How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn Premium as a Job Seeker
Is LinkedIn premium worth it for job seekers in 2023? I would say yes, engaging with recruiters and hiring managers to gauge the alignment of your skills within a competitive applicant landscape is a pivotal step. If the offered features align with your requirements, investing in LinkedIn Premium can prove to be a valuable asset for achieving success, provided it fits within your budget. The combination of these features, coupled with a finely tuned LinkedIn profile, has the potential to propel your career to new heights.
LinkedIn is a great free platform that helps you build a professional network. However, if you’ve used the site, you’ll know that it tries to get you to upgrade to LinkedIn Premium regularly. So, is LinkedIn Premium worth it? whether or not LinkedIn Premium is worth it for job seekers depends on your individual needs and circumstances.
In this article, we’ll detail everything you need to know about LinkedIn Premium. This includes how much LinkedIn Premium costs, the benefits LinkedIn Premium offers, and whether LinkedIn Premium is good value for money.
What is LinkedIn Premium?
LinkedIn Premium represents a subscription-oriented service that presents users with supplementary functionalities beyond what the standard free LinkedIn platform provides. These enhanced capabilities encompass the ability to discern individuals who have perused your profile, the freedom to send an unrestricted number of InMails to recruiters, and the privilege of accessing exclusive content and events.
How much does LinkedIn Premium cost in 2023?
Wondering about the price tag? Let’s break down the cost and features so you know exactly what to expect. LinkedIn Premium has four different price tiers:
- Premium Career: $39.99/month
- Premium Business: $59.99/month
- Sales Navigator: $99.99/month
- Recruiter Lite: $180/month
Below we will be discussing only the Premium Career and Premium Business features.
| Premium subscription plan | Premium Career | Premium Business |
|---|---|---|
| Private Browsing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Applicant Insights | ✓ | ✓ |
| Direct messaging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Who Viewed Your Profile | ✓ | ✓ |
| Who’s viewed your profile insights availability | 90 | 365 |
| Unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited people browsing | ✓ | |
| Business Insights | ✓ | |
| InMail credits | 5 | 15 |
LinkedIn Premium Career plan
Now, if you opt for Premium Career ($39.99/month), you’ll get access to valuable perks, like:
- Request and provide recommendations
- Receive unlimited InMail messages
- Five InMail messages per month
- Applicant insights (how you rank up against other applicants)
- Who viewed your profile
- Who’s viewed your profile insights (past 90 days)
- 16,000+ LinkedIn Learning courses
- Full access to Interview Preparation tools
LinkedIn Premium Business plan
Now, if you opt for Premium Business ($44.99/month when billed annually), you’ll get access to all of the perks found in the Career plan, plus:
- Open profile
- Unlimited people browsing
- Company insights
- 15 InMail messages per month
- Who’s viewed your profile (past 365 days)
How do job seekers use LinkedIn Premium?
A LinkedIn Premium subscription serves as a catalyst for job seekers seeking to elevate their career journey, offering a diverse range of features that provide a distinctive advantage in today’s fiercely competitive job market.
While the option to request LinkedIn recommendations remains available to bolster your credibility through a free LinkedIn account, the limitations become evident with a mere allocation of ten monthly searches. Additionally, the freedom to message individuals solely within the scope of mutual connections further curtails your networking potential.
For those aiming to extract more value from the platform beyond the scope of merely expressing openness to opportunities with the “OpenToWork” hashtag, the time has come to immerse yourself and uncover the potential of Premium’s attributes. This involves optimizing your visibility, expanding your messaging horizons, and harnessing invaluable analytics to amplify your professional prospects. By doing so, you not only broaden your sphere of influence but also foster meaningful connections that can play a pivotal role in your career journey.
Reasons Why LinkedIn Premium Is Worth It for Job Seekers
If you find yourself still uncertain about whether investing in a LinkedIn Premium subscription is the right choice for you, here are several compelling reasons to seriously contemplate acquiring a subscription:
1. Using the InMail messages to grow your network
In the midst of your job search journey, every new connection holds significant value. LinkedIn’s InMail feature emerges as a powerful tool, enabling direct communication that empowers you to establish personalized connections and differentiate yourself from the crowd.
