LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is a talent-sourcing tool offered by LinkedIn to help recruiters and talent acquisition specialists find and connect with qualified candidates for job openings. With over 850 million members on LinkedIn, Recruiter Lite provides access to a massive pool of potential talent.
In this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything you need to know about LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, including:
Table of Contents
What is LinkedIn Recruiter Lite?
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is LinkedIn’s entry-level recruitment and talent-sourcing platform. It offers core sourcing functionality and allows you to find, connect with, and manage qualified candidates on LinkedIn more efficiently.
Key features of LinkedIn Recruiter Lite include:
- Talent search and filtering tools
- InMail messaging credits to contact candidates
- Saved search alerts
- Project collaboration tools
- Recruitment analytics and insights
Recruiter Lite aims to provide an affordable way for smaller companies and teams to leverage LinkedIn for recruiting top talent. It serves as a good entry point for tapping into LinkedIn’s extensive database of professionals.
Also read: How to Message a Recruiter on LinkedIn
How Recruiter Lite Compares to Other LinkedIn Recruiting Products
LinkedIn offers a few tiers of talent sourcing and recruitment products:
- LinkedIn Recruiter Lite – Entry-level package focused on sourcing candidates
- LinkedIn Recruiter – Mid-level product with more features and InMail credits
- LinkedIn Recruitment Marketing – Adds tools for recruitment advertising and employer branding
- LinkedIn Talent Insights – Premium package with talent pool analytics
Recruiter Lite has the core search and messaging capabilities but at a more limited volume than the higher tiers which are geared towards larger recruitment teams.
Here is a breakdown comparing the key differences in LinkedIn’s recruiter product lineup:
| Feature | Recruiter Lite | Recruiter |
|---|---|---|
| InMail Credits | 20/month | 75/month |
| Searches | 200/month | 700/month |
| Saved Searches | 5 | 25 |
| Projects | 1 | 5 |
| Collaborators | 2 | 10 |
| Recruitment Analytics | Basic | Enhanced |
| Ad Campaigns | ❌ | ✅ |
Key Benefits of LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite offers several benefits that make it a valuable sourcing and recruitment tool, especially for smaller teams with limited budgets.
Access to an Extensive Talent Pool
With over 850 million members, LinkedIn provides instant access to an extensive pool of professional talent. Recruiter Lite lets you tap into this vast member database to source qualified candidates.
Whether you need to fill an engineering role or a marketing specialist, chances are strong candidates already exist on LinkedIn. Recruiter Lite allows searching by title, skills, experience, location, and more to pinpoint prospects.
Powerful Search and Filtering
Recruiter Lite provides robust search and filtering capabilities so you can drill down to find your ideal candidates.
Options include:
- Title and skill searches – Find profiles mentioning specific titles or showcasing certain skills
- Location filters – Limit by city, state, country or radius from a zip code
- Company filters – Search for candidates working at targeted companies
- Experience filters – Search by years of experience in an industry or job function
- Language filters – Require specific languages candidates must know
- Education filters – Limit by academic degrees or institutions attended
With Recruiter Lite you can get very precise with search parameters to uncover best-fit talent.
InMail Message Credits
Recruiter Lite includes 20 InMail credits per month. InMail are private direct messages that can be sent to any LinkedIn member, allowing you to reach talent that isn’t in your existing network.
This gives you a way to establish initial contact with passive candidates you discover who might not otherwise apply. However, response rates tend to be low so InMails should focus on high-potential targets.
Collaboration Tools
While Recruiter Lite is geared towards individuals or very small teams, it does allow for some collaboration.
You can add up to 2 collaborators to your Recruiter Lite account. They’ll have access to your shared projects, searches, and talent pipeline data.
This allows associates like hiring managers or coordinators to collaborate on sourcing prospects or tracking metrics, even without their own Recruiter seat.
Insights and Analytics
Recruiter Lite provides access to recruitment analytics and insights to help gauge sourcing effectiveness. You can view top sources of hires, candidate response rates, and other metrics.
For example, you can see response rates by member region or InMail subject line, then optimize your outreach approach accordingly.
While not as robust as higher LinkedIn Recruitment packages, Recruiter Lite gives you basic reporting to inform your sourcing strategy.
