In today’s competitive job market, having a strong LinkedIn presence is crucial for career success. LinkedIn Premium offers additional features beyond the free version that can help take your profile to the next level. But is the paid version worth the investment? Let’s take an in-depth look at what LinkedIn Premium offers to see if it really makes a difference.
What Does LinkedIn Premium Provide?
LinkedIn Premium unlocks several useful features not available with a free account. Here are some of the key benefits:
- See Who’s Viewed Your Profile: Premium lets you see full details on who has visited your profile recently, which can help you identify recruiters, hiring managers, and other important connections.
- Advanced Profile Search: Search for profiles using more filters like years of experience, company size, and seniority to find relevant contacts more easily.
- InMail Messages: Send direct messages to anyone on LinkedIn, even if you’re not connected. Great for reaching recruiters or following up after networking.
- Learning Courses: Access over 16,000 professional development courses in subjects like leadership, marketing, software programs, and more.
- Salary Insights: See estimated salary ranges for positions you’re interested in to help negotiate pay during your job search.
There are also some other extras like unlimited profile highlights, expanded network recommendations, and interview prep tools. The higher-tier Premium Career subscription unlocks features like professional resume review and coaching sessions.
What Are the Main Benefits of LinkedIn Premium?
While everything mentioned above can be useful, there are three main advantages that LinkedIn Premium offers to maximize your career opportunities:
1. Finding Relevant Opportunities
Premium gives you additional search filters so you can really hone in on the types of jobs and companies you’re interested in. For example, filtering by years of experience or company size lets you narrow your focus to positions you’re actually qualified for and companies you want to work at.
The advanced searches make it easy to build customized lead lists of potential employers or connections tailored exactly to your preferences. This allows you to be more targeted in networking outreach.
2. Making High-Value Connections
Having more context on who views your profile means you can better prioritize following up with the most relevant people. If you notice recruiters from your target companies checking out your profile, you can proactively reach out to build a relationship.
Premium also lets you send InMail messages directly instead of hoping for a response to a connection request. Being able to directly contact key players improves your chances of making meaningful connections.
3. Showcasing Your Expertise
Premium includes unlimited profile highlights, enabling you to showcase all of your top accomplishments, projects, skills, and experiences upfront. This grabs attention and helps position you as an expert in your field.
You can also take LinkedIn Learning courses in hot skills or software programs and add badges to highlight newly learned abilities. Demonstrating relevant knowledge and expertise boosts your professional brand.
What Do the Statistics Say?
The actual user data also backs up the benefits of upgrading to a Premium account. According to LinkedIn’s 2021 Workforce Confidence Index:
LinkedIn members with Premium were | 2x |
more likely to be contacted by recruiters | |
LinkedIn Premium members had | 40% |
more profile views each month |
Premium users also had up to 80% more job applications compared to free members according to the data. The boost in recruiter outreach and general visibility that comes with the upgraded features clearly makes a measurable difference in opportunities.
Is Premium Worth the Cost?
The Premium Career subscription costs $29.99 per month, while the Premium Business subscription runs $49.99 per month. This isn’t cheap, so is the investment worthwhile?
The data shows clear benefits in terms of visibility and connecting with opportunities. But you can also replicate some results through consistent LinkedIn activity and strategic networking, even with just a free account.
Here are some factors to consider when deciding if Premium makes sense for you:
- Job Search Status – If you are urgently looking for a job, Premium can accelerate the search so the cost balances out.
- Career Stage – Early and mid-career professionals tend to benefit more than well-established senior-level experts.
- Industry – Premium features like InMail have the most impact in competitive fields with lots of recruiting.
- Cost – Monthly plans may be hard to justify for some budgets. But annual subscriptions reduce the monthly cost substantially.
Evaluating your specific situation can determine if the expense seems reasonable for your needs. Taking advantage of a free trial first is recommended.
How Can You Maximize the Value of Premium?
To really capitalize on Premium features, focus on using the key elements of advanced searching, InMail, and Showcase opportunities. Some best practices include:
- Set up targeted search alerts to be notified of new relevant postings.
- Research companies to identify relevant people to reach out to directly.
- Highlight your top accomplishments, projects, and skills upfront.
- Take courses to build expertise and add badges to your profile.
- Export search results and InMail response data to optimize your networking.
Actively using the exclusive tools is essential to maximize your job search or career advancement with Premium access.
Should You Upgrade to LinkedIn Premium?
Here are some final recommendations on when it makes the most sense to upgrade your account:
- If you are in an active job search, Premium can provide a worthwhile boost by increasing your visibility and opportunities.
- Early and mid-career professionals generally gain more value than senior executives with established networks.
- Upgrading for at least one month can help accelerate networking during a job transition or career advancement push.
- Monthly plans provide flexibility if you only need the boost temporarily.
While Premium isn’t essential in all cases, selective use during a job change or when needing increased visibility can prove very impactful. Evaluate your individual needs and career stage to decide if the investment is justified.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Premium unlocks helpful tools for finding relevant jobs and connections while boosting your professional brand – which in turn can tangibly improve your career opportunities. While the monthly cost may seem high, even short-term use of Premium during a job transition or growth period can pay dividends in the long run.
Focus on maximizing the advanced search features, direct InMail messaging, and profile Showcase opportunities to really capitalize on the exclusive benefits included. Evaluate your specific needs and budget constraints to determine if the features justify the expense.