LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 722 million users worldwide. It is an invaluable platform for making connections, building your professional brand, and furthering your career. One of the key features of LinkedIn is its robust recruiting and job seeking tools. LinkedIn offers several tiers of recruiter accounts to meet the hiring needs of different organizations. However, there has been some confusion around whether one of those tiers, LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, is still available. This article will provide a quick look at LinkedIn’s recruiter account options and clarify if Recruiter Lite can still be purchased.
Overview of LinkedIn’s Recruiter Accounts
LinkedIn offers three levels of paid recruiter accounts:
- LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
- LinkedIn Recruiter
- LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate
These accounts provide varying levels of access to LinkedIn’s recruiting features and candidate database. Here is a brief overview of what each tier offers:
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is LinkedIn’s basic recruiter account. Key features of Recruiter Lite include:
- See who has viewed or applied to your jobs postings
- Filter and search LinkedIn profiles using basic criteria
- Send InMail messages to reach candidates outside your network
- Post jobs to LinkedIn to reach qualified candidates
Recruiter Lite is ideal for small companies or teams with limited hiring needs.
LinkedIn Recruiter
LinkedIn Recruiter is the standard recruiter account. It has all the features of Recruiter Lite plus additional capabilities like:
- Search LinkedIn profiles with advanced filters and criteria
- Get visibility into candidates recommended by LinkedIn’s matching algorithms
- Send customized InMail messages to multiple prospects at once
- Compare and prioritize candidates
- Track application sources and status
Recruiter is designed for professional recruiters or HR staff managing all hiring for a company.
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate is LinkedIn’s most robust recruiting solution. It gives enterprise teams access to features like:
- A dashboard to manage all hiring activity
- Tools to create a unified multi-stage hiring workflow
- Insights through advanced analytics on hiring funnel and sourcing
- Integration with applicant tracking systems (ATS)
- Compliance tools
Recruiter Corporate works for global enterprises that need to coordinate complex hiring across multiple locations and business units.
Is LinkedIn Recruiter Lite Still Available?
Now that we’ve reviewed the lineup of LinkedIn’s recruiter accounts, let’s get to the key question – can you still purchase a Recruiter Lite account?
The short answer is no. LinkedIn has removed the option to purchase Recruiter Lite as a standalone product.
Here are some key points on the status of Recruiter Lite:
- As of 2018, LinkedIn stopped allowing new Recruiter Lite accounts to be created. Existing Lite accounts could renew but no new ones could be opened.
- In 2020, LinkedIn stopped offering renewals of Recruiter Lite accounts. All active Recruiter Lite contracts were terminated.
- Currently, the only way to access some Recruiter Lite features is by upgrading to a full Recruiter account.
- LinkedIn has recommended that past Recruiter Lite users upgrade to Recruiter to avoid disruption in their recruiting efforts on LinkedIn.
So in summary – Recruiter Lite is no longer an active product. You can’t purchase or renew this entry-level account. You must upgrade to Recruiter or Corporate to leverage LinkedIn for recruiting.
Why Did LinkedIn Retire Recruiter Lite?
LinkedIn has not officially commented on why Recruiter Lite was discontinued. But it seems the product no longer aligned with LinkedIn’s overall revenue strategy. Here are some likely reasons Recruiter Lite was retired:
- Push users to premium tiers – By eliminating the low-cost Lite tier, LinkedIn forces small businesses and teams to pay and commit for Recruiter or Corporate.
- Focus on enterprise – LinkedIn is heavily promoting Recruiter Corporate as their premium product. They are targeting large enterprises with multi-seat packages.
- Drive more revenue per customer – Lite accounts have minimal monthly fees. By pushing users to higher tiers, LinkedIn increases potential revenue per recruiter account.
While the discontinuation of Recruiter Lite limits options for smaller, budget-conscious recruiters, it makes sense from LinkedIn’s business perspective. Their goal is to maximize revenue from their recruiting solutions.
Alternatives to LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
For recruiters and small businesses that previously relied on Recruiter Lite for hiring, all is not lost. Here are some alternative options to consider:
Upgrade to LinkedIn Recruiter
The obvious choice is to upgrade to a full Recruiter account. This will provide ongoing access to LinkedIn’s candidate database and hiring tools. While more costly than the discontinued Lite, Recruiter provides far more capabilities. For serious recruiters making several hires per month, the investment can be justified.
Use LinkedIn’s Free Tools
While limited compared to Recruiter, LinkedIn does offer some free recruiting features accessible to all members, including:
- Posting jobs for free to LinkedIn Jobs (though reach is limited)
- Using saved searches and alerts to identify candidates
- Filtering profiles by criteria like current company, education, location and skills
- Sending InMail messages (limited number each month)
For recruiters with light hiring needs, creatively using LinkedIn’s free toolkit may provide enough functionality.
Try Another Recruiting Site
Although no professional network rivals LinkedIn, some viable alternatives for recruiters are:
- Facebook Jobs – Freely post jobs and search profiles
- Indeed – Post jobs and source candidates from Indeed resume database
- AngelList – Specialized for recruiting technical roles
- HireArt – Candidate screening and skill testing
Each has pros and cons compared to LinkedIn Recruiter but may warrant consideration.
Use an Applicant Tracking System
Many small recruiters rely on applicant tracking systems (ATS) like:
- Workable
- Greenhouse
- Lever
- Jobvite
These provide candidate sourcing, tracking, screening and communication. When combined with job boards, an ATS may replace the need for a LinkedIn recruiter account.
The Future of LinkedIn Recruiting
While the discontinuation of Recruiter Lite closes off LinkedIn’s most affordable recruiting option, the platform itself remains an invaluable tool for recruiters. Here are a few ways we can expect LinkedIn recruiting capabilities to evolve:
- More AI integration – Expect LinkedIn’s algorithms to get better at automated matching of candidates to jobs and proactively recommending relevant prospects.
- Profile enhancements – Additional profile features like skills assessments, video introductions, and integration of work samples will add richness.
- Larger candidate pool – International growth especially in India and Latin America will significantly expand LinkedIn’s member base.
- Enhanced integrations – Tighter integration with leading ATS systems and HR platforms will reduce friction.
- Enterprise focus – Corporate and Recruiter will continue to be the primary products with enhancing pricing models and packages.
The ability for any professional recruiter to tap into LinkedIn’s expansive network of over 722 million members maintains the platform’s status as a go-to recruiting solution.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite offered an affordable entry point to LinkedIn’s recruiting capabilities. However, it was retired in 2020 as LinkedIn shifted focus to its higher tier offerings. For budget-conscious recruiters and small businesses, viable alternatives exist using free LinkedIn tools, other sites, or applicant tracking systems. But for more robust features and access to LinkedIn’s unmatched candidate database, upgrading to Recruiter or Corporate is recommended. LinkedIn’s developer team will continue enhancing the recruiter tools and platform. So the end of Recruiter Lite does not signal the end of LinkedIn as a top recruitment resource.