I am in the market looking for a job and I get messages from Linkedin for a free 1 month access to Linkedin Premium. I see many of my contacts with the icon to show they are subscribing.

My question is in real tangible terms, what is the benefit I get for the $20/$30 I pay each month? From what I see, I can see who is looking at my profile instead of the bland "Someone from Microsoft" line. I can see some analytics on who else applied for a job that I applied to.

Great. But how does all of that help me in a way that makes up for the subscription?

I don't think it will put my resume at the top of the list or anything. It won't force a company to give me any kind of special "look at this first" status.

Has anyone benefited from this?

You can see whose viewed your profile without signing up for premium as long as you allow others to see when you've viewed their profile. Unless, are you implying that premium allows you to go incognito while forcing all others who look at your profile to be open? Not sure how that would work with everyone using it.

Thanks for the responses. Looks like there is no tangible benefit for a job-seeker other than some fun information.

My son had a free 1 month thing and I had him cancel yesterday. I might go for the free month and just because it is there.

It worked for me, surprisingly. I turned it on and it was like opening up the floodgates on recruiters. And actual good hits. Wound up with 3 separate offers based off of linked in, all for significant pay bumps over my old salary.

I mentioned it to my old boss/friend when he told me he was unhappy at his job. He turned on Premium and he said the same thing....they started coming out of the woodwork recruiting him. He landed a VP role, 100% remote, for a huge well-known pharmaceutical company.

Not sure why it worked so well for the two of us, but others don't report the same.

I found it to be useful if there was someone I wanted to reach out to network with or to see more details on the applicant pool for open jobs. Ultimately I agree that it isn't worth keeping beyond a couple of months (which is why I think they price it so high...if they made it cheaper you are probably still likely to drop it in a few months anyway).

AJ02 said:

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It worked for me, surprisingly. I turned it on and it was like opening up the floodgates on recruiters. And actual good hits. Wound up with 3 separate offers based off of linked in, all for significant pay bumps over my old salary.

I mentioned it to my old boss/friend when he told me he was unhappy at his job. He turned on Premium and he said the same thing....they started coming out of the woodwork recruiting him. He landed a VP role, 100% remote, for a huge well-known pharmaceutical company.

Not sure why it worked so well for the two of us, but others don't report the same.

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Are you serious?
Premium is just about you getting more information on who is looking for you and searching for you. Not about them opening up blocks so that more people can contact you.

I'm just telling you my experience. I turned it on, and I got GOOD hits from recruiters in my field. Six figure salaries, well-known companies. My boss had the exact same experience I did.

I don't know if it had to do with the industry we were both in being in high demand?

I don't think it is worth it.

And I also don't know anyone that has had any luck applying to jobs on LinkedIn either. It's still about who you know, and what your network can do.

My last two jobs came through LinkedIn.

Really? I'll stand corrected then.

Has to do with industry. I'm on the free trial - nothing.

The Chicken Ranch said:

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Really? I'll stand corrected then.

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He said Linkedin. Not Linkedin Premium.
I've had most of my jobs in the last 15 years come through Linkedin. This is not about that. It is about paying $30/mo for a Premium subscription.

Other than looking cool, I don't see any benefit.

Okay, well I had three other offers that came in while I was on Premium that I ultimately did not accept. I had 4 offers (all six figure jobs) that conversations started once I got LinkedIn Premium. Perhaps it's my skillset and industry are just in higher demand? I don't know. All I know is when I signed up for Premium it was like the floodgates opened. And my old boss had the same experience.

AJ02 said:

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Okay, well I had three other offers that came in while I was on Premium that I ultimately did not accept. I had 4 offers (all six figure jobs) that conversations started once I got LinkedIn Premium. Perhaps it's my skillset and industry are just in higher demand? I don't know. All I know is when I signed up for Premium it was like the floodgates opened. And my old boss had the same experience.

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Hmm that is interesting and new information.
My son is looking for a college internship and he got a 1 month free option and no gates opened, it was just the same. So I am not sure.

infinity ag said:

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AJ02 said:

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Okay, well I had three other offers that came in while I was on Premium that I ultimately did not accept. I had 4 offers (all six figure jobs) that conversations started once I got LinkedIn Premium. Perhaps it's my skillset and industry are just in higher demand? I don't know. All I know is when I signed up for Premium it was like the floodgates opened. And my old boss had the same experience.

