With over 740 million members worldwide, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and an invaluable tool for job seekers. LinkedIn allows you to build your professional profile, connect with other professionals, search and apply for jobs, join industry groups, follow companies, and more. But to access all of LinkedIn’s features, you need to sign up for one of their paid subscription plans.
LinkedIn offers three paid plans for individual members – Premium Career, Premium Business, and Sales Navigator. All three plans provide additional tools and insights compared to the free basic account. But which one is right for you as a job seeker? This comprehensive guide examines the key differences between the LinkedIn paid plans and reviews the pros and cons of each option specifically for job hunting purposes.
LinkedIn Free Account Overview
Before diving into the paid plans, let’s do a quick overview of what you get with a free basic LinkedIn account:
- Create a profile summarizing work history, education, skills, etc.
- Connect with other members
- Perform basic profile searches
- Join groups and follow companies
- See basic profile views and connection statistics
- Send and receive messages
- Get daily digest email with news and profile updates
- Post articles, photos, links, etc. and comment on posts
- List skills and get endorsements from connections
- Follow hashtags and see trending topics
The free account gives you access to LinkedIn’s core social networking and profile features. But for job seekers, having a free account significantly limits your ability to find and apply for jobs or promote yourself to recruiters and hiring managers.
Premium Career Overview
Premium Career is LinkedIn’s mid-tier paid plan designed specifically for job seekers and professionals looking to advance their careers. Here are the key features you get with Premium Career:
- Profile highlighting – Your profile gets prioritized in search results and “Open to” filters
- InMail credits – Send direct messages to anyone, even if they’re not connected
- Resume assessment – Get feedback on your resume from LinkedIn’s AI system
- Salary data – See salary ranges for different positions
- Skills assessments – Take short quizzes to validate your skills
- Interview preparation – Get tips and practice common interview questions
- Job search filters – Filter and save advanced job searches
- Job applications – Apply for jobs straight from LinkedIn
- Profile badges – Display credentials and achievements
The features above focus specifically on making you more discoverable, helping you stand out to recruiters, increasing your chances of getting hired, and streamlining the job application process. Premium Career starts at $29.99 per month for a 12-month plan ($359.88 if paying monthly).
Premium Business Overview
Premium Business is LinkedIn’s offering for sales professionals and marketers. Here are some of the main features:
- InMail credits – Same as Premium Career
- Profile visibility – Same as Premium Career
- Expanded network – Grow network with unlimited LinkedIn profile searches
- Lead generation – Get contact info for everyone who viewed your profile
- Company targeting – Target ads by company attributes like industry, size, etc.
- Message tracking – See when your InMail messages were opened
- Premium profile badges – Same as Premium Career
While Premium Business can assist with networking, the features are more catered towards sales lead generation and recruiting. Premium Business starts at $64.99 per month with an annual plan ($779.88 if paying monthly).
Sales Navigator Overview
Sales Navigator is LinkedIn’s flagship product for sales professionals. Here are some highlights:
- Lead recommendations – Get recommendations for leads based on your search criteria
- Advanced search filters – Filter searches by job title, company, location, and more
- Saved lead lists – Save and organize all your prospects
- Contact insights – Get alerts when your saved leads change jobs or companies
- TeamLink – Collaborate on leads with colleagues
- PointDrive – Share engaging presentations right within LinkedIn messages
Sales Navigator focuses heavily on lead generation, prospecting, pipeline management, and sales enablement features. Plans start at $79.99 per month billed annually ($899.88 if paying monthly).
Comparing LinkedIn Plans for Job Seekers
Now that we’ve seen an overview of what’s included with each type of paid LinkedIn plan, let’s directly compare them based on the most important criteria for job seekers and career builders.
Job Search Features
For finding and applying to open positions, Premium Career is the clear winner. Here is a comparison of the key job search features:
| Feature | Premium Career | Premium Business | Sales Navigator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job search filters | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Apply with LinkedIn profile | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| “Open To” profile highlighting | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Job search alerts | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Premium Career gives you advanced Boolean search operators, lets you quickly apply to jobs while highlighting relevant parts of your profile, and keeps you updated on new openings. The other plans lack these critical tools for discovering and landing your next position.
