LinkedIn’s new design looks a lot like Facebook

LinkedIn is refreshing its entire site today with a new look that’s designed to bring the aging social network firmly into the 21st century. While most LinkedIn users probably visit the site infrequently, or because of a deluge of nagging emails, LinkedIn’s new design makes navigating the site a lot easier. There are now seven sections to navigate through: Home, messaging, jobs, notifications, me, my network, and search.

The main feed now looks a lot more like what you’d find on Facebook, with trending stories that are curated by human editors and algorithms, and you can unfollow and hide posts easily (just like Facebook). LinkedIn is also improving its search interface so it’s easier to find jobs, people, companies, and other parts of the social network.

Perhaps the biggest change is a new real-time messaging interface that’s always available at the bottom of every page (just like Facebook). If you’re searching for a job and you know someone who works at the company, LinkedIn will prompt you to start a conversation with them to get a referral or some tips on applying.

This is the biggest refresh for LinkedIn since its original launch back in 2003. The Wall Street Journal notes that this redesign was in the works ahead of Microsoft’s $26 billion acquisition of LinkedIn, and there aren’t any crossover features into Microsoft’s software and services just yet. Those crossovers involve LinkedIn notifications for Windows 10, and closer integration in Outlook and Office apps.