FULL FABRIC supports integration with LinkedIn, the popular social network for connecting with professionals and companies, but there are different use cases and possibilities for this integration. Please read on to learn what to expect and what to take into consideration. 😉
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What can I integrate with LinkedIn for?
The main advantage of integrating with LinkedIn is the implementation of social login, that is, the possibility of using one's LinkedIn account to log in to FULL FABRIC, conveniently streamlining the authentication process:
In addition, if – and only if – your school is a LinkedIn partner, users can also sync their LinkedIn profiles to FULL FABRIC in order to automatically populate their experience sections in our platform (to wit, the areas where people's work and academic experience is recorded):
To expand on that: when a would-be candidate creates a new profile via LinkedIn or associates an existing FULL FABRIC profile to a LinkedIn one, both accounts are linked to a single, shared user. Thus intertwined, FULL FABRIC proceeds to automatically import any useful data available on LinkedIn – namely, users' professional and educational trajectories. Such information is then used to pre-fill three separate areas in FULL FABRIC:
The profile Experience tab;
The Experience tab in all started and future application forms;
The list of Organisations in the Industry module (if subscribed), where all previous and current employers are inserted in order to feature that user as part of their Community (a directory of which users in our portal identified a certain company as a place of employment).
It’s possible to unlink LinkedIn at a later date, but this will also delete whatever data originated from the LinkedIn account. Again, we must stress that advanced data synchronization is only viable if you're a LinkedIn partner.
Why do I need to become a LinkedIn partner to enable advanced data synchronization?
Starting March 1, 2019, LinkedIn deprecated the use of its v1 API, which previously allowed us to retrieve the basic personal details and current place of employment of all authenticated users. Its successor, v2 API, retrieves fewer details – excluding, most notably, company-related information –, and access to additional fields requires applying and being accepted into a relevant Partner Program. FULL FABRIC has tried to apply in the past, but our application was declined for undisclosed reasons. This is part of a long-standing trend from LinkedIn towards limiting access to third-party developers. That said, educational institutions may also apply, whereby, upon succeeding, extended API functionality is unlocked.
Configuration
Broadly speaking, setting up an integration with LinkedIn entails up to two operations:
Having your school apply for access to basic LinkedIn member data in order to activate the social login functionality (compulsory);
If you wish to map data between LinkedIn and FULL FABRIC, having your school apply to become an authorized LinkedIn partner developer via a Partner Program (optional).
Please visit this article for a summary of each process. We recommend leaving it in the hands of someone like an IT tech.
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PUBLISHED: May 12, 2021
LAST UPDATED: October 12, 2021 at 2:31 p.m.