LinkedIn Launches New ‘Career Explorer’ Tool for Job Seekers Looking to Switch Career Paths

LinkedIn has launched new ‘Career Explorer' tool to help job seekers in these uncertain times. This tool will show new jobs by mapping the job seekers' skills to open roles and find a new career path. The platform has also introduced a new ‘Hiring' profile photo frame to let users' connections know about open roles. The company says that competition for jobs is 30 percent higher than last year and many are looking to pivot their careers due to the COVID-19 impact on industries. LinkedIn data shows that professionals from recreation and travel, retail, and corporate services are more likely to look for jobs outside their current industry.

The new ‘Corporate Explorer' tool will help professionals see options for a new career path. This tool will offer suggestion based on the job seekers current role and residence, and suggest alternate careers that require similar skills. The tool also highlights any additional skills that may be required to make the transition, along with the right LinkedIn Learning courses to build these skills. It also connects professionals to other LinkedIn members for advice and support.

For instance, the explorer tool advices that an account manager can also be a finance officer, if he builds his skills in banking and customer service. The tool also offers a button to look at jobs from companies that are looking for finance officers. This Career Explorer tool is rolling out in beta for global users in English from today. Additional localisation and enhancements will be added in the coming months. To explore this tool, head here.

There is also a new hiring frame that will help recruiters signal open roles to their networks, right from their profiles. A recruiter can add a job directly to their profile and a #Hiring frame around their photo. Job seekers will be able to see who's hiring directly in their LinkedIn feed, and apply to relevant jobs. Essentially, the frame looks to make these jobs more visible and make it easier for job seekers to discover the right role. LinkedIn says it is also allowing all members to post a job for free, and this will be rolled out in the coming months.

LinkedIn data suggests that if professionals list five skills on their profile, they have a 27x improved chance of being discovered by recruiters. To this effect, LinkedIn has added nearly 100 new ‘Skills Assessments' to provide members with a new way to validate their skills and showcase proficiency. New interview prep features for improving virtual interview skills have also been introduced.

The company's Workforce Confidence Index findings reveal about 3 in 5 Indian professionals are willing to pivot their careers. Professionals in recreation and travel industries are 3.8 times more likely to make the switch outside of their current sectors. Linkedin also notes that all of top five fastest growing skills of 2020 are all technology-related. The list has Python on top, followed by Machine Learning, Data Structures, Digital Marketing, and HTML 5.

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