Yes, you can search candidates on LinkedIn for free to a certain extent. LinkedIn offers both free and paid options when it comes to searching for and contacting potential candidates. With a free LinkedIn account, you can search for candidates in the LinkedIn database using basic filters like location, current company, job title, skills, and more. However, your search results and messaging capabilities will be limited compared to premium, paid accounts.
Searching Candidates on LinkedIn with a Free Account
Here are some key things to know about searching for candidates with a free LinkedIn account:
Basic Profile Search
LinkedIn’s basic profile search allows you to search for candidates using keywords, location, current company, job title, school, and other filters. You can search broadly or narrow down your criteria to find more targeted results. With a free account, you’ll be able to see limited profile information on your search results.
See Limited Profile Information
For each candidate that shows up in your search results, you’ll be able to see their photo, name, job title, company, location, and a summary snippet from their profile. You won’t be able to view their full profile or contact information.
Search within Your Network
Your search results will be primarily limited to 2nd and 3rd degree connections within your existing network. You likely won’t see many (if any) candidates outside of your network in the search results.
No InMail Capabilities
With a free account, you cannot directly contact candidates you find through LinkedIn search. The InMail messaging system is only available with premium, paid accounts. However, you can send connection requests to candidates in order to expand your network.
Limited Number of Search Filters
Compared to premium accounts, free LinkedIn accounts have access to fewer search filters when browsing for candidates. You won’t be able to filter by years of experience, specific skills/expertise, company size, seniority level, and other advanced criteria.
No Search Bookmarking
You cannot save or bookmark candidate searches with a free account. Any search criteria and results are temporary – you’ll have to re-enter search filters each time. Paid accounts let you bookmark searches for repeat viewing.
Searching Candidates with a LinkedIn Premium Account
Here are some of the key advantages of searching for candidates with a paid LinkedIn Premium account:
Advanced Profile Search Filters
Premium accounts unlock more filters like years of experience, company size, seniority level, specific skills, qualifications, education, publications, veteran status, and more. You can get very targeted with premium search capabilities.
See Full Candidate Profiles
With a premium account, you can see full profile information on candidates that appear in your search results. This gives you a much more detailed view of their background and qualifications.
Search Outside Your Network
Your search results will include relevant candidates outside of your existing network, greatly expanding your options. You aren’t limited only to 2nd and 3rd degree connections.
Save Unlimited Searches
Premium allows you to bookmark searches to re-visit. You can save as many tailored searches as you need based on different criteria, keywords, locations, etc.
Direct Messaging via InMail
You can directly contact relevant candidates by sending them InMail messages. This facilitates outreach and recruitment.
See Full Candidate Contact Info
Based on their profile settings, you may be able to see candidates’ full contact information including email address and phone number. This allows you to reach out via other channels.
Request Candidate Contact Info
If you can’t see a candidate’s full contact info, you can send them an invite to share it with you directly. This facilitates further communication outside of LinkedIn.
Send InMail to anyone
Even if someone isn’t in your network already, you can send them an InMail to introduce yourself and begin a dialogue. Great for making first contact with relevant prospects.
LinkedIn Premium Search Options
LinkedIn offers several premium packages that enable advanced candidate search capabilities and messaging. Here is an overview:
LinkedIn Premium Career
– Costs $29.99/month
– Lets you search outside your network
– Gives unlimited InMail messages
– Provides profile customization tools
LinkedIn Premium Business
– Costs $59.99/month
– Everything in Premium Career plus:
– More search filters like years experience, education, skills
– Lets you save up to 25 searches
– Advanced analytics on your posts/articles
– Expanded InMail address lookups
LinkedIn Premium Sales
– Costs $79.99/month
– Everything in Premium Business plus:
– Lets you save up to 500 searches
– See how you rank against other sales professionals
– Contact info for anyone who views your profile
– Team Link tool for sharing posts
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
– Costs $119.95/month
– Specifically designed for corporate recruiting
– Advanced Boolean search operators
– Filter by interview questions, assessments, video responses
– Team collaboration and talent pooling tools
– Interview scheduling assistance
– Analytics on hiring funnel performance
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate
– Custom pricing based on headcount
– For larger corporate recruiting teams
– Includes everything in Recruiter Lite plus:
– Pipeline analytics by hiring stage
– Customized candidate report cards
– Automated candidate alerts and nudges
– Recruitment automation tools
– Expanded team collab features
– Premium support and onboarding
Comparison of Free vs. Premium LinkedIn Search
Feature | Free Account | Premium Account |
---|---|---|
Search filters | Limited filters | Advanced filters like years of experience, skills, education, etc. |
View profiles | See limited profile info | See full, detailed profiles |
Search network | Only 2nd + 3rd connections | Search outside your network |
Save searches | No search saving | Bookmark unlimited searches |
Contact candidates | No InMail capabilities | Direct InMail messaging |
Candidate info | No contact details | May show contact info |
Key Takeaways
- Free LinkedIn accounts can search candidates using limited filters and network reach
- Premium unlocks more search criteria, full profiles, expanded network, and InMail
- Premium Business offers robust search and recruiting features for $59.99/month
- Recruiter packages have advanced tools optimized for corporate recruiting
- Premium search allows more targeted outreach to qualified candidates
Pros and Cons of LinkedIn Premium
Pros
- Advanced search filters help find qualified candidates
- Viewing full profiles provides more insight on candidates
- InMail facilitates direct outreach to prospects outside your network
- Bookmarking searches saves time researching prospects
- May provide contact info to reach out via email/phone
Cons
- Premium accounts cost money monthly or annually
- Reaching out to strangers via InMail can have low response rates
- Candidate contact info may still be missing or outdated
- Advanced filters can yield an overwhelming volume of prospects
- Still need a recruitment strategy for converting candidates
Tips for Using LinkedIn to Source Candidates
Here are some best practices for leveraging LinkedIn to search for and source qualified candidates:
Craft Targeted Search Strings
Use relevant keywords, job titles, skills, companies, locations, and filters to pinpoint prospects. Avoid vague searches that yield thousands of results.
Personalize InMail Outreach
When messaging candidates directly, customize the message with specifics about their background and why they’re a great fit. Avoid generic outreach.
Highlight Opportunity
Emphasize the career growth, impact, compensation, benefits, and other upside of the role. Communicate the value proposition.
Build Your Talent Network
Connect with passive prospects before you have an opening so you have a pipeline of candidates ready to go.
Watch for Profile Changes
Monitor your bookmark searches for new prospects and people changing jobs/titles who may be open to new opportunities.
Expand Beyond LinkedIn
Once in contact, engage candidates on other channels like email, phone calls, and video chats to further advance discussions.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn’s free account provides some basic candidate search capabilities, the advanced features and messaging tools included in their Premium packages enable much more powerful prospecting, outreach, and recruitment. For companies and recruiters looking to tap into LinkedIn’s 750+ million members, the premium search, filtering, and communication capabilities offer a robust set of sourcing tools – albeit for a monthly or annual fee. Carefully crafting searches, personalizing outreach, monitoring for new prospects, and expanding beyond LinkedIn are key to leveraging their platform to uncover and attract great talent.