LinkedIn and Naukri are two of the most popular job search platforms in India. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to helping job seekers find new opportunities. Deciding which one is “best” depends largely on your specific needs and preferences as a job seeker.
LinkedIn Overview
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 690 million users worldwide. In India, LinkedIn has over 62 million users as of 2020. Here are some key things to know about LinkedIn:
- Global platform – Used by professionals and companies worldwide.
- Profile focused – Allows you to create a detailed professional profile highlighting work experience, education, skills, recommendations etc.
- Building connections – Enables connecting with other professionals and companies for networking.
- Job listings – Companies post jobs which you can apply to directly on LinkedIn.
- Premium services – Paid subscriptions offer benefits like seeing who viewed your profile, sending InMails, expanded search filters etc.
Overall, LinkedIn is ideal for building your professional network and brand, finding new job opportunities, connecting with recruiters and industry professionals and promoting yourself as an expert in your field.
Naukri Overview
Naukri.com is India’s leading job search platform started in 1997. Here are some key aspects of Naukri:
- India focused – Primarily caters to Indian job market.
- Job listings – Database of jobs posted by Indian companies.
- Resume database – Library of over 65 million resumes you can access.
- Naukrigulf – Specialized Gulf job section.
- Premium services – Paid packages for special benefits like profile highlighting, priority applicant status etc.
Naukri is very focused on Indian job listings and resumes making it ideal for active Indian job seekers looking for their next employment opportunity.
LinkedIn vs Naukri: Key Differences
Here is a quick comparison of some of the main differences between LinkedIn and Naukri:
Factor | Naukri | |
---|---|---|
Geographic Focus | Global platform | India-focused |
Ideal For | Professional networking and brand building | Active Indian job seekers |
Jobs Database | Over 15 million jobs globally | Over 700,000 jobs in India |
Resume Database | None | Over 65 million resumes |
Premium Services | LinkedIn Premium | Naukri Premium |
As you can see, while there is some overlap in their features, LinkedIn and Naukri cater to slightly different needs and audiences.
Key Strengths of LinkedIn
Here are some of the main advantages LinkedIn offers job seekers:
- Global reach – With a presence in over 200 countries, LinkedIn allows you to expand your professional network and job search worldwide.
- Comprehensive profiles – LinkedIn profiles allow you to showcase your background and achievements in great detail including work samples and media.
- Recommendations – Getting recommendations from colleagues and managers can help establish your credentials.
- Established professional brand – Having a strong LinkedIn presence helps build your reputation within your industry.
- Stay updated – Following companies, groups and influencers lets you stay current on industry news and trends.
- Be discovered – Recruiters often search LinkedIn for potential hires making it easier to be found.
- Apply easily – You can apply for jobs directly through LinkedIn in a few clicks.
In summary, LinkedIn is advantageous for expanding your professional network, building an impressive profile, connecting with recruiters, and leveraging your brand to find new opportunities.
Key Strengths of Naukri
Here are some of the key advantages Naukri provides:
- India focused – For Indian job seekers, Naukri provides localised and targeted job listings.
- Established platform – As India’s #1 job site, recruiters extensively utilize Naukri for hiring.
- Resume database – Having your resume in Naukri’s database makes it easy for recruiters to find you.
- Profile highlighting – You can pay to highlight your profile for recruiters through premium services.
- Advanced search – Naukri has powerful filters to search for jobs by experience, location, salary, company etc.
- Job alerts – You can set up email/SMS alerts for latest jobs based on your criteria.
- Effective UI – The polished and intuitive interface makes job searching easy.
Naukri’s key advantage is its dominance in the Indian recruitment space and tools tailored for Indian job seekers like resume database access, customised job alerts and profile highlighting.
Which is Better for Freshers?
For freshers who have just graduated, both LinkedIn and Naukri can be useful in the job hunt. Here are some tips:
- Build an impressive LinkedIn profile showcasing college projects, internships, skills, volunteer work etc.
- Make connections with alumni, friends and professionals on LinkedIn.
- Utilize LinkedIn to research companies you want to apply to.
- Create targeted resumes for each application instead of mass applying.
- Leverage Naukri’s advanced search filters to find entry level and fresher openings.
- Make sure to upload your resume to Naukri database for visibility.
- Opt for Naukri resume highlighting service for 6-12 months.
- Set job alerts on Naukri for quick notifications on relevant new openings.
The key is utilizing both platforms to maximize your reach and visibility to recruiters and leverage your networks.
Which is Better for Experienced Professionals?
For experienced professionals, LinkedIn and Naukri both offer unique advantages:
- Leverage LinkedIn to network within your industry, join relevant groups, follow influencers and companies.
- Build an impressive LinkedIn profile highlighting achievements, awards, certifications, publications etc.
- Actively participate in discussions and establish yourself as a thought leader.
- Use advanced LinkedIn search to identify relevant openings and hiring managers.
- Reach out to recruiters and hiring managers directly on LinkedIn.
- Upload your profile to Naukri to access their large recruiter database.
- Leverage your experience level to negotiate Naukri profile highlighting.
- Set customized job alerts based on your experience, skills and industries of interest.
- Use Naukri Prime to contact recruiters directly and stand out.
For experienced professionals, leveraging both platforms to maximize networking and job visibility is ideal.
Which is Better for IT Professionals?
