LinkedIn takes style tips from Facebook, Twitter for premium refresh

 The option to add a custom profile background, among other visual enhancements in store, is being treated as a special privilege for the time being.

In the process, the professional social network has noticeably picked up some style tips from its competition, hinting at a new normal (as far as the user interface is concerned) when it comes to social media.

Much like Twitter most recently, preceded by Facebook and Google+, LinkedIn has implemented a widescreen background motif, reinforcing the brand conveyed by both the user and the company he or she represents.

However, the option to add a custom profile background, among other visual enhancements in store, is being treated as a special privilege for the time being.

Interested LinkedIn users can apply to a designated wait list for the time being until support is extended to all members.

The Mountain View, Calif.-headquartered company introduced a few other upgrades and additions to attract more employers and prospective hires to the paid program.

For new members, or even just modest introverts, the profile set-up page has been outfitted with personalized suggestions intended to help these profiles stand out and boost them to the top of the heap.

LinkedIn is also launching a new entry-level subscription offering, dubbed Premium Spotlight.

Details were minimal at launch time, but LinkedIn product manager Dmitry Shevelenko remarked in a blog post on Wednesday that the starter option is aimed at "ambitious professionals who are looking to take their career to the next level."

Premium Spotlight will include a number of features that will be entreated to higher tiers on the subscription scale, including access to a full 90-day list of "Who’s Viewed Your Profile" and maintaining open access to one's profile so anyone on the network of 300 million and counting can find it.