LinkedIn Gets Jobs to be Done

How Linkedin Uses Progress to Segment Markets and Product Offerings

After using the free version of LinkedIn for quite a while, I was curious about what the paid version was like. Upon clicking “try premium”, I saw this:

Figure 1. LinkedIn asks me what my Job to be Done is

Right away I knew this was gonna be good. Why? Because all these options weren’t describing the product, they were describing progress — i.e. how I could improve because of the product. In other words, these are Jobs to be Done.

One Product / Offering per Job to be Done

Figure 2. LinkedIn matches a product with a Job to be Done

Upon identifying myself with a JTBD, I’m taken to this page (figure 2). You can see how LinkedIn has segmented consumers by Job to be Done, and then created a product for each Job.

My favorite is Career. Notice how the unmet desires it references are describing how LinkedIn helps you with the “Career” Job to be Done:

1. Stand out and get in touch with hiring managers
2. See how you compare to other applicants
3. Learn new skills to advance your career

LinkedIn Makes it Clear: There’s Nothing functional About a Job to be Done

A common misunderstanding — that is unfortunately perpetuated by some JTBD enthusiasts — is that a Job to be Done has some functional quality to it.

This is incorrect. There’s nothing functional about my desire for progress. Rather, it is the product that functions. I have progress I want to make, and I hire a product to do the function (i.e. work) for me. That is the whole reason why it’s called Jobs to be Done.

Again, LinkedIn gets it right. When describing each product, they show the progress you’ll make, and then show how a product function delivers that progress.

Figure 3. LinkedIn connects value (progress towards a JTBD) with product function (how the product helps you make progress)

Here is a table view of how LinkedIn connects product function, with the consumer’s Job to be Done:

Progress, Not Products or How They Function

The value of a product is not in what it is, what it does, or how you use it. Rather, value to consumers means making progress towards the changes they want to make.

That should be the core of everything you do as you strive to become better at making and selling products that people will buy.

Want to make progress with learning and applying JTBD theory?

• Download When Coffee and Kale Compete for free
• Buy it on paperback or kindle
• Learn about our public and private workshops
• Ask about our Insight Sprints: the fastest way to accelerate and spread knowledge, gather market insights, and develop an actionable plan based upon what you learn
• Or contact me directly.