Dear LinkedIn programmers,
We all know the purpose of LinkedIn is for business connections, either client prospects or job referrals, but I have an idea that can help boost LinkedIn to become more of an interactive Rolodex.
The other day I wanted to see if any of my connections or extended network were currently holding positions with digital or online marketing titles or if those duties were in their job descriptions for an interview I wanted to conduct. So I went into my connections and tried searching. I could search by name, industry, company, location, and recent activity, but I was unable to search by job functions.
Let’s say I am a small business owner who wanted to hire a firm to do their social media work. I would like the ability to go into my connections, search for terms such as “social media” and see who in my network comes up. I could search by marketing industry or do another search of public relations sorting through each profile looking for mentions social media, but maybe someone who listed themselves under the communication industry or even IT, who was more qualified, would not show up.
From a job searching standpoint, I’ve noticed a lot of these HR recruiters list openings they are trying to fill on their profile. For someone looking for a job, wouldn’t it be great for them to go to their connections, select the industry HR, (bringing up their connections and extended network in HR), and then type in their desired job title under the search and see if anyone they know can help?
I am suggesting two things:
- Have a search option for titles and job descriptions
- Expand the search options to your network to increase engagement
I know you can upgrade your account to have the Profile Organizer, but let’s face it, we’re not all there yet. That takes time and organization, two things most people don’t have.
Sincerely,
Name: Molli Megasko
Industry: Marketing, communications, public relations
Company: Arment Dietrich, Inc.
Location: Greater New York and Chicago
Note to Spin Sucks readers, help me by “signing” this post offering changes you’d like LinkedIn to make.