Free to Join: Individuals can join LinkedIn for free. There is also a premium membership offered for individuals for $29.99 per month. The Premium membership has a 30-day free trial and allows you to:

Send message to recruiters
Be placed at the top of application lists as a "featured applicant"
See who viewed your profile and the search they used to locate you
Show you how you rank compared to other job applications based on experience, skill level, and education

No Fee for Jobs: LinkedIn does not track who is hired for specific jobs advertised on its site and does not charge a fee or percentage on any work a freelancer receives. Large Membership: LinkedIn claims to have 380 million members in over 200 countries. LinkedIn calls itself "The world's largest professional network." Variety: LinkedIn members post a lot of freelance jobs for a variety of fields. A recent search using only the keyword "freelance" showed 258,757 available jobs spanning multiple industries, including writers, web designers, software designers, photographers, and project managers. Training: LinkedIn has blogs, articles, and slideshow presentations from its members about how to improve your chances of getting hired and how to recruit employees. Guaranteed Applicants: For a company that posts a job on LinkedIn and chooses from a drop-down list of available companies and industries, LinkedIn guarantees at least 10 applicants will apply for that job. Branding Assistance: LinkedIn tracks who viewed your profile and provides tips for increasing your outreach to potential employers/customers. The site also gives you key milestones for the people in your connections list, such as work anniversaries and promotions, which allows you to increase your communication with potential employers. Varied Networking Opportunities: LinkedIn has over one million members who post articles or blog on the site to connect with other members of their industries and to attract new customers. You can add links to your profile on LinkedIn to your work, including any articles or blog postings you have online, so recruiters and companies can see what you do. Members can follow companies to find out the latest news about their growth and hiring prospects. There are also multiple discussion groups on LinkedIn for freelancers that members can join. Mobile App: LinkedIn has an app that allows members to access their profile and network of connections, plus search and apply for jobs from their smart phones.

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The Bad

No oversight or tracking of jobs
Difficult to contact
No company ratings

No Oversight or Tracking of Jobs: LinkedIn is not set up specifically for freelance workers or the employers who hire them. The company does not keep track of job progress, provide a way to securely pay freelance employees or provide dispute resolution. LinkedIn's User Agreement states you access other members' websites and content at your own risk and that LinkedIn is not liable for the activities of third parties. Unlike some other freelance sites, you will not be able to track your earnings or view your history of in progress, or completed projects. Having the ability to track the number of jobs they have done and their earnings is very helpful for freelancers who have to pay taxes on their earnings. Difficult to Contact: Locating the Help section on LinkedIn's website takes some searching. Once you do find it, you have to make at least one search through the help center's topics before you can contact customer support. The only option to contact support is via email. There are no phone numbers listed to reach someone should you have an issue with a member or a company on the site or should there be a technical problem. Recent postings in the Help Forum of LinkedIn's site also point to an issue with members' postings being moved from discussions to job postings when they are not job related. Glitches in the system that create inaccurate postings for jobs may slow job seekers down in their search for employment. No Company Ratings: LinkedIn members do not have an option to rate or review their experience working for companies that post job openings on the site. If members could rate companies on whether they pay promptly and how their rates compare to other companies hiring for similar work, applicants could use the ratings to target the best companies to approach for freelance work.

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The Bottom Line

LinkedIn is an excellent resource for networking and searching for job opportunities. With 380 million members and hundreds of thousands of job postings, it provides a means for freelancers to network with colleagues and prospective employers. Freelancers can also post links to their work in their profiles and contribute articles, slide shows, and post to discussion groups to broaden their reach to potential customers. Although LinkedIn has the membership and the job listings that make it an attractive resource for freelancers, you are on your own when negotiating with potential employers, or if there are issues with payment or disputes over your work product. Because LinkedIn provides no assistance for freelancers should problems arise with a customer, this site might be best for experienced freelancers who know how to set up contracts with customers, arrange for secure payment options, and negotiate favorable payment terms. If you are new to freelancing, you may want to start with a site that provides more support and will assist with dispute resolutions rather than using LinkedIn to find work.

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Charlotte P Herriman, UT

I used LinkedIn to stay connected with past colleagues that had moved on and to see what other companies were out there and what they had to offer. It was a way for companies to look at your accomplishments and offer you jobs based on whether your profile matched up with what they were looking for. It was a good way to collaborate with other like minded business people. Now, it's just another social media site where people share family photos and motivational mems...I have Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok for that kind of stuff I don't need to get onto LinkedIn and see a picture that was taken of a dying grandmother, or your kids first day at school.

4 years ago

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Lindsay Fritts San Diego, CA

While I think Linkedin is great for connecting professionals, I don't love the website itself. You get lost trying to look for things and most people have paid accounts so you can't reach out unless you pay.

7 years ago

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Glenn Dalton Salt Lake City, UT

lots of contacts and easy to access and use. Not much results from any contacts, basically a social chat with limited connections developed.

4 years ago