Jobster And Facebook: Astounding Results

I may not like Facebook's banning of Harry Joiner, but the employment application Jobster is running on the Facebook platform is nothing short of amazing.

1) Jason Goldberg has been announcing the results of the project over at Jobster Blogs, and it seems like a pretty cool application.   For companies that have little idea of how to reach college students (and more - remember that 25+ is the majority age at Facebook) now have an application that allows the students to communicate directly.

In other words, businesses can now use Facebook for recruiting purposes.

2) The Results.

In addition to signing up over 40,000 users on Facebook, Jason has announced the results of applications for companies that have signed up for the recruiting package.  Long story short - hundreds of applicants for each company, and the companies are some heavy hitters.  Nike, Verizon, GE, Boeing, AOL - these are companies well-versed in recruitment, and the product is making a difference.  These are highly- targeted knowledge professionals, and getting a few 100 of them in their social networks is a big feat.

I'm really, truly amazed. 

Now, I've had less than kind things to say about some of Jobster's action, and I just recently scolded Facebook for not being inviting enough to professionals, but this is a big step for both companies, and it's only fair that we recognize it as such.

My fellow recruiting bloggers should be looking into this - there's a big story here, and it might be the final breakout Jobster needs to break that profitability barrier and shake off the startup label.

Time will tell.

Comments

[matt martone]

Hi Jim,
Im impressed with the app too. I think this sort of innovation should win Jobster some customer loyalty.

Its a cool app.

Matt

[Sean Rehder]

So...now that a company has hundreds of "new friends," now what?

[Jim Durbin]

Sean,

I can't swear to it, but I believe each of these companies has actual applicants, not just friends. They have over 40,000 people who signed up for the widget, which would correlate to friends, but the applicants for each company are, well - applicants.

I think.

[Sean Rehder]

So...I just installed the Jobster App on my facebook profile and signed up for 19 wonderful talent networks.

What did that get me? From what I can see, a record in the Jobster Database.

I don't see any of the "talent networks" that I signed up for within Facebook...whatever those may be. But I bet tomorrow morning I get emails from Jobster of any matches of my key words.

And besides a free plug for Jobster on my profile...I don't see what signing up did for me on Facebook.

If I click on the Jobster link in the applications list...I can do a search for jobs. But then it jumps me right out of Facebook and onto the Jobster website. So...

I don't get it. How does this leverage Facebook for me, the person?

For companies...I guess you just added to your Jobster talent network within Jobster??? But..don't you really want to build on Facebook...keep the whole communal thing going???

Curious.