Google over the past few years has been focused on turning itself into an artificial intelligence company. They have been implementing AI into their platforms in order to improve search results, better translate languages and offer a better overall experience. For a long time they have stayed out of recruiting, leaving the market for the likes of Indeed, Glassdoor and LinkedIn, but now have officially entered the recruitment market with Google for Jobs.
It’s not a new platform, nor is it a new app. It’s the same Google we love and trust but with much more efficient search parameters for jobs. Just enter the position you’re looking for on Google, and the location, and voilà – you get a whole bunch of suitable jobs without the fuss of signing up to job sites or receiving unrelated jobs sent to your email.
Cooperation or Competition?
You might be thinking that the likes of LinkedIn and Glassdoor already do the same thing. In terms of helping of helping you find a job, then yes they essentially do. Although Google intends to use it’s high-end machine learning system to sort and categorise suitable jobs from a wide plethora of job sites, big or small, including the ones I just listed.
Google will be partnering with already existing companies, such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Monster. One company that wont be partnering with Google is Indeed. Google is looking to use its platform to become the AI-based middle-man for these job sites, aimed at making your job hunt as less of a hassle as possible by accumulating thousands of job positions from across the internet.
Once you find a job, Google will direct you to the job site that is advertising the role, so that you can start your application process. If the same job is listed on different sites, Google will direct you to the most complete and detailed post.
Erin Wilson, Co-Founder of hirepool, says that:
“Google’s recent commitment to empowering job seekers will shift the entire industry’s focus to delivering results. For the recruitment industry and job boards alike, helping people “identify more jobs” is no longer enough.”
Google is not only making your job hunt easier, but it is forcing recruiters to be far more specific and detailed in their job posting. Allowing you to have a much clearer understanding of the specificities of the role you are interested in. Below is an example of how it works, told by Google in this tweet:
The job search can be tricky. Starting today, people in the U.S. can easily find their next job, right in Search → https://t.co/TvGIh9VoXd pic.twitter.com/2yKEqfINar
— Google (@Google) June 20, 2017
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, said at their Annual I/O Developer Conference in California, “46% of U.S employers say they face talent shortages and have issues filling open job positions. We want to better connect employers and job seekers through a new initiative.”
Pichai continues by saying that Google have focused on including jobs that have been hard to find, such as those in retail or hospitality. “Whether you’re in community college looking for a barista job, a teacher relocating across the country, or somebody looking for work in construction, the product should work,” Pichai said.
What does this mean for recruiters?
With so little information, and it being released only a few weeks ago, it’s hard to say what type of effect it will have. Experts in the industry have come out with varied perspectives on the nature of Google for Jobs, and what the implications are for recruiting and beyond.
Hung Lee, the co-founder and CEO of Workshape.io says:
“Google for Jobs will do for Indeed what Indeed has done for the traditional online job board industry. It is the original content aggregator, so some might say it’s only fitting that it should on that role again for the jobs sector. Paradoxically, this could be good news for online job boards, especially niche sites; the key will be how Google de-duplicates job postings – it will probably go with the original site, rather an aggregated profile, which, if true, will simply mean a massive diversion of web traffic from Indeed.com to original job board or career site”
Furthermore, using the basis of Google’s search system, as a recruiter it should not matter what job site you use to advertise your job. The sophistication, specificity and intelligence of Google’s search engine should mean that it will show results of listings that are well-written, seriously detailed and relevant, no matter how big or small your company is. It’s the same as any type of content you put online. As long as it is well-written and consistent, it will show up organically on Google. That’s the beauty of Google’s search engine.
Adam Glassman, the Global Recruitment Strategies Manager at Alorica, has a different perspective and alludes to the disruptive nature of Google for Jobs, and how they intend to monetize it. He says:
“Google is eyeballing talent acquisition big-time, and will be a disruptor in the industry. Google Jobs is their first salvo in this effort and I expect it to change where job seekers search. I expect to see a significant shift in traffic away from Indeed, CareerBuilder and others towards the native Google Jobs search experience. What is still unknown is how Google will monetize it (company ads, paid job listings, etc.). If I’m Indeed, I’m scrambling right now to counter this coming punch. But, when you control the search engine, you have the luxury of stacking the deck in your favor.”
All in all, Google are doing what they do best, which is help you ‘search’. Making your search for whatever you need far more successful and efficient.
Personally whenever I looked for a new job, I always started with Google. In fact, whenever I look for anything I always start with Google. So it’s an idea that makes sense, and one that many would have already seen coming.
For now Google for Jobs has been only been released in the United States, with far more countries to follow after that. We’d love to hear what you think about Google for Jobs, and where you think Google should focus their expertise next! Just comment below.
