LinkedIn has heard the plight of the workingman, or woman (though most LinkedIn users are male).  In an effort to continue to be the industry leader in online professional networks, LinkedIn will be rolling out updates to its job searching capabilities over the next couple weeks.  So what does that mean for you – the job seeker? 

Now finding a job through LinkedIn will be easier than ever! Basically in future searches, LinkedIn will highlight jobs where you have an “In”.  Nice job on the branding, guys.  An “In” gives you the opportunity to be linked with jobs where you have a first-degree connection. 

Just as word of mouth is still the gold standard for marketing, knowing somebody is the gold standard of getting employed.  A great deal of jobs stem from people “knowing a guy”.  Some people refer to it as the “Good Old Boys Club”.  A wink-wink here and a nudge there and, Bob’s your uncle, you’re employed.  Now for the low low cost of FREE you too can engage in nepotism and partiality through LinkedIn!

All kidding aside, this update is sure to increase the effectiveness of LinkedIn profiles for job seeking.  Having an advocate within an organization changes you from being a piece of paper in a stack to somebody’s talented friend whom they can vouch for.  Emotional connections play a key role in decision making.  Having an advocate inside the corporate structure of an organization you are applying to forces an emotional element into the equation where there previously was none.

LinkedIn was already an amazing site for conducting your job search, but with this added feature you’d have to be a fool not to take advantage of the free opportunity.  Who could say no to a website that will throw job opportunities at you and also tell you the best way to approach those opportunities?