Your boss has a new reason to ban Facebook during office hours: you'll soon be able to look for a new job there, and apply without ever leaving the site.
Facebook Jobs launched in the US and Canada last year, and is now rolling out to 40 more countries, including the UK. Facebook hasn't given any specific dates, but says the new tools will be rolled out "in the coming weeks".
You'll be able to search for vacancies in a dashboard at http://www.facebook.com/jobs (the page currently redirects to Facebook's own careers site), by selecting the 'Jobs' option in the 'Explore' section of the mobile app or visit a new 'Jobs' tab on a company's page.
Auto applications
If you decide to apply, you'll be taken to an application form, which will automatically fill with information such as your employment history, lifted straight from your Facebook profile. Once that's submitted, Facebook will launch a Messenger conversation with the employer so you can speak directly.
You can also subscribe to alerts, so you'll be notified about new jobs that match your search criteria.
It's hard to miss the similarity to LinkedIn, which Microsoft bought in 2016 for around £188 billion. With 2.16 billion active users compared to LinkedIn's 260 million, Facebook is a serious threat – particularly now that its users are starting to skew older.
Google also tried to muscle in on the job market last year with Google Hire, though this is designed to make life easier for overworked recruiters rather than to help jobseekers make applications.
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