With the COVID-19 adjusted Irish unemployment rate reaching 24.2%, LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, has today unveiled a range of features for Irish members to showcase their skills, express themselves, and stand out to potential employers.
- Let people know how to pronounce your name – No more awkward moments on video conferences for Niamhs and Donnchadhs, thanks to the name pronunciation feature which lets members upload an audio recording of how they pronounce their name. The feature is likely to appeal to Irish members to help international connections correctly pronounce their name and is part of a broader initiative to help create more inclusive workplaces.
- Show the world who you are with pronouns – Pronouns are core to our identity. LinkedIn has introduced an optional field at the top of the profile where members can add gender pronouns to express who they are and how they want to be seen.
- Bring your story to life with a video Cover Story – Cover Storyis a new feature on the LinkedIn profile that can help people share their story in a more authentic and engaging way through video. For job seekers, Cover Story is a great way to share career goals and showcase soft skills to recruiters and hiring managers. Freelancers looking for work can also attract new clients by sharing information about their services.
- Highlight your content to grow your following with creator mode -Creators who regularly share unique insights and publish content, and are working to grow their following on LinkedIn can turn on the new creator mode in their profile dashboard. With creator mode, people can build their following by adding the “Follow” button on their profile, share more about their expertise by adding hashtags at the top of their profile, for example #design or #mentorship, and we’ll move up the Featured and Activity sections in the profile to better display content.
- Grow your business by showcasing your services – Freelancers and small business owners will be able to create a dedicated Service Page right from their profile listing the services they offer to help attract new customers and clients. Listing services gives members more reach to LinkedIn’s global community of nearly 740 million members. In the coming months, we’ll be adding more ways to manage services and buyer interactions from Service Pages. You’ll also soon see ratings and reviews directly from your Service Pages.
The features complement existing LinkedIn resources to help connect jobseekers with opportunities.
- Match skills with jobs – Career Explorer is an interactive tool to help people find jobs that match their skills. Using LinkedIn data, job seekers can see how their skills can lead them to new career opportunities, what additional skills they may need, along with LinkedIn Learning courses that can help fill those gaps.
- Showcase technical skills – LinkedIn members can showcase their proficiency for hard skills with Skill Assessments and earn a badge which gets added to their LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn members with 5 or more skills listed on their LinkedIn profile are discovered up to 27x more in searches by recruiters, and those with a Skill Assessment badge on their profile are 20% more likely to get hired.
- Tell your network that you’re #OpenToWork– LinkedIn members can use the#OpenToWorkprofile photo frame to signal to employers and the broader LinkedIn community of almost 740 million members that they are looking for new opportunities. More than 6 million people are using the #OpentoWork photo frame, and they receive on average 40% more messages from recruiters and are 20% more likely to receive messages from the broader LinkedIn community.
- Job seekers can also access free LinkedIn interview preparation tools.
Commenting on the new features, Head of LinkedIn in Ireland Sharon McCooey said: “The new features will help our members in Ireland stand out to employers and recruiters, showcase their skills and express themselves. No more awkward moments at the start of an introductory meeting having to explain how to pronounce your name. No two professionals are the same and with Cover Story, people can meet the real you virtually and get a feel for your skills and story through video. Creator mode and Service Page can also help our members tap into LinkedIn’s global community and help them to showcase their expertise. All of the features will make our community more vibrant and create increased opportunities for our members.”
