• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 1, 2011

Facebook in the last year has used a set of social plug-ins, including the "Like" button, to extend its reach across the Web. Now, LinkedIn is planning to introduce a professional plug-in to let people apply for jobs on third-party sites with information from their LinkedIn profiles.

Expected to launch later this month, the "Apply With LinkedIn" button would streamline the application process by letting LinkedIn members use profiles as resumes, according to a GigaOM article today, citing an unnamed source briefed on the feature. LinkedIn declined to comment on the report.

The story explained that after clicking the "Apply" button and logging in, a user can edit parts of their profile and contact information and might be asked to answer questions from a prospective employer. Once an application is submitted, a confirmation message is displayed.

For their part, employers would be able to add up to five questions from a template, including whether a job candidate is willing to relocate, eligible to work in the U.S., or wants to add a cover letter. Companies can also add questions specific to a particular position and have applications sent to an email address or Web site, among other options.

LinkedIn is reportedly talking with companies about adding the the job application plug-in to their jobs pages, but no launch partners were named.

The new feature would follow closely on the heels of LinkedIn's successful IPO, which saw the company's stock more than double to $94.25 on the first day of trading last month. LinkedIn's IPO filing showed it generates the bulk of its revenue from hiring-related solutions for corporations.

That business accounted for nearly half (49%) of its first-quarter 2011 sales, compared to just 22% in 2008 and 30% in 2009. The balance of LinkedIn's revenue comes from advertising (30%) and premium subscriptions providing users additional tools and features.

The professional social network also rolled out a new set of APIs (application protocol interfaces), including one that allows employers to extend new job postings across desktop apps, Web sites and career pages.

"Now every company's career site can feature their LinkedIn jobs and enable users to search by location, job function, industry, and most importantly, access their relationship to the company employees and hiring manager through our professional graph," wrote Madhu Gupta, platform product manager at LinkedIn, in a recent post on the company blog.