LinkedIn Students app helps graduates get gigs
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"We have more than 40 million students and recent grads on the platform," says LinkedIn Communications Manager Kenly Walker. Students will appreciate the new app because unlike working professionals who typically have better ideas of the jobs and industries they want to pursue, many students don't know where to start, she says.
The company calls LinkedIn Students a "personal job exploration guide, providing tailored jobs related recommendations based on real data from the career paths" of the 414 million people who use LinkedIn each month. LinkedIn has been working on the app since July, and the first pilot started in November at San Jose State University (SJSU), according to Walker.
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The LinkedIn Students app cross references user data to find jobs that are well-suited for graduates within specific majors, as well as openings at companies that have historically hired other graduates from their schools, and details on the career paths of recent alumni who hold similar degrees. Following pilots at SJSU and the University of Central Florida, LinkedIn worked with college representatives across the United States to help get the word out and encourage students to use the app, according to Walker.
LinkedIn Students is available only in the United States for iOS and Android, but the company plans to eventually expand availability. LinkedIn currently offers 11 different apps for iOS and 9 for Android.