You’re probably wondering if LinkedIn Premium is worth the little investment.
The short answer is yes, and we’re here to show you how. Unlike most subscriptions that appear only after your hard-earned cash, LinkedIn Premium might be a smart investment for job hunting and professional growth.
In today’s competitive job market and ever-evolving professional landscape, having the right tools at your disposal can make all the difference. LinkedIn Premium offers a suite of features designed to elevate your career and business opportunities, making it more than just another subscription—it’s a strategic investment in your professional future.
Let’s explore how LinkedIn Premium can provide significant value and why it could be the key to unlocking your full potential. And the best part? It won’t break your bank account.
The Key Takeaways:
- What’s LinkedIn Premium, and How Much Does It Cost?
- Overview of LinkedIn Premium Plans
- LinkedIn Basic vs LinkedIn Premium: A Compelling Comparison
- The Benefits of LinkedIn Premium
- How to Make the Most out of your LinkedIn Premium Subscription
LinkedIn Premium is a paid subscription service that offers exclusive features to its users on top of the basic LinkedIn account. These features include capabilities such as InMail messaging for direct communication with professionals outside your network, access to LinkedIn Learning courses, and the ability to see who has viewed your profile.
LinkedIn offers a variety of premium plans tailored to meet the diverse needs of its users. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the different LinkedIn Premium pricing plans, along with an in-depth understanding of the value and benefits each key feature provides.
LinkedIn Premium Career
- Cost: $29.99 per month or $239.88 annually
- Target Audience: Job seekers and professionals looking to advance their careers.
- Key Features:
- InMail Credits: Receive 5 InMail messages per month to contact anyone on LinkedIn, even if they’re not in your network.
- Value and Benefits: This feature is crucial for job seekers who need to reach out to potential employers or network with industry leaders. It bypasses network restrictions, allowing for direct communication that can open up new opportunities.
- Who’s Viewed Your Profile: See who has viewed your profile in the last 90 days and get insights on profile viewers.
- Value and Benefits: Understanding who is viewing your profile can provide valuable insights into your visibility and appeal. This can help you tailor your profile to attract the right audience and engage with those showing interest.
- Applicant Insights: Compare yourself to other job applicants and see where you stand.
- Value and Benefits: This feature allows job seekers to benchmark themselves against other candidates, providing a clearer picture of their competitive position and areas for improvement.
- LinkedIn Learning: Access to LinkedIn’s extensive library of professional development courses.
- Value and Benefits: Continuous learning and skill development are crucial for career advancement. LinkedIn Learning offers a vast array of courses to enhance your knowledge and skills, making you more marketable.
- InMail Credits: Receive 5 InMail messages per month to contact anyone on LinkedIn, even if they’re not in your network.
LinkedIn Premium Business
- Cost: $59.99 per month or $575.88 annually
- Target Audience: Business professionals and small business owners.
- Key Features:
- InMail Credits: Receive 15 InMail messages per month.
- Value and Benefits: Facilitates direct communication with potential clients, partners, or employees, expanding your professional network beyond immediate connections.
- Business Insights: Get detailed insights into company growth, industry trends, and employee distributions.
- Value and Benefits: Invaluable for making informed business decisions, these insights help in understanding market dynamics and identifying opportunities for growth and strategic partnerships.
- Who’s Viewed Your Profile: See who has viewed your profile with additional viewer insights.
- Value and Benefits: Enhanced insights into profile viewers can help identify potential business opportunities and understand the impact of your professional presence.
- LinkedIn Learning: Full access to LinkedIn Learning for skills development and training.
- Value and Benefits: Continuous professional development is essential for staying competitive. LinkedIn Learning provides access to high-quality courses that can help develop new skills or enhance existing ones.
- InMail Credits: Receive 15 InMail messages per month.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- Cost: $79.99 per month or $779.88 annually
- Target Audience: Sales professionals and teams.
- Key Features:
- Advanced Lead and Company Search: Use advanced filters to find the right leads and companies.
- Value and Benefits: This feature helps sales professionals pinpoint high-potential leads and target the most relevant companies, increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of sales efforts.
- Lead Recommendations: Receive automatic lead recommendations based on your preferences.
- Value and Benefits: Automates the process of finding new leads, saving time and ensuring a steady stream of potential clients tailored to your sales strategy.
