In today’s job market, having an online presence and using the right job search platforms are crucial for finding employment opportunities. Indeed and LinkedIn are two of the most popular sites used by job seekers and employers in Canada. But which platform is better for finding and applying to jobs?
Popularity
When looking at popularity in Canada, Indeed has the edge over LinkedIn. Indeed is the most visited job site in Canada with over 27 million unique visitors per month. LinkedIn has around 14 million members in Canada, but many of those members are not active job seekers. Indeed also indexes job postings from many sources including company career sites, other job boards, and listings on LinkedIn. This gives job seekers access to a wider range of job opportunities in one place.
Job Listings
Both sites have millions of job listings for Canadian job seekers. However, Indeed has significantly more job postings than LinkedIn. Indeed claims to have over 1.5 million job postings on its Canadian site at any given time compared to around 530,000 active job listings on LinkedIn for Canada. The larger volume of listings on Indeed means more potential opportunities for job seekers.
Platform | Job Listings in Canada |
---|---|
Indeed | Over 1.5 million |
Around 530,000 |
Search and Filtering
Indeed and LinkedIn both allow you to search for jobs by keyword, location, company and other criteria. However, Indeed offers more filters and options to customize your job search. Some key filters unique to Indeed include salary range, job type (full-time, part-time, etc), date posted and more. LinkedIn has fewer search filters, but does allow filtering by date posted, company and location. Overall, Indeed provides more search refinement options.
Job Applications
Applying for jobs is fairly straightforward on both platforms. You can apply directly on both Indeed and LinkedIn for many postings. However, one advantage of LinkedIn is the ability to use your existing profile. On Indeed you need to create a resume profile from scratch or upload your resume. Leveraging your LinkedIn profile can save time spent applying. But Indeed also gives you the option to simplify applications by creating a resume profile once that can be used to apply to multiple jobs.
Job Alerts
Both Indeed and LinkedIn allow you to set up automated job alerts based on keywords and filters. These alerts will proactively notify you by email when new matching jobs are posted. Indeed also offers text message alerts. LinkedIn allows creating slightly more customized alerts focused on new jobs from your connections and groups. But overall both platforms provide useful alerts to stay on top of the latest job postings.
Salary Information
Having access to salary data for positions can be very helpful when evaluating job opportunities. While LinkedIn displays some salary ranges in job postings, Indeed provides more extensive salary information. The IndeedSalary search tool allows you to research average salaries for specific job titles, filters by location, company size and more. This gives job seekers valuable insights for salary negotiations.
Remote Jobs
With remote and hybrid work becoming more popular, the ability to search for location flexible job listings is important. Both Indeed and LinkedIn allow you to specifically search for remote jobs. However, Indeed tends to have significantly more remote job postings. It offers remote job filters as well as listing the location type (remote, hybrid, in-office) on job postings. So Indeed provides better access to remote work opportunities.
Job Seeker Resources
In addition to job listings, Indeed provides extensive resources for job seekers such as resume examples, interview tips and virtual mock interviews. LinkedIn offers some guidance primarily focused on creating a strong profile and networking. But Indeed has more resources directly focused on the job search process and getting hired.
Employer Branding
While Indeed may have more job listings, LinkedIn offers better employer branding opportunities. Companies can create LinkedIn Company Pages with detailed information about their organization, culture and open positions. Job seekers can get a good feel for a company’s brand through their page and employee profiles. Indeed has more limited organization pages.
Networking
One of the biggest advantages of LinkedIn is the ability to leverage your professional network during your job search. You can connect directly with contacts at companies you are interested in. LinkedIn also shows you which of your connections work at organizations with open positions. Networking through LinkedIn can provide an edge in accessing unposted opportunities. Indeed focuses only on applying for posted job listings.
User Experience
From a user experience standpoint, Indeed’s website and mobile app tend to provide better experiences compared to LinkedIn. Indeed’s interface is clean, intuitive and easy to navigate. Searching for jobs and filtering is seamless. LinkedIn’s job board can sometimes feel cluttered and chaotic with ads and irrelevant content mixed in.
Cost
One of the best aspects of Indeed for job seekers is that it is entirely free to use. You can search, apply and get job alerts without paying anything. LinkedIn offers free basic access to job listings. But upgraded subscriptions provide additional benefits like seeing who has viewed your profile. Indeed is the more affordable option.
Platform | Cost for Job Seekers |
---|---|
Indeed | Free |
LinkedIn Premium Career | $29.99/month |
Conclusion
When looking specifically at the job search experience for applicants, Indeed tends to come out on top over LinkedIn in Canada. Key advantages of Indeed include the higher number of listings, robust search and filtering, extensive job seeker resources and entirely free access. LinkedIn’s network focus can still provide value. But those looking primarily to apply for open job postings will likely find more success and opportunities on Indeed. With its vast selection of postings, powerful search tools and additional resources, Indeed is the better platform for the average Canadian job seeker.