LinkedIn overhauls its jobs service with a fresh design and better discovery features

Finding a job can be difficult. We’ve all been there: going onto sites like Craigslist, Monster.com, Yahoo, and LinkedIn. And while there are certainly open positions out there, finding the one that matches our dream job can be difficult.

To that end, LinkedIn has unveiled an updated LinkedIn Jobs service that it says will make searching much easier to use and more relevant to its members. It expects this update to be rolled out to its 200 million members around the world.

LinkedIn Jobs has undergone a transformation. Perhaps what users will first notice is the aesthetic difference. But besides redesigning the service, LinkedIn has also added several new features, including being able to dive deeper into job searches using more advanced queries. Now, users can look for openings by country, zip code, industry, and function.

In a recent survey by Bullhorn, a Boston-based company that makes technology products for employers and recruiters, LinkedIn is quite popular in the world of job searching and recruitment. Out of the 1,848 staffing professionals polled, 98.2 percent said that they used social media for recruiting in 2012 and 97.3 percent said they used LinkedIn as their recruiting tool.

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Those results are great from a recruiting perspective, but for the potential applicants, it’s being able to find the jobs that can be difficult. LinkedIn is definitely a service that people are turning to, based on a 2012 Jobvite study. With 75 percent of Americans either actively looking for or considering themselves open to new jobs, LinkedIn is gaining ground over the top social network in finding jobs. 41 percent of respondents said that they turn to the professional social network for help, that’s up from 32 percent in 2011.

New features

Remember those emails that LinkedIn sends you with the subject line “Jobs you may be interested in”? Well those are now front and center when you go to the jobs section, although while most are tailored towards your experience and resume, there may be one or two that are sponsored jobs.

Finding a job opening that you’re interested in is one thing, but the next step is to get your foot in the door. One of the most interesting things with LinkedIn is the ability to find out how you’re related to the recruiter and/or the company. With the new LinkedIn Jobs, the company has updated it so that those connections are better highlighted so you know who can help you land that job.

Saved searches have also been improved in that they’re now quicker to find.

For those with premium access, LinkedIn has added two new features besides the ones listed just now: an updated advanced search feature that allows you to find jobs that meet your salary requirements, and embedded tips to help improve your search.