Should LinkedIn and Seek be worried about Google Hire, the potential “Holy Grail” of job platforms?

Google might be looking at taking on LinkedIn and SEEK, having unveiled the first details of its new “Hire” platform this week.

It’s no more than a landing page and a few test directories at the moment, and it’s not completely clear what services Google Hire will provide when the service is fully operational, but a Google spokesperson told SmartCompany the product is still “under development” and will eventually be integrated with the company’s G Suite offering.

“Google Hire is a product under development that will help G Suite customers manage their hiring process more effectively. The product will allow employers to collect candidate applications online,” the spokesperson said.

Designed to let employers “manage their hiring process more effectively”, business owners will be able to post listings for a number of roles through the Google service, as well as tracking applicants for those roles through G-Suite.

The platform’s home page suggests both employers and employees can sign up for the service using their Google account, although sign-up functions are currently unavailable.

A handful of US companies are testing the system including medical startup Medisas. This webpage on the Hire site shows what job listings could look like on the service, although it is unclear if this is the final design.

Clicking on a job shows a description of the role, followed by a series of input boxes for users to state their name and email address, along with options to upload a cover letter and resume.

Currently, the layout and structure of the website is more simple than other recruitment platforms such as SEEK, and recruitment coach Ross Clennett says he suspects the simplification aspect will set the platform apart from its competitors.

“I think Google’s looking to create something much simpler than other offerings, but just as effective, that’s really the Holy Grail,” Clennett told SmartCompany.

“Something instinctive to use, simplified yet powerful version of an applicant tracking system.”

Clennett believes Google Hire will be aimed at the smaller end of the market, with Google trying to attract recruiting SMEs who want an easy way to track their applicants. He believes larger businesses are already ingrained with LinkedIn, and suspects Hire will be a free or low-cost service for small clients.

“I suspect it will be a case of just logging on and starting to use it, and it’ll be quite easy to set up,” he says.

“They’re trying to create a simple platform that makes recruiting easier.”

While Clennett notes LinkedIn has a “massive” head start, he believes Google is hoping to secure a slice of the job seeker market.

“In Australia alone, there are 180,000 jobs filled each month. Every one of those jobs needs some way of being managed, so Google sees an opportunity to manage those job searches,” he says.

“It’s a captured market that’s only getting bigger, it makes commercial sense to look at it closely.”

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