Early in 2016, I was becoming quite disheartened with LinkedIn.  Like so many others, I was starting to feel as if LinkedIn was morphing into another Facebook as I saw funny videos and quotes of the day in my newsfeed.  There was a glimmer of hope in June when we heard the announcement that Microsoft had purchased LinkedIn and we waited patiently for new and exciting things to happen.  And they did.

We have seen a number of new introductions to LinkedIn features since the takeover, but I ask you the question, who is their audience now?  Their focus certainly seems to be towards the job seeker, rather than the recruiter or employer, with a view to making more money from the latter.  (And rightly so some may say).

Below is a list of new features and changes on LinkedIn in the last few months.  We also have a number of promises from LinkedIn that we will see some changes to company pages in early 2017 (I am hoping that we will be able to add publisher articles to the company page, and also to reinstate reviews for services – I can wish!).

Feature #1 – LinkedIn Salary Calculator – Unlock your earning potential

This feature was launched on 2nd November and will allow job seekers to search for a job title and location to find out an approximate salary.  This is great news for employees who are looking for a pay rise, but perhaps it is not such good news for an employer.  This is an excellent tool for recruiters though and it will give you some bargaining power to agree a competitive salary for your candidates.  To visit this feature simply go to www.linkedin.com/salary

Feature #2 – Enhancements to the endorsements feature

I’m not sure about you, but I have never really been a fan of the endorsements feature.  They have always seemed like a waste of time for me.  I would much rather have three written recommendations on my profile rather than 20 extra endorsements.  LinkedIn knows that endorsements have been frowned upon for some time and now they have implemented an algorithm that is quite smart.  This is what LinkedIn says (read the LinkedIn blog here)

We’ve made endorsements smarter by highlighting endorsements that matter most to the viewer so you always look your best. For example, viewers will see endorsements made by mutual connections, colleagues, and people who are knowledgeable about the skill, which could give you the edge you need for your next job opportunity!

Yet another feature for job seekers.

Feature #3 – Set your job preferences

If you are an employer / recruiter and advertising your jobs on LinkedIn (very expensive), then this is a good new feature.  It is a private way to let recruiters or employers know that you are looking for a new job (but they can not promise that your current employer will not see the announcement).

If you are a freelancer, then I would certainly recommend changing your own preferences to say that you are seeking opportunities.  Go to jobs / preferences.

Read the full article here. 

Feature #4 – Changes to LinkedIn Publisher

There was a lot of noise and excitement with regards to the new LinkedIn Publisher changes, but if you have already been using platforms such as Medium then there was not really much to get that excited about.  Yes, they have better tagging facilities, and yes, the images certainly look better.  We can now move images and other media around within the article, which is a step in the right direction, but you have been able to do this on other platforms for a very long time.  LinkedIn is finally catching up with everyone else! Read other details on enhanced LinkedIn publisher features here. 

Screenshot from the LinkedIn blog. Click the image to read the full article.

Feature #5 – LinkedIn Profinder

This is a brilliant tool for freelancers, especially web designers, copyrighters, graphic designers, marketing consultants, accountants who are looking for additional work.  Unfortunately, it is only available in the US at the moment, but I am looking forward to seeing the feature on this side of the pond.  Read more about this feature here.

There are lots of other small changes to LinkedIn and they are constantly tweaking the mobile app, or moving things around on the site.  For example, “Pulse” has vanished from its original place and is now in a very strange hard to find area on the profile.  The Company Pages have had a new design and we are seeing better analytics for company pages.  It is all very encouraging for the business owner and the job seeker.

What do you think?  Are you still using this platform to connect with professionals or has your activity declined over recent months?  I would be interested to hear from you.

[social-bio]