- Real-Time Insights: Get updates on your leads and accounts to stay informed.
- Value and Benefits: Real-time information allows sales professionals to act quickly on new developments, maintaining an edge over competitors.
- InMail Credits: Receive 20 InMail messages per month.
- Value and Benefits: Expands the ability to reach out directly to prospective clients, fostering new business relationships and opportunities.
- Notes and Tags: Organise and manage your leads with notes and tags.
- Value and Benefits: Keeps track of interactions and categorises leads efficiently, helping manage the sales pipeline more effectively.
- LinkedIn Learning: Access to LinkedIn Learning for ongoing professional development.
- Value and Benefits: Sales professionals can continuously improve their skills and knowledge, staying up-to-date with the latest sales techniques and strategies.
- Advanced Lead and Company Search: Use advanced filters to find the right leads and companies.
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
- Cost: $139.99 per month or $1,439.88 annually
- Target Audience: Recruiters and HR professionals.
- Key Features:
- Advanced Candidate Search: Use advanced filters to find and engage with top talent.
- Value and Benefits: Enhances the ability to find the best candidates quickly and efficiently, ensuring a better fit for the organisation’s needs.
- Recruiter InMail: Send 30 InMail messages per month to candidates outside your network.
- Value and Benefits: Provides direct access to potential candidates, facilitating proactive recruitment and expanding the talent pool.
- Integrated Hiring: Manage and track your hiring pipeline directly within LinkedIn.
- Value and Benefits: Streamlines the recruitment process, making it easier to track candidates and manage interactions all in one place.
- Smart Suggestions: Receive recommendations for candidates based on your search criteria.
- Value and Benefits: Automated suggestions help identify potential candidates you may have overlooked, increasing the chances of finding the perfect match.
- Who’s Viewed Your Profile: See who has viewed your profile with enhanced insights.
- Value and Benefits: Helps recruiters understand who is interested in their profile, potentially identifying new candidates or professional connections.
- LinkedIn Learning: Access to LinkedIn Learning to enhance recruiting skills and knowledge.
- Value and Benefits: Continuous learning for recruiters ensures they are up-to-date with the latest hiring trends and techniques, enhancing their recruitment strategies.
- Advanced Candidate Search: Use advanced filters to find and engage with top talent.
Understanding LinkedIn Basic
LinkedIn Basic is the free version of LinkedIn that provides essential features for networking and job searching. While it lacks the advanced capabilities of the premium plans, it still offers a robust set of tools for users to build their professional presence.
Key Features of LinkedIn Basic
- Profile Creation and Customisation: Create a detailed professional profile that highlights your experience, skills, and accomplishments.
- Value and Benefits: Establishing a strong professional profile is the first step in building your online presence. It serves as your digital resume, making it easier for potential employers or collaborators to understand your professional background.
- Networking: Connect with colleagues, classmates, and other professionals to expand your network.
- Value and Benefits: Building a robust network is essential for career growth and opportunities. LinkedIn Basic allows you to connect with a wide range of professionals, enhancing your visibility and potential for collaboration.
- Job Search: Access job listings and apply for positions directly through LinkedIn. Save job searches and receive alerts for new job postings.
- Value and Benefits: The job search feature helps streamline the process of finding new opportunities, allowing users to easily browse and apply for jobs within the platform.
- News Feed: Stay updated with industry news, articles, and updates from your network.
- Value and Benefits: Keeping informed about industry trends and news is crucial for staying relevant. The news feed feature ensures you are always updated on the latest developments.
- Groups: Join professional groups to participate in discussions, share insights, and network with like-minded professionals.
- Value and Benefits: Engaging in groups allows you to connect with professionals who share your interests and expertise, fostering meaningful discussions and potential collaborations.
- Endorsements and Recommendations: Receive endorsements for your skills from connections and request recommendations to enhance your profile.
- Value and Benefits: Endorsements and recommendations build credibility and validate your skills and experiences, making your profile more attractive to potential employers or collaborators.
- Who’s Viewed Your Profile: See the last five people who viewed your profile and gain basic insights into your profile visitors.
- Value and Benefits: Basic insights into profile visitors help you understand who is interested in your professional background, offering opportunities to engage and connect.
It’s no secret that finding a job in the current market can be challenging. That’s where LinkedIn Premium comes in to help you stand out and increase your chances of getting noticed by recruiters and hiring managers. You can also add completed courses to your profile to showcase your skills and dedication to continuous learning.
