Who Can Build a Better Jobs Platform, Facebook or Microsoft?

Facebook is rolling out a new feature to address employment, similar to what LinkedIn has done in the past. Keep in mind that Microsoft only recently completed its acquisition of LinkedIn.

Published February 17, 2017, 10:55am ET · 2 min read

© courtesy of Facebook Inc.

[cnxvideo id=”625494″ placement=”ros”]Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is looking to take on a whole new level of competition with another colossal tech company, Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT). The social media giant is rolling out a new feature on its Facebook platform to address employment, similar to what LinkedIn has done in the past. Keep in mind that Microsoft only recently completed its acquisition of LinkedIn. The question is who will win this clash of the titans.

This expansion by Facebook could ultimately hurt LinkedIn and Microsoft if this business platform gains traction. Currently, Facebook is used by over 1.2 billion people on a daily basis, with monthly active users totaling closer to 1.9 billion. So this is a big pool to draw from, but execution will be key.

Zuckerberg is rolling out a Business Pages section on the Facebook platform where users will be able to post job openings to the news feed. Also users will be able to host the openings on their page. One step even further is that users can hit the “Apply Now” button, which will send information from the user’s Facebook to form a cursory introduction to speed up the application process.

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Much like a temp agency or a staffing service, Facebook could look to generate revenues akin to a finder’s fee.

There are some key differences between the Facebook and LinkedIn platform. First, the jobs listed on each seem to have a wide difference; Facebook is offering more temp or part-time jobs, while LinkedIn is offering more skilled positions. Also LinkedIn has a more detailed section for a resume than Facebook currently offers. As previously mentioned, Facebook has close to 1.9 billion users, while LinkedIn has just below 500 million users.

Since the LinkedIn acquisition was completed in December 2016, there have not been any meaningful updates to the business.

Shares of Facebook were trading at $133.95 on Friday, with a consensus analyst price target of $159.42 and a 52-week trading range of $102.06 to $135.49. Facebook has a market cap of $386 billion.

Microsoft shares were trading at $64.62. The consensus price target is $69.56, and the 52-week range is $48.04 to $65.91. Microsoft’s market cap is $499 billion.

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Chris Lange

Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.

His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.

When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.

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