Penn students now have their own customized LinkedIn app

Not sure what to do now that on-campus recruiting is nearing its end? Fear not — LinkedIn has been working with Career Services to launch a Penn-specific LinkedIn app, which can be downloaded on the iOS App Store and Google Play store.

Starting this week, the LinkedIn Students app will allow students to view thousands of jobs and internships added to the app by Penn’s Career Services, in addition to the normal LinkedIn listings available to the public.

“We in Career Services are anxious to get more students using LinkedIn,” said Patricia Rose, director of Career Services. “This student-specific app will help introduce students who are nervous to use LinkedIn because they don’t know what to put on their profile and it also another way for us to push out our jobs listings.”

LinkedIn began testing school specific apps last year with beta tests at San Jose State University and the University of Central Florida. LinkedIn recognized a need for an app, which according to its website helps students “navigate [the] uncharted waters of finding your first job out of school.”

LinkedIn and Penn’s Career Services began planning the Penn-specific app last spring as a way to help Penn students feel more comfortable creating a LinkedIn profile and use it as a networking tool.

“LinkedIn is the largest data set in the world of professionals. It’s extremely important for students to establish a LinkedIn profile, and learn how to start using it to help find jobs,” Rose said. “The app is simple and it’s mobile, so we’re hoping students will use it.”

The app, which is decorated with pictures of Penn, only requires students to answer two basic questions when creating a profile: “What’s your major?” and “When are you going to graduate?”

The LinkedIn algorithm then works to match you with jobs and internships that it thinks you would be interested in, even considering companies that have in the past hired students from your school with your major.

“Say you are a [Philosophy, Politics, and Economics] major, for example, the app is going to show you the sorts of things that other PPE majors are doing or what else fits in that category,” Rose said. “It’s a good way to broaden your horizons.”

While anyone can download the app, only Penn students with an active Penn Key and password would be able to open the job and internship listings posted on a weekly basis by Career Services, from PennLink, Penn’s online job and internship database.

Clarification: This article and headline has been updated to reflect that LinkedIn developed the app for Penn with support of Career Services through its LinkedIn Students program.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.