Microsoft's LinkedIn surpasses 500 million users
When searching for a job nowadays, you will find that Microsoft's LinkedIn has largely disrupted the process. Long gone are the days of emailing or faxing a resume -- you can both find and apply for a job directly through the service. Even if you are not actively searching for a new career, LinkedIn is a great place to network and meet other professionals.
To show just how popular LinkedIn has become, the service today makes an impressive announcement -- it has achieved more than 500 million users in 200 countries. With a half a billion users, maybe Microsoft's $26.2 billion purchase price wasn't so crazy after all!
"This community represents 10+ million active jobs, access to 9+ million companies, and with more than 100,000 articles published every week it's helping you stay informed on the news and views impacting your professional world. A professional community of this size has never existed until now. But it’s often the small, simple actions today that can lead you to bigger opportunities tomorrow. And access to this community has never been easier because every new connection represents a potential new opportunity," says Aatif Awan, Vice President Growth and International Products, LinkedIn.
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Awan also says, "The impact of half a billion professionals connecting and communicating is very real, and very accessible to anyone who wants to take part today. We’re excited to think about the potential of what a highly connected global community of professionals can do, and the value that is created for every member of the global workforce."
To celebrate this milestone, LinkedIn shares some interesting facts about its service. For instance, the United Arab Emirates is the most connected country on average, while London, on average, is the most connected place overall. With LinkedIn being so career-focused, it should come as no surprise that the most connected profession on average is human resources, while the most connected industry is staffing and recruiting.
Are you on LinkedIn? Have you had any career success thanks to the social network? Tell me in the comments below.
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