From new grads to seasoned professionals, the job market feels more brutal than ever. Layoffs dominate headlines, competition is sky-high, and job descriptions read like they expect three degrees and ten years of experience for an entry-level role. But instead of dwelling on the bleak outlook, let’s talk about something more constructive: what LinkedIn is doing to actually help job seekers not only find roles but maybe even discover what they want to do in the first place.
Let’s be real: scrolling through job listings can feel like a part-time job in itself. You either find a job title that sounds perfect, only to discover the description feels completely off, or you skip right past roles that could’ve been perfect, just hidden behind outdated or vague titles. It’s frustrating, exhausting, and often discouraging.
To address this disconnect between job seekers discovering, applying for, and hearing back from roles, LinkedIn launched a new AI-driven job search designed to “make the job search human again.”
Discovering that two-thirds of professionals find it challenging even to know what jobs to search for, the redesigned search feature will allow LinkedIn users to describe the job they want, and they really mean anything. Whether you have dreams of bringing your creative talents to the healthcare space or project management skills to the video game industry, the search system interprets your request and filters jobs that align with your interests.
“With AI job search, you’re in a system that understands the job seeker and turns their skills and aspirations into opportunities,” a LinkedIn representative said during a press gathering on May 6.
This feature is invaluable for recent graduates (class of 2025, I’m talking to you) as they open themselves up to the possibilities of what life post-grad looks like. In a conversation with LinkedIn career expert Andrew McCaskill, he emphasized an important lesson that both new grads and seasoned professionals should take note of:
“Don’t be, don’t be tied to what you thought you were going to do,” he stressed.
In a competitive job market like today, the best thing anyone can do is be open to exploring new possibilities. In addition to helping users discover more job opportunities that align with their goals, the platform is introducing hiring transparency features, like “verified listings,” response time expectations, and insights on which employers are actively reviewing applications, to combat the rise of “ghost” or fake job listings. LinkedIn’s research found that despite people applying to more jobs today than ever before, hiring teams reported that less than half of the applicants meet the needed requirements, so the platform designed new job match insights aiming to help users understand how well they align with a role, along with AI coaching that offers scenario-based practice and actionable feedback to professionals for critical career moments.
Ultimately, these new features are designed to help quiet the noise surrounding career advice and tips. While the rise of social media has helped many professionals navigate parts of their professional journeys, it has also opened up the floodgates for varying (and sometimes contradictory) opinions and advice on the “best practices” to secure a job, earn a salary boost, etc.
“Be really careful about who you take advice from, that’s number one,” McCaskill shared. “Take advice from people who made their money doing what you want to do. You have to balance taking your advice from somebody who makes their money off of anger and audacity on the internet.”
Talking especially to young professionals and recent grads, the career expert encouraged job seekers to shift their mindset: “Oftentimes, early career starters have the misperception that they’re grinding for the company. In the first five years, you’re not grinding for the company. You’re grinding for you…you’re grinding to figure out what you like, what you don’t like…what kind of manager you want to be.”
“Your first job is probably not going to be your dream job, but your first job may put you on a path to better understanding what you do want to do and what you don’t want to do,” he concluded.
The LinkedIn features highlighted will be rolling out in the coming months for all LinkedIn users. However, LinkedIn Premium users currently have early access to the platform’s AI-powered search.
