As a recruiter, having a LinkedIn premium account can be invaluable for finding and connecting with top talent. But LinkedIn offers several premium account options, so how do you know which one is right for your recruiting needs? This comprehensive guide examines the key differences between LinkedIn Premium, LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, LinkedIn Recruiter, and LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate to help you decide which version is the best fit.
LinkedIn Premium
LinkedIn Premium is LinkedIn’s basic paid account. Here are the key features of Premium that can benefit recruiters:
- See profiles of everyone who has viewed yours – This lets you identify passive candidates who are interested in new opportunities.
- Advanced search filters – Search by industry, job function, company size, location, years of experience, and more.
- Unlimited InMails – Directly contact anyone on LinkedIn, even if you’re not connected.
- Know when your messages are read – See when your messages have been opened so you know they got through.
LinkedIn Premium costs $29.99 per month when billed monthly, or $24.99 per month with annual billing. It can be a cost-effective option for solo recruiters or those hiring for a single position. But for agency recruiters and corporate recruiting teams, the additional capabilities of LinkedIn Recruiter or Recruiter Corporate are likely needed.
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite offers the same features as Premium, plus some enhanced capabilities tailored for recruiters hiring for one or two positions at a time. Here are the key additions with Recruiter Lite:
- See how candidates rank for jobs – Evaluate candidates based on skills, experience, and how well their profile matches the job description.
- Track candidate progress – Follow candidates through the hiring process and get reminders on next steps.
- Access recruiter-only job posts – Post jobs that only show up in recruiter searches.
- 20 InMail credits per month – More direct messages to contact prospects.
Recruiter Lite costs $119.95 per month when billed monthly, or $99.95 per month with annual billing. The upgraded search and tracking capabilities make Recruiter Lite a strong option for recruiters handling limited hiring responsibilities.
LinkedIn Recruiter
LinkedIn Recruiter (formerly Talent Basic) offers robust tools for talent acquisition pros managing high volume hiring across an organization. Here are the notable upgrades over Recruiter Lite:
- Unlimited InMails
- Project management tools – Organize hiring pipelines into projects.
- Collaboration tools – Share candidates and collaborate with other recruiters and hiring managers.
- Customizable dashboard – Configure your homepage with key data, reminders, and saved searches.
- TeamLink – Share job posts and candidate profiles company-wide.
- Analytics – Measure your recruiting performance with hiring metrics and pipeline reports.
Recruiter costs $239.95 per month billed monthly, or $199.95 per month with annual billing. The unlimited InMails, project management capabilities, and powerful analytics make Recruiter a feature-packed choice for corporate and agency recruiters managing high-volume hiring.
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate (previously Talent Unlimited) offers enterprise-level recruiting features for large organizations. Here are the key additions over the Recruiter plan:
- Advanced talent pools – Curate pools of passive candidates based on sophisticated criteria.
- Canned searches – Save and re-run complex searches with one click.
- Custom questions – Ask customized questions when sending InMail messages.
- Candidate recommendations – Automatically recommend qualified candidates based on past searches.
- Custom branding – Display your company branding and messages throughout the recruiting workflow.
Recruiter Corporate is priced based on number of recruiters and starts at $1,199.95 per month billed monthly when you have at least 10 recruiters on your team. The premium-level features like talent pools, canned searches, and candidate recommendations make Recruiter Corporate ideal for large corporate recruiting teams that want maximum optimization of their LinkedIn recruiting efforts.
Plan | Key Features | Ideal For | Monthly Price |
---|---|---|---|
LinkedIn Premium | – View profile visitors – Advanced filters – 15 InMails/month |
– Solo recruiters – Hiring for one position |
$29.99 (monthly) |
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite | – Candidate ranking – Progress tracking – 20 InMails/month – Recruiter-only job posts |
– Limited hiring | $119.95 (monthly) |
LinkedIn Recruiter | – Unlimited InMails – Project management – Collaboration tools – Analytics |
– Corporate/agency recruiters – High volume hiring |
$239.95 (monthly) |
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate | – Advanced talent pools – Canned searches – Custom branding – Candidate recommendations |
– Large enterprises – Maximizing LinkedIn recruiting |
Starting at $1,199.95 (monthly) |
Conclusion
When choosing the best LinkedIn premium account for your recruiting needs, consider your hiring volume, team size, and desired feature set. Here are some quick recommendations based on recruiter profiles:
- Individual recruiters and small teams hiring for one open position at a time – LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
- Corporate recruiting teams managing ongoing high volume hiring – LinkedIn Recruiter
- Global enterprises that want to maximize LinkedIn recruiting capabilities – LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate
All LinkedIn premium options provide robust tools to search for qualified candidates, make direct contact, manage hiring pipelines, and get actionable insights through analytics. While the Corporate plan offers the most sophistication for large organizations, Recruiter provides powerful functionality for most robust corporate recruiting teams. For limited hiring needs, Recruiter Lite gives you the core features tailored for recruiters at an affordable price point.
In summary, aligning your LinkedIn premium choice with your hiring volume, budget, and feature needs can empower your recruiting team to find, connect with, and engage the right candidates more efficiently. With the actionable insights, candidate management, and communication capabilities of LinkedIn premium, you can make each stage of your process more targeted, streamlined, and impactful.
Further Reading
For more help deciding on the right LinkedIn premium plan for your recruiting needs, check out these additional resources:
LinkedIn Recruiter Buying Guide
LinkedIn’s guide walks through the key features, capabilities, and pricing of Recruiter Lite vs. Recruiter vs. Recruiter Corporate to inform your purchasing decision.
How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn for Recruiting
This tutorial from LinkedIn Talent Solutions provides tips to maximize your LinkedIn recruiting results, even with a free account.
Which LinkedIn Premium Account is Best for Recruiters?
Recruiting firm Insperity analyzes the pros and cons of Premium vs. Recruiter Lite vs. Recruiter from a recruiter’s perspective.
7 Killer LinkedIn Recruiter Tips and Tricks
Recruiting thought leaderERE Media shares insider tips for both new and experienced LinkedIn recruiters.
The Power of LinkedIn Recruiter for Hiring
Jobvite makes the case for investing in LinkedIn Recruiter to gain a competitive edge in recruiting top talent.
How to Really Measure LinkedIn Recruitment
Learn which LinkedIn recruiting metrics you should track to optimize results and prove value.
A Recruiter’s Guide to LinkedIn
Discover advanced tips and tricks for mastering LinkedIn recruiting in this comprehensive ebook from Ideal.
Recruiter Lite vs Premium vs Recruiter vs Corporate
This visual comparison chart from Social Talent details the key differences across the main LinkedIn premium plans.
With the recruiter-focused features of LinkedIn Premium and Recruiter, you can transform how you source, engage, and acquire top talent. Investing in the right version for your needs empowers your team with specialized tools and insights that ultimately drive results. Compare the options carefully and leverage the robust capabilities to take your recruiting efforts to the next level.
After evaluating the key differences outlined here, you can make an informed decision on whether LinkedIn Premium, Recruiter Lite, Recruiter or Recruiter Corporate is the best fit to achieve your talent acquisition goals and get maximum value from LinkedIn.