Aren't messages the only point of LinkedIn? You create a profile which is basically your CV, set it to "looking for work", and wait for recruiters to message you, right?
I've switched off the "looking for work" after the n-th recruiter who hadn't even bothered reading my profile. I was under the impression that LinkedIn should also work as a social network for people to "word of mouth" recommend each other, or openings at wherever they work, but all I got was "coach" and "courses" type spam.