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What’s it like to Work at Facebook?

After watching “The Social Network”, it would appear that when Facebook was originally setup, it was maybe not the most ‘secure’ of jobs. With so much controversy into who came up with the initial ideas and who owned what percentage, Facebook has certainly had its bumps in the road before becoming the company we know today.

Original creator Mark Zuckerberg, has pieced together an online video for Facebook careers, explaining how the company is more of a movement than a website. VP’s of the company describe how the company has hit a large scale, but not so large that a smaller idea will simply get lost in the ever-expanding machine that is Facebook.

Despite Facebook’s high profile, there have still been struggles to recruit a number of top talents for the company. Facebook is nearing its tenth birthday and with still being quite a young and quickly maturing company, the work place has been described as overly political with amateurish management. However, Facebook has now been voted “#1 Place to Work” by Glassdoor for 2013, but why, exactly?

From Intern to Software Engineer, salaries range from $3,400 to $186, 000. Many Facebook employees use the term ‘flexible’ as a pro of the job where there is no specific way to approach an idea or task. Many employees also rave about the benefits of free food, but then again, who wouldn’t! All perks aside, the lack of structure could be considered daunting to a person who is still in the early stages of understanding their job role or task.

One of the cons of working for a social media giant such as Facebook is that it also becomes your work. You no longer feel the urge to check your page as you casually sip your cup of tea, or update your status at significant points in time.  However, the addictive nature we all seem to be developing towards social media sites means that not having this addiction probably isn’t the worst thing in the world.

The real beauty of Facebook is that it has become one of its own. Despite websites such as Bebo and MySpace coming and going, we only ever really associate the social media initiative with Facebook (and probably Twitter). This means that when producing and detailing the site, teams are free to be as creative as possible with no one true leader to aspire to be better than. Mark Zuckerberg personally includes himself within projects, sitting at regular desks just like the rest of his staff.

Website companies are not only rated on their office amenities, food perks and medical and retirement benefits, they’re an imaginative workplace, so naturally these companies are compared by the activities and games supplied during working hours. Although Facebook may not have as many luxuries as Google, LinkedIn or Tagged, there is still the freedom to give your mind an intellectual rest and enjoy some interactive brain stimulation.

With the Internet continuously developing and expanding, bagging a job with an Internet based company certainly seems like the long term and safer option. With the recent economic depression, retail industries of all kinds are taking a turn for the worst, whereas for companies such as Facebook, it would seem the only way is up. 

By Content Assistant – Astrid Hall – @Astrid_Hall

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