Enhanced functionality:
LinkedIn rolls out Web button for job applications
Los Angeles Times
July 25, 2011
Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Google have all got 'em -- Web buttons. They're all the rage in social media. LinkedIn has a few too, and on Monday, the professional-minded social network rolled out a new one.
LinkedIn's new button is a little bit different. It doesn't share a link, display a sign of approval or create a blog post. It allows LinkedIn users to apply for a job, automatically, using their LinkedIn profile.
The button, a blue rectangle, reads " Apply with LinkedIn" and that phrase is the button's official name, said Jonathan Seitel, a technical product manager at the San Francisco company.
"We are going to make it easy for you to submit your profile for any job application on the Web with one simple click," Seitel said in a blog post. "Some of the first companies to debut 'Apply with LinkedIn' button on their company websites (besides our own) include Netflix, TripIt, Photobucket and over a thousand other companies. In addition, we're also working closely with the top Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to help them and their customers match the best candidates for the right jobs."
When users click an Apply with LinkedIn button, their resume appears in a pop-up window (provided they're logged into the service), and they can make changes there in the pop-up to suit that specific job.
"LinkedIn will also show you your professional connections that work at the company to increase your chances of getting hired through a referral," Seitel said. "If you don't know anybody at the company, we'll show you people who can introduce you to someone there. This is extremely powerful -- statistics show that referrals are the No. 1 source of external hires at companies."
After applying, the job will appear in the user's "Saved Jobs" tab under the "Jobs" category on LinkedIn, "so you have a record of all the jobs you've applied to around the Web, throughout your career," he said.
The buttons can be tailored to a company's needs and route applications to set email addresses or "to a URL for a full-fledged Web application," Seitel said.
-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles
twitter.com/nateog
Image: A screen shot of a YouTube video showing an Apply with LinkedIn button on Netflix's website. Credit: LinkedIn
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