LinkedIn Launches New Research Tools Aimed at College Students (and Those Who Plan to Attend)

From TechCrunch:

Last year, LinkedIn widened the net for potential users when it started to allow high schoolers to join its social network for professionals, and today it’s launching a clutch of features that it hopes will get them to stick around a while longer: three new tools — Decision Boards, University Outcome Rankings and University Finder — focus on college-bound students who are deciding where to apply, what to study and people who might give them some useful advice on the way.

From a LinkedIn Blog Post:

So whether deciding where to attend college, or figuring out how to launch their careers after graduation, students and graduates today face difficult decisions with few reliable resources to help them navigate this rapidly changing environment.
Today, LinkedIn is introducing new tools designed to help students overcome many of these obstacles.
These tools combine data-driven insights based on the career paths of LinkedIn members, and social features so students can get guidance from trusted advisors and professionals who have walked in their shoes. Taken together, they offer a new way for students – and people who care about them – to navigate one of life’s biggest decisions: choosing where to go to school and what to study.

What’s New

Decision Boards

Finding the right fit is about matching students – each with their unique strengths and interests – to the specific environments where they will thrive. It’s a complicated process – and Decision Boards were designed to make it better. Using a combination of organizational, social and insight tools, students can “work the problem” from start to decision. Students can share their evolving thought process with trusted advisors, and meet future classmates for inspiration and commiseration.

University Outcome Rankings

Which schools are best at launching graduates into desirable jobs? We analyzed millions of alumni profiles to find out how universities stack up across a variety of careers. Then, we ranked schools based on how successful their recent graduates have been at landing desirable jobs as designers, software developers, investment bankers and more. These are the first rankings using alumni career outcomes to rank schools for specific careers. We are just getting started with University Rankings – more categories and countries will be coming over time.

See Also: Ranking Universities Based on Career Outcomes (via LinkedIn Blog)
Definitions and methodology.
University Finder

For a more personalized experience, University Finder allows students to imagine future careers, and then see schools most attended by LinkedIn members already working in the career selected.  By clicking the interactive graphs, a student can try out a possible career: “I’d like to study engineering, then work at Google or Apple, and live in the SF Bay Area after graduation,” then see school results update with every click.”

Read the Complete LinkedIn Blog Post (with Screenshots)
See Also: Roundup of More LinkedIn Tools For Students
Including LinkedIn Universities Directory

Filed under: Data Files, Jobs, Patrons and Users, Profiles, Roundup, School Libraries