Issue #3: Functionality can be dramatically improved
Utilizing LinkedIn every day and watching it evolve; I get
the impression that when LinkedIn creates an aspect of their application, they get
it up and running, and walk away from it.
Years later they have done nothing to improve its functionality. By doing this, its users miss out on many
opportunities.
Several examples where functionality can be improved in the
existing app, are: Industry, Location, ZIP/Postal Code, and Function.
Industry
Why are the members of LinkedIn limited to selecting one
industry to use on their profile? Recruiters are torn between
choosing “Staffing and Recruiting” and at least one other industry they may
recruit in. Others may be just as
limited.
If you work for LinkedIn what is THE industry you are
in? Apparently LinkedIn employees have a
difficult time selecting THE industry, as well.
Running a search for current LinkedIn employees in the San Francisco Bay
area, the 3,938 profiles are associated with no less than 15 industries!
Here is the list:
Clearly, LinkedIn is aware of the problem.
It is understandable for there to be a limit on the number
of industries a person can select for their profile. Without a limit, some members would list numerous
industries and diminish the value of the Industry selection for everyone, but
one is not enough. Job-hunters,
especially, need more flexibility.
Location
Similar to “Industry”, each profile is limited to one “Location”. For many people, perhaps the majority of LinkedIn
members, this is adequate. But what if
you just lost your job in St. Louis and are open to opportunities in St. Louis,
or moving back to your hometown, Nashville, TN.
The way LinkedIn is structured, you have to pick one location, or the
other – or create a duplicate profile.
Neither of these options is good for LinkedIn members.
ZIP/Postal Codes
Trusting that LinkedIn search results are geographically
accurate is basic to using LinkedIn. If
you request “Engineers” in the “Automotive Industry” within “25 miles of ZIP Code 48231”, you expect to get all profiles matching your selections. In general, I trust that LinkedIn will return
profiles within a certain radius of a given ZIP/Postal Code. But when it doesn’t recognize legitimate ZIP Codes that I stumble across, I wonder what else is wrong with LinkedIn’s search
capabilities – and you should, too!
Case in point: ZIP Code 33473 in Boynton Beach, FL. ZIP Code 33473 exists. 33473 is not a new ZIP Code, it has been in
use for several years. LinkedIn members
live in ZIP Code 33473. You can find it
on Mapquest.com, maps.google.com, even homedepot.com. It seems ZIP Code 33473 exists everywhere but
on LinkedIn.com.
This is one example of search issues on LinkedIn. What none of us know is how many ZIP Codes
LinkedIn is not recognizing, or calculating properly. We don’t know what we are missing!
Functions
Yes, Functions. Functions
are used by recruiters to quickly search for people who perform a specific
function in their job. To the best of my
knowledge the list of Job Functions has not changed in the past several
years. I don’t know which Functions
LinkedIn launched with, but today they are woefully inadequate. For a website that is largely a career site,
it is embarrassing.
Most LinkedIn members have never seen the complete list of Job
Functions since it is only available with premium memberships, so here it is
(ignore the numbers to the right of the functions):
That’s it - 26 “Functions”.
The U.S. Department of Labor lists hundreds of occupations on its
website: Dept of Labor Occupations. The DOL “occupations” are similar to LinkedIn’s
“Functions” and help show the inadequacy of LinkedIn’s categorization of “what
we do”.
Within the Function structure on LinkedIn:
- A night watchman is the same as a Four-Star General;
- A home health delivery man is the same as a Neurosurgeon, and;
- A legal assistant is the same as the Attorney General;
LinkedIn can do better.
The Solutions
Members need to make sure their profile appears in search
results using a 10-mile radius of the ZIP/Postal Code they use for their
profile. If their profile doesn’t
appear, they should contact LinkedIn and explain the issue. Beyond making sure their profile appears
properly in search results, individual members need to do the best they can
within the limits offered by LinkedIn – which is not much of a solution.
One thing should not be overlooked – LinkedIn would be nothing without its members. The more noise members make about these
functionality issues, the more likely LinkedIn is to do something about the
problems. If you feel the issues that
have been raised in this blog are things that you would like to see addressed
by LinkedIn, let them know about it.
Just click on the “Send Feedback” link on the bottom of most LinkedIn
pages and let them know your thoughts on their services.
What can LinkedIn do?
The first three issues should be fairly simple to fix for
LinkedIn:
- Add another selection for “Industry” and “Location” and make them searchable.
- Thoroughly investigate the ZIP/Postal Code issue and straighten it out. If Home Depot can, LinkedIn can.
The fourth issue – having only 26 Job Functions, is much
more of a challenge as they would have to determine which functions to add, then
adjust their algorithm to properly identify and assign the functions to member
profiles. This would be a massive
undertaking, but the end result would make LinkedIn a much more functional app –
which would be great for LinkedIn members and ultimately great for LinkedIn.
Please add your comments in the form below.
No comments:
Post a Comment