- Insights into Company Hiring Trends: LinkedIn Premium gives you access to useful data on companies, including growth trends, employee turnover rates, and key players in the organization. This information can help you tailor your job search strategy and target companies that align with your career goals.
- Advanced Search Filters: With LinkedIn Premium, you can use more specific and targeted search filters to find job postings that match your skills and experience. This feature can save you time and effort scrolling through irrelevant job listings.
- Interview Preparation Tools: The Business Plan offers complete access to LinkedIn’s interview preparation toolkit, which includes practice questions and tips from industry experts. This tool can help you polish your interviewing skills and increase your job chances.
- Sales and Business Development Opportunities: LinkedIn Premium also offers a Sales Navigator plan for business professionals looking to expand their networks and generate leads. With this plan, you can access advanced search filters, list-building tools, and InMail credits to connect with potential clients and grow your business.
- Unlock the LinkedIn Premium Badge: A LinkedIn account will improve your standing on the platform and show potential employers you are serious about your professional presence. The little gold icon next to your name might seem like a small detail, but it can make a big difference in how others perceive you on LinkedIn.
- Get Access to Improved Metrics: You can also use LinkedIn Premium to learn more about your competition when applying for jobs. With applicants’ insights, you can see how many people applied for a position, their skills and qualifications, and where you rank among them.
You’ll also gain valuable insights into what your potential employers expect from you and how you can improve your profile to stand out in the job market.
Turn On Open Profile
As a LinkedIn premium member, you can turn on Open Profile, which allows anyone on LinkedIn to message you. You don’t have to be connected to the person.
So, how do you enable Open Profile?
- Click on your profile photo in the top right corner (Labelled Me)
- Go to Access My Premium
- Choose premium profile settings on the top-right
- Toggle the Open Profile setting to ON
You’ll know it’s on when you see a blue Open Profile badge next to your profile picture.
Any recruiter, potential employer, or business connection who sees this badge will know your contact is open, and you can be reached out directly.
Get More Exposure with LinkedIn Job Postings
With LinkedIn Premium, you can also access exclusive job postings unavailable to standard users. These jobs tend to be from top companies and offer better compensation packages. You can use advanced search filters to find these premium job listings and apply directly through LinkedIn. This feature can save you time and effort when searching for the perfect job.
Utilize InMail Credits to Reach Recruiters
InMail credits are available with all LinkedIn Premium plans, allowing you to send messages directly to recruiters and hiring managers. These personalized messages can help you stand out from other applicants and make a strong first impression. You can also use these credits to connect with professionals outside your network and expand your reach.
Take Advantage of Personalized Insights
LinkedIn Premium offers personalized insights based on your profile, job interests, and search history. These insights can help you understand what skills and qualifications are in demand in your desired industry or job market. You can use this information to tailor your profile and improve your chances of getting noticed by recruiters and employers.
Stay Up to Date with Industry Trends
LinkedIn Premium also offers access to LinkedIn Learning, where you can find courses and resources on the latest industry trends. Staying updated on these trends can give you an edge in your job search and make you a more valuable candidate for potential employers.
Where to Get a Free Trial
Every 12 months, LinkedIn offers its users a chance to take advantage of a free one-month trial of LinkedIn Premium. The trial period is an excellent opportunity to test the platform and see if it fits your career goals.
- To access LinkedIn Premium, log into your account and click on the “Me” icon in the top right corner. From there, click on “Settings & Privacy” and then select the “Account Preferences” tab. Under the “Account Preferences” on the left pane.
- Under “Subscription and Payment,” click on the “Change” button next to Premium Subscription. From there, you can choose the plan that best fits your needs and budget.
- Follow the prompts to complete your payment and start enjoying all the benefits of LinkedIn Premium.
Note that you’ll be asked to provide payment information when starting your free trial, but you won’t be charged until the trial period ends. But immediately after the trial period ends, you’ll automatically be charged for the first month of your subscription.
So, if you don’t want to continue with the subscription, be sure to cancel it a day or two before the trial period ends to avoid being charged.
You now know what LinkedIn Premium is, how much it costs, and the benefits it offers. Whether you’re a job seeker looking to get noticed or a business professional looking to expand your network and personal brand, LinkedIn Premium has something to offer.
