LinkedIn has launched a new “Apply with LinkedIn” button on their job listing pages. It allows job seekers to apply for a job using their LinkedIn profile as their resume. They say the new feature is “the future of job applications”.

Some companies who are the first to debut this new feature include Netflix, TripIt, Photobucket and over a thousand other well-known names.

They’ve made it very easy for companies to use this feature, as well as for job hunters to apply. You simply click the “Apply with LinkedIn” button and walk through the steps. They’ll show you any professional connections you may already have within the company, which will in turn give you better chances of getting your foot in the door. If you don’t have any direct connections within the company, LinkedIn will also let you know if there’s a relationship where one of your contacts can introduce you to someone.

We all know one of the best ways to get a job is via a referral. I hear that’s how the big guys at Google hire their employees. You need to know someone to get somewhere in the company.

There are several other features, according to the official LinkedIn blog, which will help you with your job seeking.

Do you see this changing the way companies hire? It seems social media may be a good way to get a job, as well as lose a job.