Anyone notice that little button in the upper right-hand corner of their LinkedIn main page that says “Upgrade to Premium”?
I’ve thought about it before, I’ve received messages directly from LinkedIn offering this free upgrade, I’ve clicked through the benefits to check it out. Finally, I decided to make the leap and see what the enhanced platform had to offer.
Here is my short list of things to consider of the LinkedIn upgrade, so you can decide for yourself whether or not to make the jump, too:
- The upgrade is free!… for 30 days. Personally, I set a calendar reminder on my phone to alert me to shut it down if I choose to not continue with the subscription at the end of the month. I think it is helpful to have had a chance to experience the platform and test out its’ enhanced features before making the financial investment. Thank you, LinkedIn for your generosity! After that, it is a financial investment that needs serious consideration. After the free month, the cost is currently $59.99/month or $47.99/month if you purchase the annual subscription option.
- Your new “My Premium” section of your homepage lays out some interesting insights for you to consider, including:
- You will see insights related to what percentile rank you measure up as compared to applicants in the respective LinkedIn pool.
- You’ll see who has viewed your profile in the last 90 days vs. only the past 5 viewers (available in the free version).
- Recommending LinkedIn Learning modules to consider which is a series of courses related to career development. The best aspects of this coursework are that they are generally short pieces of training (20-30 minutes), you’ll receive the opportunity to add the skills gained in the respective course to your profile
- If you are very serious about finding a position, this upgrade is likely worth the investment. With LinkedIn Premium, you’ll show up as a “Featured Candidate” at the top of a recruiter’s search results. Additionally, if one was a recruiter or hiring manager, the insight about potential candidates would be extremely helpful in finding and hiring the best candidate.
- You’ll gain access to salary comparison data which can be helpful in the job search but also useful in the negotiation process.
- You have access to network more extensively as you can directly message recruiters and send messages to individuals who are not in your immediate network with “InMail” credits.
P.S. We have some exciting news that will add to our cadre of courses coming soon. Stay tuned!
Jackie is a coach at the Happy PharmD. She loves her family, changing the world, and pharmacy. 🙂