Facebook Rolls Out 'Professional Skills' Section on User Profiles Taking aim at LinkedIn's online networking and recruiting market, Facebook has added a new profile section for users to enter their professional skills.
By Laura Entis
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Generally speaking, you probably don't turn to Facebook as a source of potential hires. LinkedIn is for online recruiting while Facebook is reserved for social posts and updates. But the lines are blurring; it's very possible you may soon find yourself mining Facebook for employees in addition to, or perhaps even in place of, LinkedIn.
That's because Facebook has added a new feature that allows users to add professional skills to their profile. The move, first reported by Sociobits, will allow users to treat their Facebook page as both a social outlet and a resume, allowing employers to get a clear picture of a candidate's social and professional qualifications in one fell swoop.
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Interestingly, when a user fills out his or her professional skills, the list does not remain static; instead, Facebook links each skill to a relevant and specific interest group, allowing employers and potential employees to interact organically. Users can opt to make their professional skills public (the current default option) so they are easily searchable by employers outside their social circle (who are not, in other words, "friends of friends").
Facebook has been eyeing the online networking and recruiting market for some time now. A little less than a year ago, it launched the Social Jobs Partnership app, which aggregates more than 1.7 million open positions from recruiters such as Monster.com, BranchOut and the National Labor Exchange.
If Facebook's Professional Skills feature takes off, you'll be able to browse through friends' vacation picks and potential hires, all at the same time.
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