LinkedIn has launched a tool aimed at current college students that the company says will provide students with “unique, data-driven insights to help them build their careers.” LinkedIn’s Career Explorer is a collaborative effort between the professional network and professional services and accountancy firm PwC.
Career Explorer aims to help students chart their potential career paths and to help them build a professional network pre-graduation. Based on data aggregated from LinkedIn’s 80 million members, Career Explorer will map out the paths that others in similar fields have taken. It will also offer resources including relevant job opportunities, salary information, and educational and experience required in certain industries or fields.
The Career Explorer tool will also point to those within students’ networks who may be in a position to help them advance their careers.
“LinkedIn is about connecting talent with opportunity at massive scale. Career Explorer is the latest example of how we make that possible by providing one of our fastest growing demographics, students and recent college graduates, unique and valuable insights enabling them to develop the optimal career path,” says CEO Jeff Weiner.
While the Career Explorer tool could prove useful for college students in formulating their career paths and building their professional networks, the tool has the added benefit for LinkedIn of convincing college students into becoming frequent users of the site early in their careers.
Career Explorer will be available immediately to students at 60 U.S. universities, and LinkedIn says it plans to expand that over time. Students at those universities will be able to log in to LinkedIn and see the Career Explorer option available to them under “Jobs.”
