Since the start of the recession in December 2007, millions of jobs have been lost both in the US as well as globally, easily exceeding any previous downturn in the last half a century. While finding jobs is one piece of the equation, getting a job is most closely related to successful professional networking and that’s where LinkedIn can help.

We are focused on helping our members leverage their LinkedIn profile and business relationships to uncover these new opportunities whenever, wherever. A case in point is the partnership we announced with Right Management, the largest global provider of outplacement solutions. Integrating LinkedIn’s functionality and networking capabilities with Right Management services allows job seekers the ability to maintain a competitive edge in this challenging economic environment by leveraging their LinkedIn network while they look for a job.

If you’re using Right Management’s outplacement services, in this challenging job market, their career consultants will work with you to develop your LinkedIn profile to showcase your expertise and provide you with specialized training to ensure the benefits of LinkedIn are fully maximized in your job hunt.

Update your LinkedIn profile and enhance the number of your connections on LinkedIn to build your professional brand before you need it.

We’re glad to announce the launch of our strategic relationship with NYTimes.com that will allow readers to receive targeted news articles based on their unique attributes. In addition, they’ll also be able to share and discuss articles they read on NYTimes.com with other LinkedIn members in their network.

Below is a quick overview of the two features and how you can make use of them, both on LinkedIn and on the NYTimes.com site (NYT):

1. Receive targeted news headlines on NYT

With the LinkedIn-NYTimes.com relationship, members can now receive targeted headlines in every article of the Business & Technology sections (not the homepage) based upon that member’s profession and industry, providing users with the most relevant and valuable content for their profession.

LinkedIn will power a targeted headline feature on NYTimes.com’s Business and Technology pages that will highlight the five latest Times articles relevant to readers based on the non-personally identifiable attributes of their LinkedIn profile (see image below to the right of the article).

For example, LinkedIn members who work in the energy sector will have the option to get relevant, targeted Times stories that cover the energy industry.

2. Share NYT articles on LinkedIn

The second feature we’re announcing today enables you to share any article you read on NYT with your LinkedIn Company Network. This feature is incorporated into the “Share” tool on all article pages in the New York Times site.

Once you click on the Share icon, you’ll have the option to share that article either with your company network or select individuals in your LinkedIn network.

–

This is yet another way you can add value to your LinkedIn experience both on and off our site by leveraging the power of your professional network.

For more information on the announcement, please check out the New York Times’ press release as well as our joint announcement on the NYTimes site. Feel free to leave your comments right here on the blog.