Are you looking for a job and need to contact someone on LinkedIn but don’t want to pay for LinkedIn Premium? Luckily, there is a loophole that allows you to send a message to someone on LinkedIn without needing a Premium account.
Vineet, an engineering manager at Google and creator of the Vijay’s Insights YouTube channel, explains this trick in a short video. However, we’ll summarize it here in written form without using any video jargon.
Typically, LinkedIn Premium is required to send a message to someone who is not your first connection on the platform. But if you and the person you want to contact are both members of the same LinkedIn group, you can send them a message through that group without needing Premium.
Here’s an example: Let’s say you want to send a message to Mohan, who is not your first connection on LinkedIn. If you try to message him directly, you’ll be prompted to purchase LinkedIn Premium. However, if you both belong to a mutual LinkedIn group, you can find him on the group’s member list and send him a message through the group without needing Premium.
This trick is especially useful during a job search. Sometimes job postings on LinkedIn include the name of the hiring manager or the person posting the job. You may also discover that someone you’re connected to knows of a job opening and want to contact them directly.
To use this trick, search for groups that you and the person you want to contact are both members of. If you don’t share any groups, consider joining a group that the person is a member of. Keep in mind that some groups have restrictions on who can join, so only join groups that you are qualified for.
It’s essential to use this trick ethically and avoid joining groups that you aren’t supposed to be a part of. For example, it’s not appropriate to join an alumni group if you never attended that school or worked for that company. However, groups like “software developers” are generally open to anyone with an interest in the field.
And there you have it – a quick and easy way to message someone on LinkedIn without Premium. Before reaching out to someone, be sure to check out Vineet’s other video about networking tips on LinkedIn. Happy job hunting!