Like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and a dozen others, LinkedIn is a social network. And like other social networks, it’s owned by a big tech company: Microsoft.
But unlike most social networks, LinkedIn is a professional networking site, designed to help people make business connections, share their experiences and resumes, and find jobs.
Microsoft bought LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion in cash. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said at the time that the social network would complement Microsoft’s business-focused software, such as Microsoft Office 365, the suite of productivity programs.
Like many tech companies, LinkedIn has had its ups and downs in the post-pandemic years. LinkedIn Premium earned $1.7 billion from subscribers in 2023, executives revealed on a Microsoft earnings call. However, the job cuts that have plagued the tech industry didn’t spare the networking site; LinkedIn laid off hundreds of employees in 2023 and 2024.
But despite financial turbulence at the company, LinkedIn is still a valuable networking site used by millions of people and companies all over the world. Here’s what you need to know about using the platform:
LinkedIn essentials
Despite the professional focus, LinkedIn is quite similar to social networking sites like Facebook. It’s based on principles like connecting to friends (or, in the case of LinkedIn, “connections,”), posting updates, sharing and liking content, and messaging other users.
LinkedIn also puts a professional spin on ideas you know from Facebook. Your profile, for example, becomes a resume, complete with work experience, accomplishments, recommendations, and referrals from colleagues.
The site also offers things you won’t find in other places, like a full-featured career board, where you can search for and apply for jobs.
Many employment services are now compatible with LinkedIn — when applying for a position, you may be able to share your LinkedIn profile, which sometimes means you won’t need to painstakingly enter your work experience into a long online form.
If you’re new to LinkedIn, here’s a quick tour around the site.
A quick tour of LinkedIn
What you can do with LinkedIn
It should be clear that LinkedIn is a tool you can use to enhance your professional networking and job searching activities.
Many people use the site to grow their contacts and find career opportunities, and the Jobs section of the site is a powerful tool for finding and applying for jobs. There are settings on LinkedIn that let you alert recruiters that you’re actively job searching as well.
Some people use LinkedIn to enhance their professional reputation by making posts in the news feed, and commenting on other people’s posts.
Like most other tech companies in recent years — including Microsoft and its new Copilot tool — LinkedIn has increasingly focused on AI products. LinkedIn has unveiled its own AI-powered writing assistant that can generate personalized suggestions for your profile.
LinkedIn Premium
LinkedIn Premium is a subscription version of LinkedIn that adds a number of additional features, such as online professional development classes, insights into who’s viewing your profile, and the ability to instant message anyone on LinkedIn, even if they’re not in your network.
LinkedIn Premium offers four types of plans with different price points, depending on your needs. Premium Career is for professionals and job-seekers looking to further their careers, while Premium Business, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter Lite are for employers, businesses, or sales professionals.
The most popular plan, LinkedIn Premium Career, costs $39.99 for one month, or you can purchase an annual package for $239.88. You can also try a one-month free trial.
The post Everything to know about LinkedIn, the popular professional networking and career development site owned by Microsoft appeared first on Business Insider.
