Is Google for Jobs going to revolutionise recruitment marketing?

Set to cause the biggest shake-up to the recruitment industry since the introduction of LinkedIn, discussion of Google’s new search feature - Google for Jobs - is already making waves throughout the world of employment marketing.

Although it has currently yet to be released outside of the US, at Accord we like to stay ahead of the curve. So, here are our comments on everything we know about Google for Jobs so far, as well as how we think it will revolutionise the relationship between jobseekers and potential employers.

What is Google for Jobs?

This is Google’s latest innovation to its search function, promising a new, easier way for users to look for jobs.

The feature is designed to tackle the overwhelming amount of different online and offline job ads, by collecting various listings from across the web and presenting them in a more uniform, easy-to-digest format.

A recurring issue reported by many jobseekers is that confusing job listings often limit the search results they receive. For example, for a “retail assistant” position, there are many different possible job titles that refer to almost identical roles; “sales assistant”, “store clerk” and “shop assistant” to name but a few. Consequently, unless a user searches for multiple different titles every day, they may miss relevant jobs listed under different names. Google for Jobs combats this problem by using AI to group similar job titles into succinct categories, so a user receives a fuller, but nevertheless relevant, list of vacancies.

This latest development comes as part of Google’s ongoing commitment to improving their online job search functions, partnering with multiple online recruitment giants to gain deeper insight, including Facebook, LinkedIn and Glassdoor. CEO Sundar Pichai says that he hopes this new development will help to resolve the “big disconnect” that currently exists between hiring companies and millions of job seekers.

How does it work?

Of course, Google for Jobs is still being trialled in the US, so there may still be changes made to the final product before it eventually reaches the UK. However, in the meantime, we’ve been taking a closer look at the current format and how it works to make some informed predictions.

Similar to how searching for “flights to Paris” on Google will pull up a box of suggested airlines, prices and departure times, this new innovation means that searching for “jobs near me” will generate a similar box of local positions.

[Image source: https://www.blog.google/products/search/connecting-more-americans-jobs/]

More importantly, the results of a Google for Jobs search will display several key criteria beyond just job titles, including the time the listing was first posted and whether the job offering is direct or through an online job board. In addition to this, because travelling to and from work is such a huge part of the job seeking process, Google’s AI will determine an estimated driving commute time alongside most listings.

To make things more relevant to each user, Google also offers several custom filters to narrow down a search, including:

• Category
• Titles
• Date posted
• Type of job
• City
• Company type
• Employer

Once users have selected a job they want to apply for, they can do so directly. Furthermore, because job seeking is an ever-changing and often lengthy process, users can also sign up to Google alerts for key search terms in a single click. Using this alert feature, whenever a relevant job listing is posted, job hunters will receive an update directly to their email inbox.

What effect will it have?

As the world’s number one search engine - and many jobseekers’ first port-of-call when looking for job opportunities - this update could have huge repercussions on recruitment marketing.

One of the more pressing questions we have right now is how this new feature will work in conjunction with paid and organic search activity. It will be interesting to see where paid search ads will be placed in relation to the Google for Jobs box, as well as whether or not the feature will integrate with paid advertising over time. Likewise, our organic search strategists are watching carefully to see how technical SEO can affect the placement of certain listings.

Accord’s Head of Recruitment, Leighann Kemble, says “Although it’s too early to see exactly how Google for Jobs will impact our industry, we’re excited and enthusiastic about the possible innovation opportunities it will create. If delivered as expected, this function will offer a new streamlined way of searching for jobs, improving the way applicants and employers find each other. As Google Premier Partners, we are looking forward to working closely with Google and our clients to ensure we make the most out of this technology as soon as it is released in the UK”.

Accord is an award-winning integrated marketing agency that makes the job of finding, hiring and retaining the best possible talent as easy as possible. To learn more about our portfolio of recruitment and digital services, contact us today.