LinkedIn has a developed a new app dedicated to helping students land their first job out of college, which may be helpful to students who are graduating and on the job search.
The professional networking site launched LinkedIn Students on April 18, available for iOS and Android.
“Students often don't know where to start or what to look for in their job search, so we've built the app to have more of an exploratory format versus a search and click model,” Kenly Walker, a spokesperson for LinkedIn, said in an email.
Students who download the app can sign in with their LinkedIn account or submit their school, major and graduation year to start their search.
“Using the data from the more than 400 million professionals on LinkedIn, we're able to surface jobs that are a best fit for graduates with their major, companies that tend to hire from their school and the careers paths of recent alumni with similar degrees,” Walker said.
LinkedIn Facts and Statistics:
- LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 400 million members in over 200 countries and territories.
- Professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate of more than two new members per second.
- There are more than 40 million students and recent college graduates on LinkedIn. They are LinkedIn's fastest-growing demographic.
Source: LinkedIn
Prior to the launch, LinkedIn test piloted the app with students at San Jose State University and the University of Central Florida, according to the app announcement.
Brandon Smith is the director of the Academic Project Support Office for the Office of Information and oversees Digital Corps.
“I think what they have put together here is a strong idea — it really stands out in the marketplace as someone who is doing something unique with this vast database of information they have access to,” Smith said.
He encourages students to use the app, as many undergraduate students don’t think about careers as much as they should, he said.
“It doesn’t take much of your time, it’s very easy to get set up and get going,” Smith said. “Any tools like this that encourage students to think more about careers after they graduate, all the better.”
Even if students open the app once a week, it puts them a step ahead of others as they are thinking about careers more, he said.
Searching for jobs can seem overwhelming, but having the app can be beneficial, Smith said, as it provides smaller, manageable tasks and ideas.
LinkedIn also plans to partner with universities to surface career center job postings on the app.
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