At LinkedIn, we believe that two people with equal talent should have equal access to opportunity. No matter your education or experience, we want LinkedIn to be a place where you can learn, advance your career, and find relevant jobs that suit your skills, qualifications, and needs.
But we know that many individuals face significant barriers to opportunity based on their backgrounds, including where they grew up and who they know. That’s why we’re focused on closing the network gap and improving our platform to reduce barriers people face in accessing opportunities.
One of the programs we’ve rolled out to close the network gap is LinkedIn Coaches, which brings together LinkedIn employees with job-seekers who are looking to expand and diversify their networks. We’ve found that Coaches participants are 2.5 times more likely to build a strong professional network on LinkedIn that they can leverage to land their dream job. We’ve hosted 566 LinkedIn Coaches sessions in partnership with more than 100 nonprofits in 30+ cities reaching thousands of job-seekers around the world.
Through our products, we are also focused on building features that reduce barriers to a productive and successful career and help our members build stronger networks. One community facing a unique set of barriers includes the more than 70 million Americans who have a criminal record, many of whom have served time and are trying to reenter the workforce.
That’s why we’re excited to roll out a new “Fair Chance '' job filter to help job-seekers easily identify employers who have committed to consider applicants with a criminal record, thus removing a major barrier from their job search process. The Fair Chance Filter is currently available on the web in the United States and will be coming to iOS and Android soon.
"We believe that having a job and support from the business community are the keys to successful reentry and breaking the cycle of recidivism in America. As a country of Second Chances, the Fair Chance initiative is a huge step to unlocking the human potential for those who are motivated to build a better future." says Beverly Parenti, Executive Director, The Last Mile. "Furthermore, it has been proven time and time again that some of the most loyal, motivated employees are from this population that should be judged by the quality of their work, not the stigma of their past."
Our commitment to creating economic opportunity for all will continue to give rise to new programs and features. Keep a close eye out for future updates aimed at closing the network gap and empowering everyone to pursue their professional ambitions. And if you’re looking for more job searching tips, read on here.