Also read: How to Message a Recruiter on LinkedIn
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite Use Cases
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite serves a few key recruitment use cases, making it suitable for:
Independent Recruiters and Staffing Agencies
Contingent recruiters and contracting agencies can use Recruiter Lite as an individual account to source candidates for job orders without paying for a team Recruitment seat. The affordable fee and collaborative features make it feasible for independent recruiters on tight budgets or solopreneurs.
Startup Companies
Early-stage startups beginning to build out their talent acquisition capacity can benefit from Recruiter Lite. The sourcing and pipelining features allow lean startup teams to proactively network with prospective hires for future growth rather than waiting for applicants.
Small Business Recruiting
Similarly, smaller companies can use Recruiter Lite for inbound recruiting as they cost-effectively expand headcount. The search precision narrows prospects while the low-volume InMails let you cast targeted outreach nets.
As these examples show, LinkedIn Recruiter Lite serves an important role in providing essential recruitment functionality for smaller recruiters and hiring teams.
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite Pricing and Plans
One of the biggest advantages of LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is its relatively affordable pricing compared to LinkedIn’s other recruiter products.
Here is a breakdown of the Recruiter Lite subscription fees:
| Package Type | Monthly Price | Annual Price |
|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn Recruiter Lite | $99/month | $990 if paid annually |
There are no long-term contracts so you have the flexibility to cancel if needed. Plus annual subscriptions come at a discount compared to paying month-to-month.
Also read: LinkedIn Recruiter Pricing 2024: Costs, Features, and Alternatives
Number of Licenses Included
The Recruiter Lite subscription provides a single license seat. This works well for independent contractors and consultants focused on their sourcing.
For small firms, you can add additional Recruiter Lite license seats at the same $99 monthly rate per individual user.
Add-On Modules and Upgrades
As Recruiter Lite offers core functionality, there are limitations in some areas. However, you have the option to purchase add-on credits. For example:
Additional InMail Credits: 20 credits per month is limited. You can buy extra InMail credits at $1.50 per message above the allowance.
Recruiter Seat Upgrades: For expanded collaboration support and more talent searches, Recruiter Lite can be upgraded to a full Recruiter seat. This provides teams with broader capabilities.
So while you get basic capabilities out of the box, the ability to augment functionality helps keep costs reasonable for smaller teams and recruiters.
Getting Started With LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
If you want to try out LinkedIn Recruiter Lite’s talent sourcing features, here is a quick step-by-step walkthrough to get started:
Sign Up for a Free Trial
Visit LinkedIn.com and go to the Sign Up link for their Talent and Recruiting products. This will lead you through creating a company account and launching a free 30-day pilot of Recruiter Lite to test it out.
Create a Sourcing Project
Your first step after the trial account setup should be structuring a talent-sourcing campaign for an open position or ideal candidate profile you looking to find.
Group the details into an organized project including role type, required skills and qualifications, geography targets, company targets, and any other filters that will be applied in your searches. Give the project a clear descriptive name.
Craft Targeted Searches
With your project framed, begin crafting advanced searches designed to uncover best-fit potential prospects. Refine and experiment with various search string combinations of titles, skills, locations, and employers until the results reflect the candidate persona you seek.
Review Profiles and Save Prospects
As your searches produce matching talent profiles, carefully review each profile against your criteria to evaluate their qualifications and compatibility. For top prospects that seem well aligned, use the Save button to tag them to your project for further review and potential outreach.
Manage Prospect Pipelines in Projects
Track your qualified prospects within structured pipeline stages (new, reviewing, contacted, interviewing, etc) to stay organized and follow up appropriately over time as candidates move through your process.
Send InMails to Prioritized Prospects
For candidates that look like strong matches and worth prioritizing outreach to, use your included InMail credits to directly contact them and gauge their potential interest level in hearing about opportunities relevant to their experience. Use response analytics to refine messaging.
Following this general workflow is a great way to get experience with Recruiter Lite’s core functionality and see firsthand the value it provides for skilled talent sourcing. And remember the free 30-day pilot provides risk-free access to try before buying.
Recruiter Lite Membership Sign-Up Process
If after testing things out through the complimentary trial you decide to purchase Recruiter Lite, here are the steps to sign up for a paid subscription account:
- Revisit the LinkedIn Talent and Recruitment products page and click Purchase. This is where you manage your account plan.
- On the next page, make sure Recruiter Lite is selected from the product tiles. Then click Start Free Trial even though you already had a trial.
