TL;DR: Indeed vs LinkedIn for your job search and hiring goals
- Indeed is one of the largest job boards that offers a very straightforward and easy application process.
- LinkedIn is a social networking platform that, apart from job search and recruiting tools, provides great opportunities for networking and building lasting relationships.
- Both platforms can be effectively used by candidates and recruiters. The choice depends on your goals, industry niche, and budget.
- The biggest bonus of LinkedIn is automation, which streamlines recruiting and job-seeking outreach.
- No matter which platform you choose, remember to follow the basic recommendations that will help you hire and apply for a job smartly.
If you’ve ever tried looking for a job or sourcing candidates, you’ve likely turned to one of the two platforms, Indeed or LinkedIn. Though sharing some similarities, these platforms serve different purposes.
But what is better, Indeed or LinkedIn, you may ask? In this post, we’ll compare the two solutions so you can pick the one that best fits your needs.
Outline:
- What’s the key difference between LinkedIn and Indeed?
- Job and talent search on Indeed
- Job and talent search on LinkedIn
- Indeed vs LinkedIn: which is better for job search?
- LinkedIn vs Indeed: which is better for recruiting?
- Best practices for using Indeed and LinkedIn for job search
- Best practices for using Indeed and LinkedIn for recruiters
What’s the key difference between LinkedIn and Indeed?
Both Indeed and LinkedIn are professional platforms that can be effectively used to source new talent or apply for a job.
The main difference between them is that Indeed is tailored specifically for recruiting or job-seeking goals. LinkedIn, however, is more than a solution for hiring professionals or finding a job. This platform stands out as a social networking hub where professionals all over the world can build connections and grow their business potential.
With LinkedIn, you can develop your brand, find partners, and reach out to influencers, to say nothing about its vast possibilities for social selling.
But is Indeed or LinkedIn better for a job search? And which platform should you choose for talent acquisition? Let’s consider the pros and cons of both solutions.
Job and talent search on Indeed
Indeed has been one of the market’s most widely recognized job boards since 2004. It aggregates job postings from company websites, career pages, and staffing agencies into one easily searchable database.
What is Indeed?
Indeed is a dominant platform for job seekers worldwide who can browse opportunities without the distractions of networking features or content feeds. With over 300 million unique visitors per month, this platform provides applicants with a large volume of job listings.
Benefits of Indeed for job seekers
If you’re looking for a job, Indeed can help you upload your resume or build one on the platform. This platform allows you to browse not only job opportunities across industries and companies but also salary information. It may help you discover your earning potential in various job positions.
If you’ve found a job, you don’t need to delete your CV. You can just close your profile, so employers won’t see it until you open it back.
Benefits of Indeed for recruiting
As a recruiter using Indeed, you can reach a broad audience quickly, which is especially useful for mass hiring. The platform provides you with a searchable database of millions of CVs so you can find candidates who meet their specific requirements. Its filters let you search by job title, location, salary range, and more.
Indeed automates the screening process, lets you advertise job openings, and eases interview scheduling.
On top of that, the platform offers a straightforward pay-per-click model, allowing you to control your budget. According to it, you pay only for those candidates who have scheduled an interview.
What’s more, Indeed is a good place to strengthen your brand. It collects information about companies worldwide, allowing your business to shine in the eyes of potential candidates as well.
Finally, Indeed offers a referral program that encourages employees to refer potential candidates, usually through a reward or referral bonus.
How much does Indeed cost?
Indeed is free for job seekers. You can apply for jobs without any associated costs. Recruiters can post jobs either for free or by using Sponsored Job postings. The latter starts at $5 per day or $150 per month, depending on your hiring needs.
Sponsored Jobs lets you set the specific criteria for candidates and pay only for those who meet your requirements. You can start and stop the Sponsored Jobs option at any time.
Job and talent search on LinkedIn
With a staggering 1 billion users worldwide, today, LinkedIn provides endless opportunities for searching, networking, lead generation, and professional branding.
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a professional platform designed to help individuals and companies connect, exchange valuable information, and open new career pathways.
LinkedIn’s primary goal is to help people connect, build meaningful business relationships, and, I would dare to say, show off professionally.
But if you want to use LinkedIn specifically for job hunting or talent acquisition, you may choose one of its premium plans — LinkedIn Recruiter or LinkedIn Career.
Benefits of LinkedIn for job seekers
Candidates wanting to stand out through networking, opinion leadership, or direct connections with recruiters will find LinkedIn invaluable. You can create a competitive profile, support it with a compelling portfolio, and strengthen your skills all under one roof.
While choosing a LinkedIn Career Plan for a job search, you get regular job recommendations based on your skills and experience.
What’s more, LinkedIn allows you to network with recruiters and reach out to HR specialists directly through InMails or personalized messages.
If you need any career advice, LinkedIn is ready to provide you with AI-powered personalized recommendations. More so, the tool willingly answers the most frequent questions to help you prepare for the interview.
