Facebook is certainly stretching its legs into the business world. Rumors of Facebook launching its own job boards later this summer, possibly in response to other professional groups’ postings, could have a huge impact on recruitment for companies. How could this vast social network of nearly one billion help or hinder searches?

Facebook’s launch might be a strategic response to the growing popularity of LinkedIn, which is prevalent among the very specific crowd of business professionals. Facebook does a great job connecting and engaging with young people and will want to find ways to expand that notion. Facebook’s rumored job boards could very well make a significant impact on how recruiters, small business owners, and employees worldwide find good fits. With its expansive network, Facebook could be primed to make a large impact on hiring and job-hunting if it manages to employ this new idea correctly.

Can Facebook and LinkedIn Coexist?

Remember the song, “Video Killed the Radio Star?” The premise was that T.V. and video would kill the radio. Decades later, however, the radio is still around and doing just fine. Even if Facebook’s job boards succeed, I don’t think they will be able to wipe out LinkedIn. LinkedIn is very specialized, which will lend it the upper hand on Facebook for business professionals. As long as LinkedIn continues to innovate and seeks to serve its specific niche better than anyone else, it will continue to thrive.

Many believe that Facebook is viewed as a “more personal” social media platform. It does have a perception to change, but more than that, Facebook has to overcome the ways in which we all use it. If Facebook becomes a place where people could find work, overnight you would see a much more disciplined use. No longer could young professionals afford to post pictures of their crazy nights out (many can’t even do that today); their future employment could depend on the content they choose to share on Facebook. People would have to make the mental shift from using Facebook to catch up with old classmates to using it as a way to catch recruiters’ eyes, and that’s a major transition.

Enhance and Engage

The implementation of job boards will increase Facebook’s involvement even more. When you take Facebook and add a new dimension to it, you will increase engagement, and this move will still very much be within the boundaries of “social media.” This new brand extension theoretically blends well into social media, and does nothing to dilute Facebook’s brand in the minds of its users. This move will give users a whole new reason to check into Facebook, update their accounts, and share content that wasn’t relevant before.

This would absolutely increase Facebook’s engagement with its audience. And this means that small businesses would do well to ramp up their own involvement with Facebook – where the people go, leads follow.

Impact on Unemployment and the Economy

I, hopefully along with many others, would love to believe that Facebook could positively impact the nature of the economy, not only domestically, but around the world. With its unprecedented reach around the globe, if done right, Facebook could connect employers and employees better than any online platform ever has. While I don’t think Facebook will get everything exactly right, any attempt to connect people who need labor with the people who want to work could very well be a step in the right direction for a stalled worldwide economy.

Many employers today say that there’s a mismatch between what they’re seeking in potential hires and the skills listed in the applications they receive. Because Facebook touches so many various segments of the population, its job boards should help connect employers with people who meet their qualifications, regardless of where they currently live or work. Addressing this one element of the marketplace could have a significant impact on the economy.

With the amount of power and exposure that Facebook receives every day from its nearly one billion users, I would hope that any additions it makes to the site could create opportunities for individuals, as well as still work in a positive, coexisting manner with other groups. And hey, I may very well find my next employee on Facebook’s job boards.