Here are some tips for IT professionals to utilize LinkedIn and Naukri effectively:
- Showcase IT projects, certifications and tech skills on LinkedIn profile.
- Follow IT companies, influencers, alumni networks to stay updated on trends.
- Join relevant tech groups on LinkedIn for discussions and networking.
- Connect with IT recruiters, tech leaders and headhunters on LinkedIn.
- Leverage advanced search to find IT openings and hiring managers to contact.
- Upload and highlight resume on Naukri to access their strong IT recruiter network.
- Set customized alerts for IT jobs in your specialty and experience levels.
- Make use of Naukri Prime benefits like contacting recruiters directly.
- Refer Naukri’s IT specific salary tool and company reviews.
Optimizing both platforms as an IT professional can significantly boost your job search and career growth opportunities.
Which is Better for Remote Jobs?
When looking for remote or work from home opportunities, both platforms have their relative advantages:
- LinkedIn allows you to search for remote jobs across the world based on keywords like “remote”, “work from home” etc.
- Location filters on LinkedIn can be set to “Worldwide” or “Remote” allowing global remote job search.
- Follow companies embracing remote work to stay updated on potential openings.
- Groups like Remote Work Connect can be joined for discussions and listings.
- Naukri provides filters like “Work From Home” under location to specifically find India based remote openings.
- You can set email alerts for remote or WFH jobs on Naukri matching your profile.
- Contact recruiters posting relevant remote jobs in India through Naukri Prime.
- Remote jobs often posted for Indian applicants will be better indexed on Naukri.
So LinkedIn may be better for global remote roles while Naukri has an edge for India based remote openings.
Which is Better for Specialized Job Roles?
For specialized job roles, leveraging the right platform based on the field can be beneficial:
- Naukri – Jobs in India in fields like Sales, BPO, Education, Travel, Insurance etc.
- LinkedIn – Global jobs in areas like Marketing, Finance, Technology, Design etc.
- Naukri Gulf – Jobs in the Gulf region in Construction, Oil and Gas, Healthcare etc.
- Naukri Premium – Specialized benefits for niche applicant categories.
- LinkedIn Groups – Join groups related to your specialty for networking.
- Targeted Outreach – Reach out to niche recruiters in your domain on both platforms.
So focusing your efforts on the platform most relevant for your specialty and leveraging niche tools can optimize your chances.
Which Offers Better Services for Premium Users?
Both LinkedIn Premium and Naukri Prime offer useful benefits for paid subscribers. Here is an overview:
Factor | LinkedIn Premium | Naukri Prime |
---|---|---|
Resume Visibility | Profile appears higher in search results | Guaranteed interviews from resume database |
Messaging | Unlimited InMails to anyone | Contact recruiters directly |
Job Search | See salary ranges and expanded filters | Access premium job listings |
Networking | See full profiles of your network | Personalized career site |
Cost | Rs 5,328-21,960 per month | Rs 3,540-35,400 per year |
For most Indian professionals, Naukri Prime provides more relevant benefits at a lower cost. But LinkedIn Premium can be worth it for senior global roles.
Which App is Better?
Both Naukri and LinkedIn have mobile apps on iOS and Android with broadly similar features:
- Profile and Network Management
- Job Search and Alerts
- Messaging and Communication
- Notifications and Updates
- News and Articles
However, Naukri app has additional India relevant features:
- Interview Preparation
- Resume Builder
- Skills Testing
- Specialized Job Sections
So for Indian job seekers, the Naukri app provides better customized features more relevant to local needs.
Which Has Better Job Opportunities?
Both platforms have lakhs of live job listings in India and worldwide. However, some key trends are observed:
- Naukri has dominance in private Indian job market – SMBs, startups, traditional companies.
- LinkedIn is widely used by MNCs, global corporations for international openings.
- Niche industry segments like construction may be better represented on Naukri.
- New age internet companies more likely to list on LinkedIn.
- Overall, utilizing both provides maximum job opportunities.
Naukri is better for active private job seekers in India while LinkedIn offers additional global openings in many fields.
Which Site Has More Users/Traffic in India?
As per publicly available information on website traffic analytics:
- Naukri.com – Approximately 60 million monthly visits
- LinkedIn India – Approximately 34 million monthly visits
So in India, Naukri receives nearly twice as much web traffic as LinkedIn indicating much heavier usage. This aligns with Naukri’s primary focus on Indian job market.
Conclusion
Here are some final recommendations on optimally using LinkedIn and Naukri as a job seeker:
- For Indian job seekers, having profiles on both platforms is highly recommended.
- Leverage LinkedIn for networking, global exposure and enhancing your personal brand.
- Make full use of Naukri for its India specific job database, resume visibility and recruiter access.
- Fresher should emphasize building their LinkedIn presence and resume database on Naukri.
- Experienced professionals should focus on networking on LinkedIn and premium benefits on Naukri.
- Research which platform offers better openings in your domain and focus efforts accordingly.
In summary, Naukri tends to be better for active Indian job seekers looking for their next opportunity within India especially in private sector companies and SMBs.
LinkedIn offers additional benefits for global networking, personal branding and jobs in multi-national corporations, internet startups and niche segments.
Hence an optimal job search strategy would be to leverage both platforms based on your profile, industry and aspirations to maximize the number of relevant job opportunities you can access.