What does LinkedIn recruiter Lite include?

LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is LinkedIn’s entry-level recruitment solution designed for small businesses and startups. It provides access to LinkedIn’s database of over 740 million members along with basic recruiting tools to find, connect with and manage qualified candidates.

Some key features included in LinkedIn Recruiter Lite are:

Search LinkedIn’s extensive database

Recruiter Lite lets you search LinkedIn’s full member database using criteria like location, education, skills, company and more. This gives you access to an extensive talent pool beyond just your 1st-degree connections.

Save and manage candidates

As you identify promising candidates, you can save them to a project in Recruiter Lite to easily keep track of them later. This allows you to stay organized as your search expands.

Make warm introductions

Instead of sending cold connection requests, Recruiter Lite shows you any shared connections you have with a candidate. This allows you to make personalized introduction requests leveraging your mutual connections.

Track candidate progress

You can track the status of pending invitations and where candidates are at in your recruitment process. This insight helps you follow up at the right times during their application.

View linked profiles

See all the public LinkedIn profiles associated with any email address. This gives you a more complete view of a candidate’s professional history and qualifications.

Send InMail messages

Recruiter Lite includes a limited number of InMail messages per month. InMail lets you directly contact LinkedIn members who are not already connected to you.

Post jobs

You can post job openings directly on LinkedIn with Recruiter Lite. This helps attract relevant candidates who are actively searching for new job opportunities.

Comparing Recruiter Lite vs. Premium plans

While Recruiter Lite provides a basic set of tools for finding and contacting candidates on LinkedIn, the Premium versions offer more advanced recruiting capabilities.

Here is an overview comparing Recruiter Lite vs. Recruiter Premium features:

As you can see, Recruiter Premium unlocks more robust tools like Boolean search, pipeline management, custom branding, and ATS/CRM integrations. It also removes limits on things like InMail messages.

This expanded functionality comes at a higher price point intended for companies doing high volume recruiting. Recruiter Lite offers solid capabilities for startups and small teams at a more affordable cost.

Who is Recruiter Lite designed for?

LinkedIn positions Recruiter Lite as an entry-level tool optimized for the following types of organizations and use cases:

Startups and small companies

For early-stage startups and small businesses doing minimal hiring, Recruiter Lite provides an affordable way to leverage LinkedIn for recruiting versus paying for more expensive solutions. The limited InMails and lack of pipeline management make it better suited for smaller scale recruiting.

Single seat users

Recruiter Lite is designed for individual recruiters who will be the sole person using the tool. The Premium versions support multiple seats and collaboration across recruiters and hiring managers.

Sourcing candidates

Recruiter Lite provides robust tools for candidate sourcing and discovery. You can search LinkedIn’s full database and organize top prospects. It’s focused primarily on the upfront sourcing phase versus later hiring stages.

Testing LinkedIn Recruiting

The lower price point of Recruiter Lite allows you to pilot test LinkedIn Recruiting in your organization before committing to a more expensive package. You can validate the value before upgrading.

Only occasional recruiting

If your hiring needs are infrequent or seasonal, a full Premium subscription may be overkill. Recruiter Lite allows you to use LinkedIn’s recruiting capabilities on-demand without an ongoing large investment.

How much does LinkedIn Recruiter Lite cost?

Here are the current Recruiter Lite pricing options:

Monthly subscription

– $99 per month
– Month-to-month contract
– Cancel anytime

Annual subscription

– $980 per year
– 12 month upfront contract
– 16% discount vs. monthly pricing

Considering the monthly plan, Recruiter Lite costs significantly less than the Premium version which starts at $239.95 per month for a Talent Professional membership.

For early-stage companies, Recruiter Lite provides a way to tap into LinkedIn recruiting capabilities at a fraction of the investment.

Pros and cons

Here are some key advantages and limitations to weigh with LinkedIn Recruiter Lite:

Pros

– Low cost monthly subscriptions or discounted annual pricing
– Provides access to LinkedIn’s extensive database of candidates
– Allows you to tap into your network of connections
– Simple tools for organizing and managing candidates
– Entry-level solution good for startups and small teams

Cons

– Very limited InMail messages per month
– Lacks robust pipeline management features
– Designed for single seat use, not larger teams
– Missing advanced recruiting features like Boolean search
– Focused primarily on sourcing, not later stage hiring

Conclusion

LinkedIn Recruiter Lite offers a scaled-down set of recruiting features at attractive pricing for startups and smaller companies.

It provides access to LinkedIn’s expansive network of members and basic tools to source, connect with and manage candidates. While it lacks some advanced capabilities, it’s a cost-effective way for early-stage teams to begin leveraging LinkedIn for recruiting.

The limited InMails and single seat design make Recruiter Lite better suited for exploratory sourcing versus end-to-end hiring processes. But it can be a good entry point before upgrading to the more robust Premium packages as your recruiting needs grow.

For anyone looking to tap into LinkedIn on a budget, Recruiter Lite is worth considering as a way to get started with their recruiting solutions. The affordable monthly or annual plans allow you to pilot LinkedIn Recruiting in your organization before committing to a higher tier.