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Hmm that is interesting and new information.
My son is looking for a college internship and he got a 1 month free option and no gates opened, it was just the same. So I am not sure.

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I'd assume it is location, industry, etc. The software seems to base it on your most recent job - not jobs you've held before. I only get information on education jobs - nothing concerning environmental science (job I held before this one).

I've sent a couple of in-mails for jobs I applied for to recruiters - nothing.

I'm in procurement/planning. Previous industry was medical device manufacturing. Current industry now O&G.

I decided to throw in the towel so signed up for the free 1 month offer yesterday.

Since yesterday I got 1 response back to a job I had applied to, and today someone at a startup found me and sent me an email about a job which I am interested in exploring.

Coincidence? Who knows.

I am also an "experienced" professional with 25 years in the software industry. That makes you seem like a dinosaur in the tech space unless you are a C-level person. At least VP and above. Anything below, the sweet spot is about 15 years. Not too old, not too young. So I reviewed my resume and threw out everything over 13 years. I removed the dates of my 3 degrees both in my resume and Linkedin. So anyone just casually looking at me will think I am in the industry for 13-15 years. Oh, the things we need to do get a job in this fake world.

infinity ag said:

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I decided to throw in the towel so signed up for the free 1 month offer yesterday.

Since yesterday I got 1 response back to a job I had applied to, and today someone at a startup found me and sent me an email about a job which I am interested in exploring.

Coincidence? Who knows.

I am also an "experienced" professional with 25 years in the software industry. That makes you seem like a dinosaur in the tech space unless you are a C-level person. At least VP and above. Anything below, the sweet spot is about 15 years. Not too old, not too young. So I reviewed my resume and threw out everything over 13 years. I removed the dates of my 3 degrees both in my resume and Linkedin. So anyone just casually looking at me will think I am in the industry for 13-15 years. Oh, the things we need to do get a job in this fake world.

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Yeah, it's pretty useless for certain industries. For example, I am looking for environmental or training positions. Completely useless for those.

They used to give veterans a 1 year Premium sub for free, but not sure if they're doing that anymore. Inquire to veterans@linkedin.com

They are still offering this. I signed up last week and am taking advantage of it.

Veteran subscriptions | Social Impact (linkedin.com)

texsn95 said:

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They used to give veterans a 1 year Premium sub for free, but not sure if they're doing that anymore. Inquire to veterans@linkedin.com

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Unfortunately, I am not a vet.

I've never seen a benefit form it other than seeing who viewed your profile. Once I left my corporate gig and started my own businesses it seems coworkers and management check in every couple of weeks and have for 6 years for some reason. Then there is a small group of oil companies and recruiters that check. Otherwise, it's a business social thing that I have never seen a benefit from. I do keep my profile updated though.

Now that I am using it, one possible benefit may be to manage expectations when you apply to a job. You ideally want to know who the competition is. If you have all kinds of people with higher titles applying, you may not stand as much of a chance.

Even titles don't tell the full picture though. I know a lot of "VPs" and "Directors" that don't really have the level of responsibility you'd expect for that title. They just hand them out like candy.

And in my instance, I recently took a new job with more responsibility and higher pay. But people look just at my job title and assume a lateral move at best.

AJ02 said:

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Even titles don't tell the full picture though. I know a lot of "VPs" and "Directors" that don't really have the level of responsibility you'd expect for that title. They just hand them out like candy.

And in my instance, I recently took a new job with more responsibility and higher pay. But people look just at my job title and assume a lateral move at best.

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Yes, especially at banks. I was doing software development about 20 years ago and I was an "AVP". No team, just a regular software engineer. I see many working in banks proudly calling themselves VPs. And sales teams at all companies. Everyone is at least a Director. After a few years, a VP. No client wants to talk to a "Senior Manager" or an "Associate".

Yep. I see it most often in banking and sales. I think the even bigger gripe, for me, is when salespeople call themselves "sales engineers". Call me a Karen, but I feel like "engineer" should be reserved for actual engineers.

infinity ag said:

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I decided to throw in the towel so signed up for the free 1 month offer yesterday.

Since yesterday I got 1 response back to a job I had applied to, and today someone at a startup found me and sent me an email about a job which I am interested in exploring.

Coincidence? Who knows.

