What is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a social media website founded in 2002 and is essentially Facebook for professional networking. It is currently owned by Microsoft. 

Basic features   

Much like other social media platforms, LinkedIn is based on the principle of connecting friends, posting and reacting to content, and messaging other users. 

Your profile is essentially your resume, but in a more visual manner. Similar to your resume, your profile is split into many different sections: work experience, accomplishments, education, languages, skills, etc. Perhaps the biggest difference between content in your resume and on your LinkedIn page is that LinkedIn allows you to display recommendations on your profile page. 

You can add a professional photo and a cover photo to your resume. With every person you connect with, you gain a connection. The number of connections you have is visible on your profile page. Once you gain more than 500 connections, your profile page will simply display “500+ Connections”. When searching for people, those who you are already connected with will display a ‘1st’ on their profile. People who you are not connected with but share mutual connections with will display a ‘2nd’ on their profile. Similarly, people who you are not connected with and don't share any connections with will display a ‘3rd’ on their page. It is important to note that if you are not a LinkedIn premium member, you will most likely not be able to message 2nd and 3rd connections. Furthermore, if you are not a LinkedIn premium member, every time you view a person’s profile, they will be notified about it. LinkedIn premium and its benefits will be discussed further on in this article. 

More than just a resume display, LinkedIn also offers certain employment services. LinkedIn has its own career board, where companies can post job listings. You can then apply for these jobs by sharing your LinkedIn profile. 

LinkedIn premium

LinkedIn offers four premium options, depending on your professional needs

• Career - this is the most common premium upgrade choice for users and costs $29.99 a month. This upgrade enables a user to see who’s viewed their profile and compare themselves to applicants who apply for similar jobs through LinkedIn. You also get the ability to directly message recruiters, get salary insights and gain access to LinkedIn’s educational content and interview preparation material.
• Business - this option costs $59.99 per month and gives you access to 15 inMail’s (i.e. the ability to direct message a 2nd or 3rd connection) and offers business insights. You can also view an unlimited number of profiles, get career insights, see who’s viewed your profile and gain access to online video courses. 
• Sales - this option costs $79.99 monthly and offers 20 inMail messages, sales specific insights, lead recommendations, and advanced searches. It also offers the other features mentioned in the above options.
• Hiring - this is the most expensive option and comes in at $119.95 a month. On top of the features offered by the above upgrades, this upgrade also offers 30 inMail messages a month, a more recruiter friendly design and an advanced search engine that can help you find candidates that suit your company. It also comes with an integrated hiring feature that lets you view your entire employee/hire pool.