Benefits of LinkedIn for recruiting
LinkedIn offers both free and paid tools to make talent sourcing more effective. With a free version, you can post a job, view limited candidate profiles, and connect with potential candidates directly.
For more sophisticated headhunting, LinkedIn provides paid recruiting features. You can post an unlimited number of jobs, reach out to any candidate directly via InMails, and enjoy automatic candidate matching and recommendations.
You can hunt candidates based on advanced parameters: their geographical location, expertise, certifications, specific skills, interest level, etc.
On top of that, the LinkedIn Recruiter plan allows you to monitor the hiring process by tracking how candidates progress. And if you want your company to stand out, you can create a special Career page to highlight its benefits.
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💡 Expert note: Recruiting top talent on LinkedIn seems simple at first glance: search, connect, hire. But what if you need to view dozens of profiles a day or message all candidates in bulk? You can easily do it with automated LinkedIn lead generation tools. The only challenge is to find the tool that will keep all things natural so your LinkedIn account won’t get flagged. With the LinkedIn Automation Tool from Snov.io, for example, you can streamline the outreach without worrying about safety. The tool provides location-based proxies to prevent suspicious activity and aligns daily activity limits with LinkedIn policies. Snov.io automates candidate profile views, helps you craft personalized connection requests, and withdraws pending ones automatically if they accumulate. You can create a perfect outreach sequence based on the pre-set schedule. The tool will contact and follow up with applicants on your behalf automatically: All automated activities will go in line with LinkedIn limits without violating the platform’s policy. |
How much does LinkedIn cost?
LinkedIn offers both free and premium options. As a job seeker, you can use a free LinkedIn account just to look for best-fit companies or elaborate on your portfolio.
For advanced features, you’ll need to purchase the Premium Career plan, which now costs $39.99 per month or $239.88 annually. This subscription provides features such as insights into who viewed your profile, access to online courses, and the ability to send 5 InMails to recruiters. The good news is that you can start with a one-month free trial.
If you’re a recruiter, you can post jobs for free on LinkedIn as well. With free job postings, you can collect, filter, and manage your applicants, but your job postings will be active only for 21 days. Promoted jobs will provide you with better placement in job recommendations, faster hiring, and better management of applicants.
But if you need more comprehensive recruitment tools, you can get them through LinkedIn Recruiter packages:
- LinkedIn Recruiter Lite. Designed for individual recruiters or small teams, this plan is priced at approximately $140 per month. It includes features like 30 InMail messages per month and basic search filters.
- LinkedIn Recruiter. This plan is aimed at larger teams with more extensive hiring needs. This package costs some $1,200 per month per user. To learn the exact pricing, you need to contact sales. It offers advanced search capabilities, 150 InMail messages per month, and collaborative tools for recruitment teams.
Indeed vs. LinkedIn: Which is better for a job search?
Below, we’ll provide a comparative table of Indeed vs LinkedIn so you can better see all the features, advantages, and disadvantages of each solution for job application:
Indeed vs LinkedIn for job search
| Criteria | Indeed | |
| Purpose
|
Applying for jobs directly | Displaying qualifications and expertise
Building a professional network, connecting with other professionals, and growing skills |
| Job openings | From multiple sources | Posted by companies or people directly |
| Types of jobs | Various levels and industries | Top-level executives and professionals |
| Company reviews | Yes | Yes |
| Pros | A large number of job positions
Easy application process Search filters Job alerts Salary information Company reviews |
Powerful networking and connection opportunities
Possibilities to connect with recruiters and HR managers Career growth possibilities through learning |
| Cons | Weak networking opportunities
High competition Cases of scammy job openings |
Costly paid options
Lengthy application process |
| Pricing | Free | Free and paid options. The latter starts from $39.99 |
Our verdict:
Indeed is direct and straightforward: you just search, apply, and repeat. So, if your key goal is to simply find a job, Indeed is a go-to solution. LinkedIn, on the other hand, is more of a long-term career tool. It encourages you to build connections, interact with industry professionals, and even become a thought leader yourself.
LinkedIn vs Indeed: which is better for recruiting?
Now, let’s see how both professional platforms compare when it comes to finding top talent.