I am also an "experienced" professional with 25 years in the software industry. That makes you seem like a dinosaur in the tech space unless you are a C-level person. At least VP and above. Anything below, the sweet spot is about 15 years. Not too old, not too young. So I reviewed my resume and threw out everything over 13 years. I removed the dates of my 3 degrees both in my resume and Linkedin. So anyone just casually looking at me will think I am in the industry for 13-15 years. Oh, the things we need to do get a job in this fake world.

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Since you have Premium you should have unlimited messages that you can send through LinkedIn (or maybe there is a cap, but definitely more than what you have with a free account). Take advantage of that and reach out to people who work at places you are wanting to work, whether it be recruiters, people in similar positions, etc. Sometimes reaching out to someone at the company can help get your resume looked at, versus filtered out by the HR ATS.

I'm on a free version now, not actively looking for anything, but still get a pretty decent amount of traffic regarding positions. You can always reply to messages you receive, but I think there is a pretty tight limit on messages that you initiate on your own.

infinity ag said:

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I am also an "experienced" professional with 25 years in the software industry. That makes you seem like a dinosaur in the tech space unless you are a C-level person. At least VP and above. Anything below, the sweet spot is about 15 years. Not too old, not too young. So I reviewed my resume and threw out everything over 13 years. I removed the dates of my 3 degrees both in my resume and Linkedin. So anyone just casually looking at me will think I am in the industry for 13-15 years. Oh, the things we need to do get a job in this fake world.

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This is crazy. Are you still doing software development?

BenTheGoodAg said:

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infinity ag said:

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I am also an "experienced" professional with 25 years in the software industry. That makes you seem like a dinosaur in the tech space unless you are a C-level person. At least VP and above. Anything below, the sweet spot is about 15 years. Not too old, not too young. So I reviewed my resume and threw out everything over 13 years. I removed the dates of my 3 degrees both in my resume and Linkedin. So anyone just casually looking at me will think I am in the industry for 13-15 years. Oh, the things we need to do get a job in this fake world.

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This is crazy. Are you still doing software development?

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No, I stopped doing software development about 15 years ago. Doing Product Management since. So now my concise resume looks purely Product and engineering experience has gotten phased out. But I mention it in interviews.

I'm seeing an uptick in calls. Not sure if it is because of Linkedin Premium or just because it is February.

infinity ag said:

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BenTheGoodAg said:

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infinity ag said:

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I am also an "experienced" professional with 25 years in the software industry. That makes you seem like a dinosaur in the tech space unless you are a C-level person. At least VP and above. Anything below, the sweet spot is about 15 years. Not too old, not too young. So I reviewed my resume and threw out everything over 13 years. I removed the dates of my 3 degrees both in my resume and Linkedin. So anyone just casually looking at me will think I am in the industry for 13-15 years. Oh, the things we need to do get a job in this fake world.

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This is crazy. Are you still doing software development?

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No, I stopped doing software development about 15 years ago. Doing Product Management since. So now my concise resume looks purely Product and engineering experience has gotten phased out. But I mention it in interviews.

I'm seeing an uptick in calls. Not sure if it is because of Linkedin Premium or just because it is February.

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Because it's February. I've had two calls this week. We'll see if the one today pans out. The one yesterday - probably not.

zooguy96 said:

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infinity ag said:

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BenTheGoodAg said:

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infinity ag said:

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I am also an "experienced" professional with 25 years in the software industry. That makes you seem like a dinosaur in the tech space unless you are a C-level person. At least VP and above. Anything below, the sweet spot is about 15 years. Not too old, not too young. So I reviewed my resume and threw out everything over 13 years. I removed the dates of my 3 degrees both in my resume and Linkedin. So anyone just casually looking at me will think I am in the industry for 13-15 years. Oh, the things we need to do get a job in this fake world.

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This is crazy. Are you still doing software development?

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No, I stopped doing software development about 15 years ago. Doing Product Management since. So now my concise resume looks purely Product and engineering experience has gotten phased out. But I mention it in interviews.

I'm seeing an uptick in calls. Not sure if it is because of Linkedin Premium or just because it is February.

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Because it's February. I've had two calls this week. We'll see if the one today pans out. The one yesterday - probably not.

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I got 2 new calls today, one for a level up and local, and other in the Bay which I had applied to 20 minutes earlier! At this point I am in the running for 7 positions, and not all of those are good or that I think I can realistically get but not rejected yet. My optimism is increasing, I think I should be able to snag something in about 6 weeks if the trend continues.