It all started back in 2008, when LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, launched Recruiter. LinkedIn Recruiter is a tool that is specifically designed for recruiters to help them find and connect with top talent on LinkedIn. It's packed with features that streamline the hiring process and make it easier to discover candidates who are a perfect fit for your roles. It offers features like advanced LinkedIn candidate search, InMail messaging, and pipeline management.
LinkedIn Recruiter allows recruiters to search for candidates through a Boolean search, which is a method that allows you to find your ideal candidates through refining your search using keywords and operators.
According to The Social Shepherd “Every Minute, 6 People Are Hired on LinkedIn”.
Who mainly uses LinkedIn Recruiter you might ask? It is used by:
Here’s a short demo video about LinkedIn Recruiter:
Purpose:
The primary purpose of LinkedIn Recruiter is to simplify and enhance the hiring process by giving recruiters access to LinkedIn's extensive database of professionals. Imagine finding the perfect candidate with the exact skills you need, even if they're not actively looking for a new job. That is the magic of LinkedIn Recruiter!
General Benefits:
According to The Social Shepherd “Around 72% of recruiters use LinkedIn when hiring new talent. The talent they hire through the platform is of higher quality than professionals they find through other job sites and methods.”
According to Kinsta “95 percent of recruiters regularly use LinkedIn.”
LinkedIn Recruiter is divided into two versions, LinkedIn Recruiter Lite which caters to individual recruiters or small teams and LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate which is designed for larger teams with more complex needs and agencies.
Think of Recruiter Lite as the stripped-down version of LinkedIn Recruiter. Basic LinkedIn just doesn't cut it for serious recruiters. Finding the ideal candidate requires more than a simple search. That's where LinkedIn Recruiter Lite comes in handy.
It is designed for individual recruiters who are actively searching for candidates or small teams and it is one of LinkedIn’s premium plans which gives access to all of LinkedIn Business features and the ability to search and hire for people on a monthly subscription model.
Recruiter Corporate is the premium solution from LinkedIn, allowing you to search and manage with high-level features. If you manage a large recruiting team or agency, LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate is your best bet. It helps everyone work together, see all the data, and even build custom hiring steps. It's all about making complex hiring smooth for you.
When it comes to choosing between LinkedIn Recruiter Lite and LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate, it's essential to understand the key differences and unique features each version offers. Here's a breakdown to help you decide which one suits your needs best.
Network access determines the level of communication between accounts and the visibility of information on someone's profile. For instance, a 1st degree connection lets you send a direct message to someone in your network, whereas a 3rd degree connection requires an InMail.
With Recruiter Lite, you can reach out to your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree connections, but you can’t contact anyone outside your network, while Recruiter Corporate provides unlimited profile access.
Both versions include filtering capabilities to help you narrow down your search. Filtering capabilities are crucial for pinpointing the best candidates quickly and efficiently. Recruiter Lite has over 20 filters, while Recruiter Corporate has over 40 filters.
Candidate search alerts are notifications sent to recruiters when new candidates that match specific search criteria appear on the platform. These alerts help recruiters stay updated on potential candidates who meet the requirements for their open positions without having to perform manual searches repeatedly.
With Recruiter Lite, you get a maximum of 10 alerts (daily or weekly) and with Recruiter Corporate you get a maximum of 50 alerts (daily or weekly).
InMails are messages you can send to LinkedIn members who are not in your network, allowing you to reach out to potential candidates directly. The messages are limited to 1,900 characters, and the subject line has a 200-character limit.
Recruiter Lite allows you to send 30 InMails per month, while Recruiter Corporate allows you to send 150 InMails per month.
Insights refer to data and analytics that help recruiters make informed decisions by providing information about the talent pool, market trends, and candidate behavior. These insights are only available for Recruiter Corporate and not Recruiter Lite.
Collaboration features allow recruiting teams to work together seamlessly by sharing candidate information, feedback, and recruitment strategies. This is also only available for Recruiter Corporate and not Recruiter Lite.
You can tag your teammates in notes in order to keep all your communication in one place and if you want the hiring manager to take a look at someone’s profile, you can share it without leaving the platform.
Integrations refer to the ability of LinkedIn Recruiter to connect and work seamlessly with other recruiting tools and applicant tracking systems (ATS).
No integrations are available if you’re using Recruiter Lite, however if you’re using Recruiter Corporate, then you can have several integrations at your disposal such as LinkedIn Talent Insights and LinkedIn Talent Hub
Alright, we've covered what Recruiter Lite and Recruiter Corporate can do. Now, let's chat about the cost. Remember, LinkedIn Recruiter pricing can change depending on where you are, the size of your company, and your industry.
