Facebook adds Austin as a friend Monday

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Facebook will launch its Austin office on Monday, with six employees and intentions to hire up to 200. The office, located on West 6th Street, is the social media giant's first major U.S. expansion outside of California, upping Austin's reputation as a big dog in the technology sector.

Facebook users abound among the 50,000 students at the University of Texas . A select few Facebook workforce hopefuls like Diana Jiminez have already interviewed with the company.

The advertising junior hopes that possible internship could later turn into a job.

"More like a three-hour interview, and they throw in tests in there,” she said. “Just basic logical tests, math tests, just to make sure you are qualified."

Along with liberal arts, Facebook seems to focus its attention on the UT College of Communication. The school's career services has already utilized the company at job fairs and had a tremendous outpouring of interest from students.

"When a company like Facebook comes to town, it's something students recognize, that they affiliate positively with,” said Matt Berndt, director of the Communication Career Services .
“So, ‘Wow, the opportunity to work with Facebook, wouldn't that be cool?’"

"I think it's going to be dog-eat-dog, especially for us younger people in the job market,” said Ana Morales, another UT media student. “We're going to think that we know more than the average individual and we're going to want to go after it, and we're probably going to be fighting for the same positions."

With 200 positions opening up at Facebook's downtown Austin location over the next several months, the company's Facebook page already has postings for the types of jobs it needs to fill with very specific qualifications. While UT has been one of its greatest recruiting stations, career services said students should not be surprised if this popular choice goes to applicants with a tad more years and experience.

"A company like Facebook is going to want to know, when they're asking, ‘Why are you a good candidate for this job? Why do you want to work here?’ explained Berndt. “It's going to want to hear an answer that's a little more sophisticated than: ‘Because you're Facebook, and I really like Facebook.’"

Jiminez said she already has some big internships under her belt. But while she is studying for finals, she is also crossing her fingers for Facebook.

"I have yet to be called back,” she said, “but they said they're going to be calling people back definitely within the next week."

Facebook’s Austin launce came after the City Council approved a $200,000 incentive for the company last month, along with $1.4 million in state spending.