Understanding how to land your resume in the right inbox is key, especially when hunting for jobs in today’s highly-digitized career environment. Expanding your network through platforms like LinkedIn, the world’s most popular professional social media site, is a critical component of your career campaign. LinkedIn offers an exceptional return on investment by allowing you to make strategic use of their free, standard profile features so you can capture job leads and the attention of potential employers.
Candidates who are already established on LinkedIn often experience a number of opportunities to “upgrade” to LinkedIn Premium, a subscription-based monetization option for what is otherwise a free resource. As a job seeker with what are likely time-sensitive career goals, you may find yourself wondering whether or not a LinkedIn Premium account translates to better job search success. After all, if a small monthly fee helps land a better-paying, better-aligned job, isn’t upgrading to LinkedIn Premium a no-brainer?
Maybe – but maybe not. Before taking the leap into a LinkedIn premium account, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the platform’s premium features, add-ons, and bonuses. Some of these features may passively amplify your job search efforts, while others might not align with what you need and want as a job seeker. It pays to learn the ins and outs of LinkedIn Premium before signing up so you can make a confident, well-informed decision that positively impacts your career search goals.
What is LinkedIn Premium?
LinkedIn offers a variety of premium account options specifically targeted to independent audiences, including LinkedIn Premium Career, LinkedIn Premium Business, Sales Core Navigator, and Recruiter Lite. LinkedIn Premium Career, the job seeker’s premium account option, allows users to expand on standard platform functionality with enhanced tools, insights, and resources.
LinkedIn Premium Career Features
1. Applicant Insights – Data that claims to provide a competitive edge when applying for jobs through LinkedIn, including:
- A list of the fastest-growing potential employers in your industry
- An assigned percentage-based rank that indicates how well your profile stacks up against other applicants and allows you to apply to jobs as a Featured and/or Top Applicant
- The ability to view a job posting’s salary details and filter jobs according to salary
- Details about the experience and education levels of other applicants
- The number of current applicants for a job you’re viewing
- A list of skills you share with other applicants
- The top skills other applicants hold for a specific job posting
2. Who’s Viewed Your Profile – Receive instant access to a list of people who’ve viewed your profile in the last 90 days.
3. On-Demand Learning – Online video courses that allow you to add skills certificates to your profile for a variety of topics, including:
- Software like Adobe, QuickBooks, and Excel
- Job skills like interview tips, time management, and communication
- Industry-specific skills like teaching online, virtual talent acquisition, and sales
- Pro Tip: LinkedIn offers free sample courses to help determine whether On-Demand Learning is the right fit for you – check them out here.
4. InMail – The ability to directly message LinkedIn members that aren’t already a part of your network, including potential employers, recruiters, and hiring managers. LinkedIn Premium Career members are allotted 5 outgoing InMail messages a month, with the option to accrue up to 15 outgoing InMail messages over time.
LinkedIn Premium Cost
Interestingly, LinkedIn does not publish their premium account monthly costs anywhere on their website, help forums, or official platform articles. Instead, they push users to either attend a live webinar to learn more about premium options or sign up for a free one-month subscription and trial period. According to outside sources, a LinkedIn Premium Career account costs $29.99 per month following the free 1-month trial period.
Is LinkedIn Premium Right for You?
How do you know if LinkedIn Premium is the right fit for your career search? The answer depends entirely on your professional goals, budget, social networking skills, and personal preferences. Before opening your wallet and jumping down the LinkedIn Premium rabbit hole, consider the following:
- Does knowing who viewed your profile give you a competitive edge in the job market?
- Are you currently maximizing your free/standard LinkedIn features?
- Does your LinkedIn profile accurately and professionally capture your potential, experience, and accomplishments?
- Are your ideal employers present on LinkedIn and regularly posting jobs, communicating with their network, and engaging with their connections?
- Does the (not-so-transparent) cost of LinkedIn Premium justify the effort, time, and energy you’ll need to capitalize on premium features?
- Do you find it easy to engage and “cold contact” potential employers using online channels and modes of communication?
- Does your local library or career mentor host free courses that mimic LinkedIn Premium learning courses?
- Does understanding your competition give you a leg-up in terms of noticeability?
Your comfort level with online networking, ability to professionally represent yourself using LinkedIn’s features, and budget in terms of both time and money greatly impact whether or not LinkedIn Premium is a good fit for your career campaign. Take a good, hard look at where your LinkedIn profile currently sits and ask yourself if paying for additional features will truly open you up to more opportunities, or if a few tweaks to LinkedIn’s standard, free features might be all your job search efforts really need.
Looking to make the most of your LinkedIn profile without paying a monthly LinkedIn Premium subscription fee? Zoetic Resume and Writing Services now offers LinkedIn Professional Profile Coaching. We’ll meet virtually for a one-hour coaching session to walk through your goals, talk strategy, and identify ways to help you stand out among other LinkedIn applicants – no premium account needed! I’ll offer individualized feedback about your profile, logistics, and network so you can maximize your time on the platform and reach the greatest number of aligned potential employers in your target industry. Connect with me here to learn more about LinkedIn Professional Profile Coaching or to chat about my resume, cover letter, or career search package services.