InMail’s potential extends beyond conventional networking, potentially transforming your approach to interacting with industry pioneers and fellow professionals in your domain. It serves as a gateway to communicate directly with individuals who reside beyond your existing network, thereby unlocking pathways to a plethora of new opportunities.
Wondering about the impact your messages will have on the recipients? InMail messages provide essential context, introducing you to the recipient and allowing them to seamlessly peruse your professional background. This context-driven approach sets InMail apart from generic cold emails. In fact, based on data sourced from A3Techworld and LinkedIn, InMail messages exhibit a staggering effectiveness, boasting a 4.6-fold increase in efficacy compared to standard emails.
2. See full details on who viewed your profile
The initial advantage stems from the capability to identify individuals who have perused your profile. While this might appear inconspicuous, it holds immense value in forging valuable connections and optimizing your profile in alignment with your target audience.
Within the LinkedIn landscape, numerous individuals engage with profiles. This spectrum encompasses recruiters, high-level executives, and managers scouting for potential hires, as well as professionals within your domain seeking avenues for constructive networking. These multifaceted interactions underscore the significance of LinkedIn Premium. Moreover, this data serves as a strategic asset if you intend to promote your freelance enterprise through the LinkedIn platform.
Even if you aren’t actively pursuing new employment opportunities at present, the likelihood of this changing in the future is considerable. Establishing robust connections within your industry bears a multitude of advantages that extend beyond the realm of job searches.
The knowledge that someone has taken the initiative to explore your profile signifies their interest in understanding more about you. This, in itself, constitutes a compelling reason to initiate contact, be it through an InMail or a connection request. However, it’s essential to ensure your approach in reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn aligns with best practices to maximize the efficacy of your engagement.
3. Apply for jobs as a featured applicant
Utilizing LinkedIn Premium provides you with a unique advantage – the ability to access recommendations for positions perfectly aligned with your qualifications. Moreover, you gain the privilege of applying as a “Featured Applicant,” a distinct approach that sets you apart from the sea of competition.
This innovative functionality propels you beyond the realm of conventional LinkedIn #OpentoWork announcements. Instead, it positions you center stage, catching the attention of hiring managers and greatly amplifying your likelihood of securing a coveted interview opportunity.
4. LinkedIn Premium Badge on profile
Opting for a LinkedIn Premium account can have a significant impact on your LinkedIn presence. While it might appear minor, the subtle yet noticeable gold icon displayed on your profile and in search results signals your genuine commitment to leveraging LinkedIn for meaningful connections.
The influence of this seemingly small badge should not be underestimated. The elevated perception that accompanies this badge can be quite remarkable. It’s intriguing to observe how others tend to view you with a heightened level of seriousness once you adorn this emblem.
Undoubtedly, this added gravitas renders the investment in a LinkedIn Premium account particularly worthwhile. This holds true not only for those engaged in professional networking but also for individuals navigating the realm of job searching. The badge serves as a testament to your dedication and can significantly enhance your credibility and engagement within the LinkedIn community.
5. Prepare better for job interviews
With LinkedIn Premium, the “Interview Preparation” feature emerges as a strategic tool aimed at nurturing your interviewing prowess. Its purpose is to guide you in honing your interview skills and engaging in practice sessions encompassing a diverse spectrum of questions, all with the overarching goal of enhancing your performance and positioning you favorably to secure your coveted role.
This resource presents you with two pathways: an array of prevalent interview questions that traverse different scenarios, or the flexibility to concentrate on queries aligned specifically with your desired position. Through this tailored approach, you’re equipped to refine your responses, gain insights into effective interview strategies, and confidently present your qualifications, thereby augmenting your potential to secure the job you aspire to attain.
6. LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Premium offers you an extensive selection of more than 13,000 courses meticulously crafted by prominent professionals within various industries. Elevating your potential for recruitment success requires a firm grasp of the latest trends and proficiencies in your specific line of work. These courses are purposefully curated to provide invaluable assistance in achieving just that.
LinkedIn Learning encompasses a diverse spectrum of subjects, spanning from the realms of business to the intricacies of technology, and encompassing all conceivable domains in between. The catalog is continually enriched with fresh additions to ensure that you remain at the forefront of evolving expertise. This proves to be a cost-efficient and highly impactful avenue for honing your leadership acumen and refining your prowess in communication.