LinkedIn premium career subscription is a paid subscription plan offered by LinkedIn that provides users with additional features and benefits beyond the free LinkedIn account. It aims to help users advance their careers by giving them tools to build their professional brand, connect with recruiters and hiring managers, develop in-demand skills, and get insights into their industry and career path.
Overview of LinkedIn Premium Career
LinkedIn premium career subscription comes with three pricing tiers – Basic, Plus and Premium. Each tier builds on the features of the previous one and offers more advanced capabilities. Here is an overview of what is included in each tier:
Plan | Price per month | Main Features |
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Basic | $29.99 |
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Plus | $59.99 |
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Premium | $79.99 |
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Key Features of LinkedIn Premium Career
Some of the most valuable features that come with LinkedIn premium career subscription include:
- Profile branding and visibility – Make your profile stand out with features like profile highlighting and visibility badges to get noticed by recruiters.
- InMail messages – Directly contact recruiters and hiring managers even if you’re not connected.
- Job insights – See detailed information on salaries, required skills, and employee demographics for certain roles and companies.
- Skills assessments – Validate your skills by taking standardized assessments.
- LinkedIn Learning – Access over 15,000 expert-led courses to build in-demand business, technology and creative skills.
- Interview preparation – Get tips on preparing for interviews and use mock interviews to practice.
Benefits of LinkedIn Premium Career
Here are some of the main benefits that LinkedIn premium career subscription provides:
Boost Your Professional Branding
LinkedIn premium allows you to showcase your professional brand to its full potential. Features like profile highlighting help your profile stand out so you can get discovered by more recruiters. You can also display badges like “Open to Work” that advertise your job search status. Premium also lets you see more profile views and who is viewing your profile the most.
Expand Your Network
With premium, you can directly message recruiters, hiring managers, and other professionals even without a connection. This expands your network and allows you to tap into new opportunities. The additional InMail messages let you pitch yourself for open roles and make meaningful connections.
Conduct Advanced Search
Premium unlocks powerful filters that let you drill down into your search results when looking for jobs or people. You can search by company, title, location, skills, and more. Advanced search gives you an edge in finding the right jobs and contacts.
Gain Industry Insights
Premium provides exclusive access to detailed insights into salaries, employee demographics, required skills, and competing companies for certain roles and organizations. This can help you benchmark yourself against industry standards.
Develop In-Demand Skills
The included access to LinkedIn Learning gives you thousands of expert-led courses covering business, creative, and technical skills. This can help you gain new skills to make your profile more attractive to employers.
Ace Your Interview Preparation
Premium provides tips from LinkedIn’s career experts to help you prepare for upcoming interviews. You can also practice with mock interviews. This ensures you walk into every interview confident and ready to succeed.
Who Can Benefit from LinkedIn Premium Career?
Here are some of the profiles who can get the most value from a LinkedIn premium career subscription:
Job Seekers
For job seekers, premium can be a game changer in getting noticed and connecting with the right people. The visibility and search features help you put your best foot forward in the competitive job market.
Career Changers
If you are looking to switch careers or industries, premium provides the tools to remake your branding, learn new skills, and network into a new field. Advanced search also lets you pinpoint the right openings.
Recent Graduates
For recent graduates entering the workforce, premium can help build the professional brand and connections that lead to that first job after college. The skills courses also provide crucial learning.
Freelancers/Consultants
For independent professionals, premium facilitates networking and finding work opportunities. InMail messages let you pitch clients, while Learning helps pick up skills to make you more marketable.
Small Business Owners
From networking to learning marketing skills, premium can help entrepreneurs grow their business. Insights on competitors are also valuable for small business owners.
Is LinkedIn Premium Career Worth It?
Whether LinkedIn premium career is worth the investment depends on your specific needs and career stage. Here are some factors to help decide if it’s worthwhile for you:
Your Job Search Activity Level
If you are actively searching and applying to many jobs, premium can accelerate your search. But if you are passively looking, the free account may be sufficient.
Desire for an Edge in Job Market
Premium can help your profile stand out and get discovered faster. If you want that visibility edge, premium is likely worth it.
Need for Ongoing Learning
To continue developing new skills, premium provides invaluable access to LinkedIn Learning courses. This makes it worthwhile for lifelong learners.
Level of Networking Ambition
For extensive networking, premium unlocks the tools to connect with many more professionals. But more limited networking needs may not require premium.
Tight Job Market in Your Industry
In competitive industries, premium provides an advantage to get noticed and connect with key players. Less competitive fields may not require those features.
Cost and Budget
Premium runs from $30-$80 per month, so the cost may be prohibitive depending on your budget. But short-term premium access can provide job search boost.
LinkedIn Premium Career: Pros and Cons
Here is a summary of some of the key advantages and potential drawbacks of LinkedIn premium career subscription:
Pros
- Enhanced profile branding and visibility
- Ability to contact more professionals
- Valuable search filters and insights
- Access to LinkedIn Learning skills courses
- Tools to ace interview preparation
- Higher chance of getting noticed and recruited
Cons
- Requires monthly or annual payment
- Higher tiers can be expensive
- Must be proactive to take advantage of features
- Job seekers may only need short-term access
- Many key features are also available for free
Conclusion
A LinkedIn premium career subscription provides job seekers, professionals, and businesses with powerful features to stand out, network, gain insights, and develop skills. For active job seekers and networkers, the benefits are likely to be well worth the monthly price. But more passive users may not need or use all the advanced capabilities often enough to justify the cost. Ultimately, LinkedIn premium career can deliver a real boost, but the free account still offers core utility for many professionals. Evaluating your specific needs and budget can help determine if upgrading to premium is the right choice to achieve your career goals.