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LinkedIn unveils new Tinder-like mentorship service

If you think Tinder (and related apps) is the scourge of the earth, you may not like that LinkedIn is taking a page from its book.

The professional social network is launching a new service that matches potential mentors to people on its website who might be looking for advice or guidance in a specific area. It hopes to make connecting professionals with mentors easier, and help people considering difficult choices, such as career changes โ€“where they may not have the opportunity to connect with someone outside their current field โ€“ with their decisions.

The free service will be available to users in San Francisco and Australia first, the company says.

LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, has already hand-selected an initial list of mentors who will appear in a Tinder-style list for people interested in being mentored. Mentors can choose who they would prefer to work with, whether it be someone from their first or second-degree networks, in their home region, or former school, etc. Over time, TechCrunch reports, the option to become a mentor will be open to everyone.

On the other side, once a mentee indicates they are interested in getting advice or feedback on a particular subject, LinkedIn will give them a list of potential mentors on their entire user base to choose from, with the ability to narrow down the search if theyโ€™d prefer someone specific like a mentor would (in their region, from their former school, etc.).

Once a mentor and mentee match, they can message each other, with each side having the power to end communication at any point.

LinkedInโ€™s mentorship service is not the only existing career coaching service available on the web today, but itโ€™s aiming to be a little less formal than some of its counterparts. And with the platformโ€™s wide network, it has the potential to reach as many jobs and industries as there are registered users.

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