Indeed vs LinkedIn for recruiting
| Criteria | Indeed | |
| Purpose
|
Solely job postings | Displaying qualifications and expertise
Building a professional network, connecting with other professionals, and growing skills |
| Types of candidates | Active | Posted by companies or people directly |
| Candidate pool | Diverse pool of candidates | Industry-specific pool of candidates with professional profiles |
| Search filters | Basic | Advanced with precise talent targeting |
| Outreach opportunities | Limited
|
Extensive. Recruiters and HR managers can contact candidates directly through LinkedIn messages or InMails |
| Company positioning | Basic possibilities | Advanced possibilities for company positioning (company and product pages, company postings, etc.) |
| Analytics | Basic | Comprehensive analytics for job postings and hiring insights |
| Pros | Simplicity in use
A giant resume database Cost-effectiveness Referral program |
Detailed profiles
Outreach and networking opportunities Comprehensive analytics Learning opportunities for recruiters Integration with an extensive number of tools |
| Cons | Weak outreach and networking possibilities
No learning possibilities for recruiters Limited possibilities of integration with other tools |
Costly paid plans that allow using the platform’s advanced features
The process of finding candidates can be lengthy |
| Pricing | Free and paid options. Paid plans start from $5 per day or $150 per month | Free and paid options. Paid plans for recruiting start from approximately $140 per month |
Our verdict:
Indeed works fine for entry-level positions or industries where applications are often high in number but lower in specialization. Yet, the platform’s focus on active job seekers can limit access to passive, highly specialized talent.
LinkedIn comes in handy with its advanced search filters and direct messaging features to connect with both active and passive candidates. The biggest plus of LinkedIn is that you can easily integrate it with your ATS platform or CRM. With the right LinkedIn automation software, you’ll only streamline the recruitment outreach.
Best practices for using Indeed and LinkedIn for job search
No matter which platform you choose for finding a job, the following basic recommendations will help you apply and get a position:
Optimize your resume/profile
Both the CV you post on Indeed and your LinkedIn profile should look professional and complete. Specify your top skills and create a winning portfolio that would draw the recruiter’s attention. In our free guide, you’ll find the best tips on how to create a winning LinkedIn profile.
Do company research
If you use Indeed, read company reviews before applying and pay attention to Indeed’s rating to find a better organization. On LinkedIn, visit a company page or check employee insights to learn more about the company culture and trends.
Set up job alerts
You can do it both on Indeed and on LinkedIn. By doing this, you’ll be able to get notifications when employers post relevant jobs and apply for them without delay. On Indeed, for instance, early applicants have more chances of being noticed by recruiters.
Be consistent
Finding a job can be tough, but not for self-disciplined applicants. You don’t need to monitor Indeed or LinkedIn 24/7. Dedicate at least 15 minutes of your daily time to job search, but do it every day. Consistency increases your chances of getting hired.
Learn from insights
Whether you choose Indeed or LinkedIn, don’t stop learning. Indeed can provide you with valuable insights on how to prepare for interviews. LinkedIn, in turn, offers invaluable courses that will help you grow your skills and gain more credibility in the eyes of potential employers.
Follow up
Even though Indeed doesn’t offer such networking opportunities as LinkedIn, some employers allow candidates to message them on the platform. And if not, you can always use LinkedIn to find someone’s profile, connect, and reach out to a hiring manager.
Best practices for using Indeed and LinkedIn for recruiters
Whether you use Indeed or LinkedIn for talent acquisition, keep in mind the following tips that will help you build a strong hiring pipeline:
Create clear job descriptions
Ensure they highlight required skills and qualifications, display your company culture, and contain the relevant keywords for better visibility. Remember that both Indeed and LinkedIn provide AI tools that can help you craft compelling descriptions of available vacancies.
Build a strong company image
Remember, much depends on your company’s positioning. Candidates will review your company’s information and research its policy, culture, and trends. Strengthen your brand image by sharing valuable content and engaging with insights and updates so your company wins the competition and gets top talent.
Engage with candidates
Though it’s easier to communicate on LinkedIn than on Indeed, you can leverage the latter for consistent engagement with applicants. You can set up automated responses when the application has been received or tune the messaging so candidates can contact you.
LinkedIn allows you to personalize connection requests and messages to build stronger relationships with candidates. Meanwhile, with Snov.io, you can build a chain of automated interactions, ensuring every applicant gets timely follow-ups and feels valued.
Use referral programs
Encourage current employees to refer potential candidates from their pool of contacts. You can use referral programs both on Indeed and LinkedIn. Offer referral bonuses or other incentives to employees for drawing qualified candidates.
Leverage analytics
Both Indeed and LinkedIn provide you with analytics tools that let you track how your hiring process goes. If you use Indeed, monitor your job openings, track candidates’ responses, and see how they move through the hiring pipeline. On LinkedIn, get insights into candidates’ profiles and how they interact with your job postings, and monitor hiring trends.
Key takeaways
Indeed and LinkedIn will both help you get a dream job or hire top talent. If you need to fill roles quickly or hire at scale without spending all your money, Indeed is a solid choice. But if you’re a job seeker looking to build connections with your dream employer or a recruiter searching for a top executive, LinkedIn offers more. It’s built for networking and finding candidates who stand out.
And if you want to build long-lasting relationships with candidates or recruiters but can’t afford to spend months on communication, Snov.io is here to lend a hand. With its LinkedIn automation features, your hiring or job search process becomes smarter and more efficient.
