LinkedIn is a bit rubbish, isn’t it? Despite being one of the most popular social networks around, it’s always been pretty awful and unintuitive to use – and there aren’t any good alternatives, either. However, in 2017 things are going to change, and after Facebook jumped into the job world earlier this year, Google has decided to follow suit, too. Although the search giant’s new job site isn’t up and running yet, Google Hire could be the careers site we’ve all been waiting for.

See related Facebook Jobs launches in the UK: Site takes on LinkedIn by letting you apply for roles from your News Feed Just how popular is Google+? The site exists already, but it’s impossible to sign on. However, we do know a few things about it. According to Axios, the new site will work much like a normal job site, allowing companies to post job listings so that people can search for their next job.

The service also appears to come with the added bonus of working within the Google ecosystem, something that most companies, or individuals will already be part of. That should make the process of applying for jobs far easier, and familiar – and that can only be a good thing.

However, when this story first broke yesterday, several sites – including the Daily Mail – suggested that Google Hire may allow employers to view your search history. As expected, this isn’t the case, and Google even emailed Engadget the statement below to clarify things.

“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. Only information that a candidate voluntarily provides would be passed to a prospective employer as part of their online application. Private information will not be shared.”

So, will Google Hire take off?

When it comes to jobs sites, Google is relatively late to the party. With the likes of LinkedIn and Monster dominating in the field, as well as Facebook’s recent move into the job market, things might be tough for Google Hire.

Although Google is a huge company, it hasn’t been all that successful in certain markets it’s entered of late, with the Google+ social network being a prime example.

To stand a chance, Google will need to do something more intuitive and interesting than the competition. And as Google+ reminds us, it will need to be more than just a new thing tacked on to your existing Gmail account.