Networking & Personal Branding Features
For expanding your connections and promoting yourself to recruiters, Premium Career again stands out as the winner:
| Feature | Premium Career | Premium Business | Sales Navigator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile views by recruiters | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| InMail messages | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Expanded network searches | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Profile highlighting for recruiters | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
With Premium Career, recruiters see you more prominently in searches. And you can directly reach out to new connections and hiring managers with personalized InMail messages. Premium Business and Sales Navigator plans do enable broader search and visibility, but lack the prioritization for recruiters.
Resume & Interview Prep
For building your resume, practicing interviews, and showcasing your skills, Premium Career has exactly what job seekers need:
| Feature | Premium Career | Premium Business | Sales Navigator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resume assessment | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Interview practice | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Skills assessments | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Premium Career is the only plan that offers automated expert feedback on your resume, lets you practice for interviews, and allows you to validate your skills with assessments.
Salary Data
Knowing typical salary ranges for the roles you are applying to is extremely valuable in job negotiations. Once again, Premium Career excels here:
| Feature | Premium Career | Premium Business | Sales Navigator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salary data | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Premium Career is the only individual plan that provides salary insights directly within job listings, so you can benchmark pay for open opportunities.
Summary: Premium Career is Best for Job Seeking
Based on our in-depth look at LinkedIn’s paid plans, Premium Career stands out as offering the greatest value for job hunters and career builders. Here’s a quick recap of why it comes out on top:
- Advanced job search filters and alerts
- Easy apply to jobs with profile highlighting
- InMail for networking and contacting recruiters/hiring managers
- Resume feedback and interview prep tools
- Salary data to benchmark pay
- Most affordable professional plan starting at $29.99 per month
Premium Business and Sales Navigator focus heavily on prospecting, lead generation, and sales enablement. While the expanded searches and visibility can aid networking, the lack of job hunting features makes them less ideal plans for career advancement.
By leveraging everything Premium Career has to offer, you’ll be able to supercharge your job search and stand out from other applicants. LinkedIn provides the tools – it’s up to you to use them effectively and land your next great opportunity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a paid LinkedIn account to apply for jobs?
No, you do not need a paid LinkedIn account to apply for jobs and perform basic job searching. The free account allows you to search openings, view job details, and apply either on the company website or through LinkedIn. However, to unlock the full suite of job hunting tools and resources, a paid account like Premium Career is highly recommended.
What’s the difference between Premium Business and Sales Navigator plans?
The core features of Premium Business and Sales Navigator are similar – both focus primarily on networking, lead generation, and prospecting. Sales Navigator offers more advanced sales tools such as saved lead lists, TeamLink collaboration, and contact insights. Premium Business serves broader business needs while Sales Navigator is tailored specifically for sales roles.
Is Premium Career worth the cost?
For most active job seekers, Premium Career easily provides $29.99 per month in value. The combination of the job searching features, networking capabilities, resume feedback, interview prep, and salary data can significantly boost your chances of getting hired. Even landing a job one month sooner because of Premium Career would more than pay for itself many times over.
Can I try Premium Career for free?
Yes, LinkedIn offers one month free trials with no credit card required for Premium Career. This allows you to test drive all of the Premium features to see if it’s worthwhile for your job search. Many users sign up for the free trial when starting a new job hunt then cancel after landing a position.
What’s the best LinkedIn plan for recent grads?
For recent college graduates looking to break into the job market, Premium Career is without question the most useful LinkedIn plan. It will allow you to build your professional profile, leverage your connections, apply for entry-level positions, get resume and interview help, and negotiate pay – all extremely valuable as a new grad.
Conclusion
Finding your dream job starts with having the right tools. For job seekers, Premium Career unlocks LinkedIn’s full potential to build your professional brand, search for opportunities, showcase your skills, and get hired faster. Compared to other paid plans, it provides the greatest return on investment for advancing your career.
In today’s competitive job market, you need every advantage possible. For $29.99 per month, Premium Career gives you the resources to take your job hunt to the next level. Sign up for a free trial today and upgrade your job search!