- On the checkout page, choose your Subscription Plan (Monthly or Annual) and enter your Payment Method details.
- Carefully review the auto-renew terms, pricing, and cancellation policy before completing checkout.
Once purchased, your Recruiter Lite access will roll forward from trial status to an officially subscribed licensing seat. The product sign-up process is very straightforward.
Now let’s examine some best practices for getting the most value from your Recruiter Lite investment.
LinkedIn Recruiter vs. Recruiter Lite
| LinkedIn Recruiter | Recruiter Lite |
|---|---|
| Full-featured recruiting platform with access to all LinkedIn data | More basic LinkedIn recruiting features |
| Enables direct messaging to anyone on LinkedIn | Limited to published profiles and connections in your network |
| Unlimited InMails for contacting passive candidates | Can only message people in your network or who have applied to jobs |
| Powerful search and filtering capabilities | 100 InMails per month for contacting people outside your network |
| Talent pool management and tracking | Less advanced search and filtering |
| Reporting and analytics on hiring metrics | Manual candidate tracking via lists and notes |
| Integrations with other HR systems like ATS | Some high-level analytics |
| More expensive pricing based on number of users/seats | More expensive pricing based on the number of users/seats |
Best Practices for Using LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
Here are some top tips for recruiters and sourcers looking to maximize results from LinkedIn’s Recruiter Lite tool:
1. Dedicate Time for Sourcing
Treat Recruiter Lite sourcing like cold calling. Set aside dedicated small blocks of time throughout your week to proactively search profiles, message prospects, and nurture your pipeline rather than just occasionally dabbling. Consistency moves candidates through funnel stages.
2. Craft Very Targeted Searches
With only 200 included searches per month, be selective and strategic with search criteria rather than broad generic queries. Layer filters like skills, titles, locations, employers, and schools to uncover laser-focused candidate profiles that closely fit needs.
3. Personalize InMail Outreach
With a limited volume of InMails, carefully choose which prospects to spend credits contacting and personalize content based on their background rather than blasting generic messages. Reference specifics from their experiences to demonstrate an interest in them.
4. Follow Up Persistently But Respectfully
It often requires multiple touchpoints before a passive prospect will respond to InMail. Nurture connections with follow-up messages if you don’t receive a response but also know when to disengage if someone indicates disinterest.
5. Monitor Search Alerts
Saved search alerts notify you automatically when new member profiles match your search parameters. Configure these for your most important recurring candidate needs so promising prospects flow to you rather than needing to continuously check searches.
Applying these best practices around the constraints of Recruiter Lite will help maximize your talent-sourcing productivity.
Also read: Navigating LinkedIn Layoffs: Your Guide to Handling Job Loss on the Network
Advanced Recruiter Lite Profile Search Tips
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite offers extensive options for targeting searches by skills, titles, locations, employers, and more. Here are some lesser-known advanced search techniques:
Use Boolean Search Logic
Apply Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT in your searches. For example:
Sales AND (Pharmaceutical OR Medical)
Find salespeople specifically in medical/pharma rather than other sales domains. Boolean helps include or exclude search criteria.
Search Current Companies Only
Adding the keyword Current before a company name restricts results to only people still actively working there rather than past employees:
Current Microsoft
This focuses results on existing Microsoft employees.
Target By Past Companies
Similarly, you can also filter profiles based on a candidate’s previous employers using keywords like Ever or Past:
Ever Apple
Past Google
Search within Job Titles
Using double quote marks around a job title term searches just for complete job title mentions:
"Sales Manager"
This would only match profiles with “Sales Manager” as the full listed title rather than broadly containing the separate words sales or manager.
Filter Functions by Level
Include comparators like Associate, Senior, Lead, etc in job title searches:
“Senior Marketing Manager”
Matches more tenured marketing management profiles.
Take advantage of these kinds of Boolean search refinements to drill down to extremely tailored candidate profiles using Recruiter Lite.
Optimizing Recruiter Lite InMail Outreach
As mentioned, InMail messages let you directly contact prospects outside your network, but you only get 20 credits per month. To maximize InMail effectiveness with this constrained volume, keep these best practices in mind:
Personalize Each Message
Avoid copying/pasting the same generic InMail to every recipient or it will be seen as mass spamming. Personalize the greeting and content to be specific to something on their profile or background.
