LinkedIn desktop update – connecting you to more opportunities.
The new LinkedIn desktop update gives the site a much-needed facelift…
LinkedIn is no exception to regular, mandatory updates. Without updating any app/social platform; you risk losing your fanbase/customers, period.
The LinkedIn desktop update, which they described as the “largest desktop redesign since LinkedIn’s inception”, is much needed for several reasons (which I’ll be covering below).
In the update, the emphasis was placed on the ability to find the “most relevant professional conversations, content and opportunities”.
Before I say more, you can see everything that’s changed here:
LinkedIn has been under fire from several people arguing that the new UI looks exactly like Facebook. I won’t disagree with that statement, it really does look a lot like Facebook.
Maybe it’s Karma for the number of social platforms Facebook has copied recently (see below examples).
Example 1 – https://www.wow-zone.com/blog/facebook-stories-update-coming-soon/
Example 2 – https://www.wow-zone.com/blog/instagram-live-video-coming-soon/ (Instagram is owned by Facebook).
Back to the matter at hand, let’s go over some of the main changes.
More intuitive search:
With the new LinkedIn desktop update comes a new universal search box. This will allow you to easily find people, jobs, companies, groups and schools.
There is also the ability to refine your search by using filter options. I did a quick search for “Ron”, to give you a chance to see the search filter options for yourself.
Streamlined navigation:
They’ve now made it easy for everyone to get where they need to. The navigation bar now features seven core areas, which are:
- Home (your feed)
- Messaging
- Notifications
- Jobs
- Me
- My Network
- Search
The less important parts of the website are featured under “more”, which will enable you to access other parts of the websites like “slideshare”, “learning”, “salary” and all the rest.
More relevant news feed:
The look of the news feed and its algorithm have both gone under some significant changes; to enhance user experience. Apparently, now more relevant content will be shown (from people/pages you care more about).
As an extra, LinkedIn have also added new ways to delve deep into topics that are specifically relevant to you and will allow you to follow trending stories too.
Suggestions to make you stand out from the crowd:
Improved profile suggestions were also on LinkedIn’s agenda, so now it’s easier to look more professional. For example, suggested skills will tell you what skills you should add to your profile, based on what recruiters in your industry are searching for.
Smarter messaging that helps unlock new opportunities:
With LinkedIn’s new real-time messaging feature, you can message connections wherever you are. Prior to this, there was a dedicated page for messaging.
I assume that they’ve taken this out since they want people to stay on the news feed. Insights will also be present across the site to help break the ice in any conversation and connect you to more opportunities. The example that LinkedIn gave was:
“if you see a new job posting you’re interested in, we’ll suggest someone within your network who works at the company.”
Dig deep and see who’s viewing your content:
LinkedIn will now give you the opportunity to see who is reading and engaging your content. This includes company, job title and location.
Here’s the video LinkedIn released regarding their desktop design, for those that would also like to see the video…