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is the more budget-friendly option. It offers a monthly subscription option with a price range of $170 to $270 per user, per month. This translates to $1,680 to $2,670 annually. It’s great for individual recruiters or small teams who need powerful tools without breaking the bank. You also have a free 30-day trial that you can use to try it out before making any decision.
Rather than subscribing monthly, You have the option to choose an annual subscription plan which brings you savings of up to 20% compared to the monthly plan. Choosing an annual subscription not only saves you money but also comes with extra perks. With a year-long commitment, recruiters enjoy continuous access to LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, allowing them to consistently use its features to find and connect with top talent.
Annual subscribers benefit from dedicated customer support, which means help is always available when you need it. This can be incredibly helpful for recruiters facing challenges or needing assistance while navigating the platform. Additionally, LinkedIn frequently rolls out new features and enhancements. Annual subscribers are among the first to access these updates, ensuring they stay ahead of the competition with the latest tools and technologies for efficient talent acquisition.
Now, let’s jump into Recruiter Corporate’s pricing. It costs around $1,080 per user, a month. (Though the exact price can vary depending on currency and location).
If you’re a large agency or in-house recruitment team constantly filling tons of positions, LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate can benefit you. You’ll get unlimited searches, fancy reporting tools, and features designed for big teams to work together smoothly.
Don't hesitate to contact their Sales team. They can guide you through the features of each plan and help you find the customized pricing and subscription process that best suits your needs.
Choosing the right LinkedIn Recruiter version can significantly impact your hiring process, whether you're a solo recruiter or part of a large enterprise. To help you decide which version fits your needs best, we've put together some use case scenarios for LinkedIn Recruiter Lite and LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate.
These scenarios demonstrate how different types of recruiters and organizations can benefit from the unique features each version offers.
Rachel, runs a boutique head-hunting firm specializing in placing AI and machine learning experts in cutting-edge startups. Budget is tight, but talent hunting can't be.With LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, Rachel can set up search alerts for emerging talent in AI, ensuring she’s the first to spot those candidates. The basic search filters allow her to quickly zero in on candidates with niche skills like TensorFlow and PyTorch.
Emily, is a Recruitment Manager at a small but ambitious digital agency. Their mission? Attract the best graphic designers and content creators to craft show-stopping campaigns. Using LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, Emily can craft specific Boolean searches to find designers with unique styles or content creators with a knack for viral marketing. InMails allow for personalized outreach, helping the agency stand out and attract creative talent who might not be actively job hunting.
John's e-commerce business is booming, but he needs top talent to keep the momentum going. He needs to hire customer service representatives and logistics managers. Using LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, John can filter through profiles to find candidates with experience in e-commerce and logistics. The platform’s search alerts notify him when new candidates that match his criteria become available, and he can use InMails to reach out to them personally, making his small business stand out in a competitive job market.
Sarah, works in the HR department of a mid-sized university looking to hire professors and administrative staff. With LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, Sarah can use advanced search filters to find candidates with specific academic qualifications and administrative experience. She can also set up alerts for newly available educators in her field, ensuring she can quickly connect with potential hires. The InMail feature helps her send personalized messages to prospective candidates, making the recruitment process more effective.
A recruitment agency with a large team of recruiters is tasked with finding specialized candidates for multiple clients. LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate's extensive features, including advanced search capabilities and high-volume InMail allowances, help them efficiently source and contact top-tier candidates for their clients. The insights and analytics tools provide valuable data to optimize their recruitment strategies. Additionally, the ability to integrate with their existing ATS ensures a streamlined workflow.
A rapidly growing tech company needs to hire a significant number of Engineers, Data Scientists, and Product Managers. LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate provides the necessary tools to manage this scale, from advanced search and filtering options to comprehensive candidate insights. The ability to unlock unlimited profiles means no candidate is off-limits, and the collaboration features help different hiring managers and recruiters stay aligned. The integration capabilities ensure that their recruitment data flows smoothly into their HR systems, making the process more efficient.
Linda, works in talent acquisition for a large financial services company that needs to hire experienced financial analysts, advisors, and compliance officers. With LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate, Linda can leverage advanced search filters to find candidates with specific financial certifications and regulatory knowledge. The platform’s ability to integrate with her company’s ATS ensures that candidate data is seamlessly managed and easily accessible. The high InMail allowances and collaboration tools help her team engage with top talent and streamline the hiring process, ensuring they can fill critical roles quickly and efficiently.
