as a practice, you might consider posting your job free and only boost it if your free Facebook job posting doesn’t provide you with an adequate number of qualified candidates within the first 30 days.
You can specify who you advertise to when you boost your Facebook job posting.
Boosting the job post gives extra features. You can specify where you’re searching for workers, clarify which job titles you want this post to show up for (in user searches), and decide on the minimum level of education you want workers to have.
Here are the criteria you can set when you pay to boost your job ad:
- Location: You can drop a pin on your work location, input your town (default), or change it to the country you’re in. You will have to choose at least one option.
- Job title: Input a generic job title. For example, let’s say your job is for a marketing rep level II. You may want to use the title “marketing” so that a person searching for a marketing role is more likely to find your exact job. This field can also be left blank.
- Education: If your job truly requires a minimum education level, select it. That prevents your ad from being shown (and your ad spend wasted) on unqualified candidates.
Of course, education levels depend on whether the Facebook user has provided information in their profile. For example, if you choose the Master’s degree under education, your post will only show up for job seekers who have updated their Facebook profile to indicate that they have a Master’s degree.
Next, set your budget and indicate how long you want the job ad to run. In turn, Facebook will let you know how many people you’re likely to reach in that time frame. Similar to a free Facebook job post, you can preview the boosted job ad to get a look at how it will appear to job seekers.
Set your own budget when you boost your Facebook job post.
How Facebook Job Postings Work
Facebook jobs postings are free, and are currently only available in North America. In order to work (so that you can post a job and applicants can apply), you have to have two things. First, you have to have a Facebook business page. Second, you have to ensure the messaging feature is turned on. Once those two actions are complete, the job posting feature will be available to you.
You can share the job post to different groups, such as business or community groups to which you belong. In addition, any jobs you post will be visible on your business page as part of your feed. They can also be found by job seekers who look under the Jobs tab on your business page.
However, Facebook’s free job postings are active for only 30 days. If you want to keep the job post up longer than that, you’ll need to pay to advertise it using the Boost Post option.
Facebook makes it easy to share job postings and view applications.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About How to Post a Job on Facebook
Facebook’s foray into job ads rightly sparks some questions.
Why does Facebook make me sign an anti-discrimination notice?
The anti-discrimination notice provides documentation that you will abide by federal and state laws. It serves to protect Facebook from lawsuits by job candidates who may feel that a Facebook job ad violates their rights. It’s also a good reminder to businesses posting jobs to ensure your advertisements and job descriptions are aboveboard and offer an equal opportunity to all qualified job seekers.
Where can I see job applications?
You will be able to see job applications in multiple places. The first place to find them will be in your Facebook messages. If you’ve allowed applicants to apply by email, you’ll also see their information in the business email account you set up for your Facebook business page.
However, if you want to track job applicants side by side, there’s real value is sharing a link from a job board like Indeed or ATS software like Freshteam directly within your Facebook job posting. That way, job applicants who find your job on Facebook can apply directly through that URL tracking link, and their data will be stored in your existing recruiting software.
Can applicants attach a resume to their job application?
There is no resume attachment field within Facebook job postings, but there are a few easy workarounds. If you allow job seekers to contact you via email, they can attach their resume to the email they send. Or, if they use Google Docs, they can include a shared link in their message.
Of course, if you provide a link to your job board ad or ATS job opening, candidates will typically be able to attach a resume, although it may take a few more steps for them to apply to the job.
How will I know if anyone has applied to my job?
You will get a message on your Facebook account whenever someone applies. If you have allowed email, you may also receive an email from the candidate. Lastly, you can go to the Jobs menu or tab on your Facebook business account and you will see all the jobs you’ve posted and who has applied to each.
Can I export the job application data?
Yes, Facebook allows you to export job application data, which is helpful if you want to view it in a spreadsheet or compare candidates side by side. You can also upload the data to your ATS. Facebook provides a help center where you can get instructions along with additional information about posting jobs.
Can I cross-post a job on Facebook from another site, like Indeed?
Yes. The best way to do this is to embed a tracking link from the job board into your Facebook job posting. However, some job boards make it easy for you by providing a share option directly from the job board, similar to the example shown below from Indeed.
Indeed provides an option to let you share your job post to social media sites.
How do I close a job I’ve posted on Facebook?
Closing a job makes sense when you no longer want users to respond to it. The job will automatically close after 30 days if you do nothing (and haven’t boosted it). However, if, say, you received 250 applications after three days and no longer want any more messages or emails, you can close the job by clicking on the suspension points (dot-dot-dot) to the right of the job posting. That opens a menu that provides additional options, like “Close Job.”
Several options are hidden under the dot-dot-dot on the Facebook job posting.
Bottom Line
Facebook job postings are a great way to get the word out about jobs you have posted on job boards like Indeed. Because Facebook job postings are free, you can create them there, or link applicants to apply through your ATS so that all applicant data is in one location.
As a cloud-based ATS, Freshteam can pull job posting and applicant data from various online job boards into one system. It parses resumes for you (so you can compare candidate data side by side), allows you to search for key skills, tracks your interviews, and even lets your team members refer job applicants to your business. Get Freshteam for free if you have 50 or fewer employees.
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