Reference details like current position, previous companies, academic major, or other unique aspects of their experiences. This signals you read their profile and are specifically interested in them.
Catch Attention with Subject Lines
With eye-catching but professional subject lines summarizing why you are reaching out, prospects will be more inclined to open and engage with your InMail rather than ignoring it as a random sales pitch.
Convey Value, Not Just Opportunity
Rather than immediately promoting your available job apps, first, establish credibility by demonstrating knowledge of the prospect’s field and challenges. Offer insights or suggestions to help them before pivoting into a relevant opportunity you feel is a potential fit.
Close with a Clear Call-to-Action
Wrap up InMails with a specific CTA like requesting a short informational interview or exploratory phone call to continue the discussion rather than just leaving it open-ended. Guide the next steps for engaging.
Using InMails selectively yet thoughtfully positions you for the highest response rates possible from your available outreach credits.
Handling LinkedIn Recruiter Lite Account Administration
As the sole administrator of your Recruiter Lite account, it’s important to understand how to manage users, billing details, and general product administration.
Adding Collaborators
Remember that Recruiter Lite allows inviting up to 2 collaborators into your talent-sourcing projects to bolster your efforts by looking through profiles and managing candidate records.
To add associates, click Settings then Users and Collaborators. Here you can enter email addresses to invite additional team members into your Recruiter platform.
Monitoring Usage Statistics
Be sure to regularly check your usage statistics to stay aware of how many searches, InMails, and other actions have been logged for the month. Your dashboard shows monthly allowances remaining to help you pace resources.
Compare usage metrics over time to identify trends, busier periods, or particular projects burning through credits faster due to team member behaviors that may require coaching.
Controlling Account Billing
The administrator can manage payment methods and billing for Recruiter Lite by visiting Account Settings and going to the Billing page. Ensure your license subscription is linked to an active credit card or PayPal account.
You can also cancel automatic subscription renewals here by toggling off auto-renew if you decide to pause or product usage changes.
Handling these kinds of account controls and monitoring your utilization analytics allows you to govern Recruiter Lite seamlessly.
Also read: Unlocking the Value of LinkedIn Easy Apply for Candidates and Employers
Troubleshooting Common Recruiter Lite Issues
While Recruiter Lite offers a fairly intuitive user experience, at times you still may encounter hiccups. Here are troubleshooting tips for some frequent Recruiter Lite problems:
Account locked due to login attempts – If account security identifies suspicious login attempts, the Recruiter may temporarily lock user access until reset. Click Forgot password to trigger a reset authorization link.
InMail delivery failures – If your messages show a failed status try simplifying the content. Links or images may prevent delivery if the recipient has restrictions configured. Also, customize messages to avoid spam triggers.
Search missing expected profiles – Double-check check your search logic hasn’t filtered candidates unintentionally. Test removing certain search criteria to verify expected profiles exist and refine filters.
No recruiter badge visible – You need a current Recruiter Lite or Recruiter subscription for the badge visibility signal. Cancelled or expired licenses will deactivate your badge.
Account locked due to login attempts – If account security identifies suspicious login attempts, the Recruiter may temporarily lock user access until reset. Click Forgot password to trigger a reset authorization link.
InMail delivery failures – If your messages show a failed status try simplifying the content. Links or images may prevent delivery if the recipient has restrictions configured. Also, customize messages to avoid spam triggers.
Search missing expected profiles – Double-check check your search logic hasn’t filtered candidates unintentionally. Test removing certain search criteria to verify expected profiles exist and refine filters.
No recruiter badge visible – You need a current Recruiter Lite or Recruiter subscription for the badge visibility signal. Cancelled or expired licenses will deactivate your badge. Renew your subscription to reactive the account and badge.
Recruiter Lite payment issues – If your subscription renewal payment fails due to expired or invalid payment methods on file, your Recruiter access will be temporarily disabled until resolved. Visit account billing settings to update payment details.
InMail response rate suddenly dropped – Review the wording of your most recent outreach templates. If response metrics decline, revisit messaging content to ensure it aligns with best practices and test new approaches.
Browser compatibility problems – Recruiter Lite technically supports all modern browsers but occasionally users encounter display issues on outdated versions. Ensure you upgrade to the latest browser editions if seeing UI problems.
If tricky problems persist, don’t hesitate to reach out to LinkedIn customer support from within Recruiter for troubleshooting assistance from product experts able to review configuration specifics.
