LinkedIn Updates
It’s Labor Day weekend—schools are back in session, college football is kicking off, and LinkedIn has quietly rolled out some major updates that might have slipped under your radar. But trust me, these changes have stirred up some frustration among recruiters and marketers alike.
Key Changes
Reduced Image Sizes: Brace yourself—LinkedIn has downsized the preview images for posts containing external links. Instead of a decent-sized preview, you’re left with a tiny thumbnail that’s easy to overlook.
Prioritization of Native Content: Here’s the silver lining for those who keep it all in-house: LinkedIn’s algorithm is playing favorites with content that stays within the platform. If you post videos, images, or articles directly to LinkedIn without including external links, you’re in luck—your content will get the full-sized image treatment and auto-play videos.
Implications for Recruiters
Visual Appeal: With the reduction in image sizes, your posts might not have the same visual impact, which could lead to a dip in engagement. It’s not just about aesthetics—followers who prefer staying within LinkedIn might find these changes off-putting.
Link Clicks: Expect a drop in clicks and views if you’re sharing external links. For recruiters posting job links, consider using LinkedIn’s job post URL instead of external links to keep your engagement steady.
Native Content Strategy: To make the most of LinkedIn’s algorithm, focus on creating more original content directly on the platform. This shift could help you maintain or even boost your reach and engagement.
Premium Pages
LinkedIn has introduced Premium Pages, a new feature that allows businesses to create enhanced profiles. These pages offer a range of benefits over regular company profiles, including increased visibility, advanced analytics, and insights into job applicants.
Adapting to Change
LinkedIn’s updates can be a headache, but adapting is key to staying ahead. If promoting external content is essential, LinkedIn’s advertising options might be worth exploring to ensure your content reaches a broader audience. Recruiters and employer brand specialists should also prioritize high-quality, visually appealing images—even when they’re scaled down. And don’t forget to interact with other users through comments, likes, and shares to keep your posts visible and engaging.
Learn more at Social Media Examiner
7 Common LinkedIn Mistakes That Can Hinder You
Dice (you know the old job board) published their article, Seven Common LinkedIn Mistakes That Are Holding You Back.
It’s odd to see Dice (a job board) giving advice for another competitor, however, there is some validity to the list especially #4.
Here are the seven common LinkedIn mistakes:
- Treating Your Profile Like a Resume
- Using Words Without Pictures
- Acting Like You’re Still Employed When You’re Not
- Spending Too Much Time Searching for Jobs
- Waiting on the Sidelines for Good Things to Happen.
- Using the Default Connection Request
- Treating Networking Like a Numbers Game
Learn more about avoiding these LinkedIn mistakes at Dice.
Workforce Trends
The Great Unbossing
It looks like this for some recruiters. You report to a manager that reports to a director who reports to a VP of talent acquisition. However there is an emerging workforce trend called The Great Unbossing where companies are trimming layers of middle management in favor of flatter organizational structures with more autonomous, self-directed teams.
Here are the key aspects of The Great Unbossing:
- Remove hierarchical layers, particularly middle management positions
- Create more direct communication between frontline employees and senior leadership
- Empower employees with greater autonomy and decision-making authority
- Foster a more agile, innovative organizational culture
While the long-term impacts remain to be seen, the Great Unbossing represents a significant shift in organizational thinking. Companies adopting this model will need to carefully balance employee empowerment with strategic oversight to navigate potential challenges and maximize benefits.
Market Trends
There’s been a lot of mergers and acquisitions recently in the recruiting industry. One big announcement was the merger between Monster and CareerBuilder. The HR & Staffing Services M&A market has shown strong performance in 2024, with 54 transactions announced or completed year-to-date, representing a 17.4% increase compared to the same period in 2023
The HR segment has seen particularly high demand, accounting for 46.3% of sector M&A targets in 2024, up from 37% in the previous year[4]. This increase is attributed to organizations increasingly outsourcing various HR functions to reduce costs and improve service quality.
These developments suggest a robust M&A environment in the recruiting industry, driven by factors such as technological advancements, market consolidation, and the need for expanded service offerings.
RECRUITING TECH
This was a busy week for recruiting tech news, updates and announcements.
- Jobilla get a round of funding , an AI-driven recruitment platform, has recently secured $6.7 million in funding and introduced new AI-powered tools to enhance its services. This development marks a significant milestone for the company as it aims to revolutionize the recruitment process.
- Lightcast acquires Stratigens: On August 27, 2024, Lightcast, a provider of global labor market data and analytics, announced its acquisition of Stratigens, a UK-based talent intelligence company. This strategic move aims to enhance Lightcast’s global workforce data capabilities and solidify its position as a leading source of comprehensive labor market information.
- SmartRecruiters appoints new CEO: SmartRecruiters, a leading enterprise talent acquisition software company, has appointed Rebecca Carr as its new Chief Executive Officer. This appointment marks a significant milestone for the company and its future direction in the talent acquisition technology space.
