4 Ways Microsoft’s Linkedin Acquisition WILL Change the Recruitment Space

Microsoft shocked us when they reported the buyout of Linkedin. Upon reflection, it seems logical that the world's largest cloud and the largest professional network globally would amalgamate. What is not so clear yet is the way it will affect the recruitment market… So here are 4 predictions:

Goodbye Email 
Microsoft are likely to focus on the messaging functionality of LinkedIn, making a coordinated experience between Skype, Outlook & LinkedIn. Thus, email as we know it is likely to fade away and in its place, correspondence will be shorter and more instant – more of a live chat functionality.

No more CVs 
With these communication abilities enhanced, there will be little need for your traditional CV. Everyone will have a centralised online career history on LinkedIn, and a Microsoft Dynamics CRM style system will give you the capacity to forward your ‘CV’ to employers, monitor the status of your applications and coordinate interviews. Our recommendation would be to begin considering your LinkedIn profile as your CV, making it as rich as possible.

Rise in video 
A recent Cisco report stated that by 2019, video will represent 80% of web activity and this is where Microsoft's Skype purchase will come into play.  We keep hearing that video is inevitably going to become more prominent within recruitment, and with Whatsapp allegedly in a testing stage of video messaging, it's fair to say that video correspondence will take place in the office day-to-day, which could mean the extinction of face-to-face interviews. Therefore sending a video as a cover letter now would put you ahead of the crowd.

Increase in Artificial Intelligence and machine learning 
The union of Linkedin and Skype could bring Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. For example, if I was messaging you regarding a staffing strategy, AI could populate a list of first degree Linkedin connections who could be a good fit. For recruitment specialists, this implies you would need to work somewhat harder for your pound; The recommendation here is to work on the depth of your relationships so that you are still invaluable in introducing clients and candidates.

Whether you agree with these forecasts or not, hopefully you can agree that Microsoft’s acquisition of Linkedin will have a huge impact on the recruitment space!


Cognitive Group are specialists in Microsoft Dynamics jobs and recruitment, focusing on Dynamics AX jobs, Dynamics CRM jobs and other roles in the Microsoft stack. If you would like Microsoft Dynamics career advice or to find out about the latest job opportunities in Microsoft Dynamics, please get in touch:

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