While the whole world has been glued to the glamor boys of social media – Google+ and Facebook/Skype, LinkedIn has been busy reshaping the future of online job applications. LinkedIn yesterday launched a Web button that lets job applicants submit their profiles on the networking service’s site to employers that interest them.
Though LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, the lack of a direct channel for job applications proved to be a major hindrance in promoting LinkedIn as a job hunting tool. The “Apply with LinkedIn” feature is free for both members and company recruiters, and it lets job applicants submit their resumes using a one-click interface.
Will this new LinkedIn feature spell doom’s day for Monster and other job portals? Perhaps, it’s too early to tell but it certainly makes LinkedIn a more end to end professional network. Here’s how the ‘Apply with LinkedIn’ feature works.
Companies need to enable it
As a first step, companies need to integrate the ‘Apply with LinkedIn’ button in their job postings. This is as easy as adding an eight-line code snippet to their corporate account. Several high profile companies such as Netflix, TripIt and Photobucket already use this feature.
LinkedIn offers a lot of flexibility and customization on how this button can be used by companies – they can change the look and feel of the button, add up to three specialized questions, prompt for a cover letter, and utilize certain data tracking technologies.
Prospect candidates click on the button
For listings which show the “Apply with LinkedIn” button, job applicants can respond by sending their LinkedIn profile and including other required details. Candidates can also view a list of the job applications they’ve submitted using Apply with LinkedIn.
What happens next?
Once the applicant has applied, the company’s recruiter receives an e-mail with a link to the applicant’s LinkedIn profile. From there on, it’s all direct communication between the candidate and the company.
Why it could be a game changer?
A recent survey from Jobvite indicates that 87 percent of U.S. firms use LinkedIn for recruiting. In contrast, 55 percent of recruiters use Facebook and 47 percent use Twitter. In my opinion, the ‘Apply with LinkedIn’ feature fills a long gaping hole and positions LinkedIn as a pure professional network as well as a premiere job search engine.
Earlier, most candidates used to hunt jobs on sites such as Monster and then head to LinkedIn to know more about the company and its employees. If the details suited them, they would head back to Monster and fill up the application form. Now, LinkedIn serves as the one-stop shop for all recruitment needs – for both employee as well as applicants.
Do you think this new feature from LinkedIn will prove to be a game changer for online job applications? Please share your opinion by leaving a comment.