Dr. Smith, is the director of recruitment for a large healthcare system looking to hire doctors, nurses, and administrative staff for multiple hospitals and clinics. LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate’s advanced search capabilities allow Dr. Smith to find healthcare professionals with specific qualifications and experience levels. The platform’s collaboration features enable different hiring managers to work together efficiently, and the high InMail allowances ensure that they can reach out to a large pool of candidates. The integration with the healthcare system’s HR software ensures a smooth workflow and better candidate management.
After we’ve covered all the details about both versions, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each. Although both Recruiter Lite and Recruiter Corporate can be great, they come with limitations as well.
Choosing between LinkedIn Recruiter Lite and Corporate depends on several factors, including your budget, team size, and specific recruitment needs. Here’s a breakdown to help you make an informed decision:
Ideal for:
Considerations:
Ideal for:
Considerations:
Ultimately, the decision boils down to your specific requirements and resources. Assess your team size, budget, and desired features carefully to determine which LinkedIn Recruiter version aligns best with your recruitment goals and objectives. Whatever your choice, both tools offer powerful solutions to enhance your recruitment efforts!
There’s one goal that’s common for recruiters, that’s building your ideal talent pipeline with less effort and time. That is where Tapflow comes in.
At Tapflow, we understand the common struggles faced by recruiters on a daily basis. That is why we decided to come up with this solution. From a job description to a talent pipeline in minutes. Tapflow automates talent sourcing using AI. It will analyze your job description, create an ideal candidate persona, generate searches, collect profiles, score and rank them. With its intuitive interface and advanced features, Tapflow helps recruiters to find, engage, and hire top talent with ease and efficiency.
1. It acts as your personal co-pilot in the recruitment process, helping you through each step.
2. It is an attribute-based search rather than keyword-based search which gets you 10x more candidates in a fraction of the time. This helps simplify the candidate sourcing process, helping you find qualified candidates quickly and efficiently.
3. It uses AI to analyze, score, and rank each profile, based on the job description, so you can be able to find the best-fit candidates quickly and easily.
4. It automates the candidate outreach process, allowing recruiters to send personalized messages to candidates either on LinkedIn or email.
5. Its intuitive interface and user-friendly features make it easy for recruiters to navigate and manage their recruitment process.
6. It offers an integrated CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system that allows recruiters to manage candidate relationships and interactions seamlessly.
7. It offers competitive pricing plans tailored to suit the needs of solo recruiters, small teams, and even larger organizations looking to optimize their recruitment budget.
Khalil Al Kashif, the Talent Acquisition Senior Manager from Unifonic said: “With Tapflow's smart sourcing tool, I was able to identify and contact hundreds of relevant profiles within minutes, all thanks to it's profile analysis technology” (Source: Tapflow)
Tapflow’s pricing structure is flexible and straightforward. offers a free trial for users to explore its features. Following the trial, subscription plans are available. You have the option of choosing between monthly and yearly subscriptions, with an opportunity to save 25% by opting for the annual plan.
• Free trial available
Monthly plans
Tier 1: $49/mo
Tier 2: $149/mo
Tier 3: $399/mo
Enterprise: Custom
Yearly plans (If you decide to go with an annual subscription/plan, you can save 25%)
Tier 1: $37/mo
Tier 2: $122/mo
Tier 3: $299/mo
Enterprise: Custom
While there are numerous free talent sourcing tools and budget-friendly LinkedIn Recruiter alternatives, Tapflow shines as the top choice. Just think about being able to build your perfect list of candidates, a process that typically consumes days, faster than ever before! This efficiency is a significant advantage, in my view.
Finding the perfect recruiting sidekick can feel amazing – powerful, efficient, and exactly what you need. But with LinkedIn Recruiter Lite and Corporate, you have two strong contenders in your corner.
Remember, the best tool isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. Here's a quick cheat sheet to help you make your decision:
Go Lite if: You're a solo act or small team, budget is a major concern, and you value a user-friendly platform for basic candidate sourcing and outreach.
Go Corporate if: You're a large team or agency, require advanced search capabilities and in-depth data, and need collaboration features for streamlined team recruiting.
Ultimately, the best choice is the one that empowers you to build your dream team. Don't hesitate to explore both options and utilize the free trials offered by LinkedIn.
If you’re looking to know more about which one you should go for, you can check out this blog.
And hey, if you're looking for an extra edge, consider Tapflow. This talent sourcing tool can help you build your ideal candidate pipeline 10x faster. With its intuitive interface, advanced features, and competitive pricing, Tapflow might just be the secret tool you've been searching for.
You can sign up right away and start sourcing smarter. With the right tools and strategies in place, you'll be a magnet for top talent in no time!
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