Company Context

LinkedIn is the leading professional network, with hundreds of millions of members globally and a business model spanning Talent Solutions, Premium subscriptions, ads, and learning products. It is strong with established professionals and recruiters, but early-career users often join with low network density, limited work history, and unclear reasons to return.

Problem

LinkedIn has seen strong sign-up volume from final-year students and recent graduates, but internal data shows weak activation and retention in this segment. Within 30 days of signup, only 38% of new graduates complete a profile, 24% make a meaningful connection, and 12% apply to a job on-platform. Research suggests many new graduates feel intimidated by the professional tone, unsure how to build credibility without experience, and overwhelmed by a feed that is more useful for experienced professionals than first-job seekers.

Meta is considering how it would approach this product problem if asked to improve a large social platform for a specific user segment. Assume you are the PM responsible for defining a focused strategy to improve LinkedIn for new graduates over the next 12 months.

Deliverables

1. Define the most important user segment(s) within “new graduates” and the core job-to-be-done you would prioritize.
2. Identify the biggest unmet needs or friction points in the current LinkedIn experience for those users.
3. Propose a product vision and 2-3 feature ideas, then prioritize what should be built first.
4. Explain the key trade-offs you would make, including any risks to trust, quality, or the broader LinkedIn ecosystem.
5. Define success metrics and how you would know whether the product changes improved product-market fit for this segment.

Constraints

• You can launch only one meaningful MVP in the first 2 quarters.
• Engineering capacity is limited to one cross-functional team.
• You cannot rely on heavy manual operations or career-coaching services.
• Any solution must preserve LinkedIn’s professional trust and not materially degrade recruiter experience.