Sales Navigator is LinkedIn’s premium sales tool that provides users with advanced searching, lead recommendations, and insights to build relationships quickly. With Sales Navigator, you can identify the right people, get introduced through common connections, send messages to build relationships, and track your interactions all in one place.
Many professionals use Sales Navigator for prospecting, connecting with leads, and building their professional network. However, some employees wonder if their employer can see their LinkedIn activity if they use Sales Navigator.
The short answer is yes, it’s possible for an employer to see an employee’s LinkedIn activity through Sales Navigator depending on the company’s access settings. However, there are some limitations on what activity is visible.
In this article, we’ll explain how employers can view employees’ LinkedIn activity with Sales Navigator and what type of activity is viewable. We’ll also provide tips on maintaining your professional privacy as an employee using Sales Navigator.
Can Employers See All LinkedIn Activity?
By default, employers cannot see all of an employee’s LinkedIn activity and profile information. LinkedIn gives users control over their privacy settings and what profile information is public or visible to connections only.
However, employers can view some LinkedIn activity and profile info if:
– The employee connects with other employees or the company on LinkedIn. The employer would then have the same view as any other connection.
– The employer uses Sales Navigator and enables “Company Page Insights.” This gives them aggregated, anonymized data on how employees engage with the company LinkedIn page.
– The employer uses Recruiter seat licenses or a Sales Navigator Corporate account. These provide more visibility into employees’ profiles and activity.
So in general, employers have limited visibility into employees’ general LinkedIn activity and profiles. But with Sales Navigator and Company Page Insights, they can gain more insight.
What Can Employers See With Sales Navigator?
If an employer has a Sales Navigator Corporate account, they have greater visibility into employees’ LinkedIn activity and profiles:
– **Profile views:** Employers can see aggregated, anonymous data on how many times employees have viewed other profiles. However, they can’t see which profiles were viewed.
– **Relationship statistics:** Employers can see anonymous stats on employees’ connections, including new connections made, connection requests sent, and accepted connection requests.
– **Company and employee profiles:** Employers can see more profile information if employees are connected to them on LinkedIn. If not connected, they can only see limited public info.
– **Posts and content activity:** Employers can see anonymous statistics on how many posts employees have liked, commented on, or shared. But they can’t see the specifics.
– **Search history:** Employers can see anonymous, aggregated search history and keywords used by employees. But they can’t attribute searches to specific employees.
So in summary, employers can gain useful insights into employees’ overall LinkedIn activity patterns, but not see specific connections, posts, or profiles viewed. Employees retain a good amount of privacy.
Limiting Employer Visibility as an Employee
If you’re concerned about your employer seeing your LinkedIn activity, here are some tips:
– **Review privacy settings:** Adjust your profile visibility and review what’s public vs. visible only to connections. Change any settings you’re uncomfortable with.
– **Be selective with connections:** Don’t connect with all coworkers and be thoughtful about connecting with managers. Connect only with those you want seeing profile info.
– **Use anonymous browsing:** Sales Navigator has an anonymous browsing setting that hides your profile when searching and viewing other profiles.
– **Remove company affiliation:** Consider removing your company name from your profile to limit corporate account visibility. You can still list your position and experience.
– **Don’t use a work email:** If you signed up for LinkedIn with a personal email, your employer won’t receive notifications or insights about your activity.
– **Pause activity if applying elsewhere:** If you’re looking for another job, consider pausing LinkedIn activity like liking or sharing posts to avoid visibility.
With some thoughtful privacy settings and choices, you can comfortably use Sales Navigator for prospecting and networking without worrying about your employer spying!
Sales Navigator Visibility for Business, Premium, and Free Accounts
The level of employer visibility depends on what type of Sales Navigator account the company has:
Sales Navigator Business and Premium Accounts
– Can see employee’s profile views, shares, follows, and search history – but only anonymized and aggregated without specifics
– Can see total # of new connections and messages sent by employees
– Limited access to employee profiles and full visibility of content activity
Sales Navigator Corporate Account
– Full visibility into all employee activity like profile views, messages, follows, and connections
– Access to more employee profile information like skills, interests, and accomplishments
– Can see specifics like who employees searched for and what content they engaged with
– Can see all employee activity attributed to each person
Free LinkedIn Account
– No special employer visibility into connections, follows, or content likes/shares
– Visibility limited to what the employee’s public profile or visibility settings allow
– Connection required between employer and employee for any profile access
– No insight into activity patterns or statistics
So Corporate Sales Navigator accounts provide the most employer visibility, while free accounts offer the least. Employees should be mindful of what account level their company has.
Sales Navigator Visibility on Mobile vs Desktop
Sales Navigator offers mobile apps for iOS and Android in addition to the desktop website. Does the platform impact what kind of activity employers can see?
In general, the employer has the same level of visibility into LinkedIn activity whether employees are using Sales Navigator on mobile or desktop. Key things to note:
Mobile App Activity Visible to Employers
– Profile views
– New connections and messages sent
– Content likes, comments, and shares
– Searches performed
– Lead and account tracking
Desktop Website Activity Visible
– All activity metrics and analytics visible on mobile
– InMail messages sent and response rates
– Desktop bookmarks and lead lists created
-TeamLink collaboration on accounts, leads, and opportunities
The desktop website offers a few additional activities that employers can gain insights into. But mobile apps provide most of the same visibility capabilities.
Sales Navigator Visibility for Free vs Premium Users
Within a company, an employer’s visibility may differ between employees using Sales Navigator for free vs those with premium paid access.
For Free Sales Navigator Users
– Employers see limited profile information
– No visibility into profile views, searches, or browsing activity
– Can only see mutual connections between employer and employee
For Premium Sales Navigator Users
– Employers can see extended profile details like skills, endorsements, and recommendations
– Visibility into anonymous, aggregated browsing and search data
– Can see statistics on new connections, content interactions, and messages
– Access to employee lead and account tracking
The premium version of Sales Navigator clearly provides greater visibility for employers into employees’ LinkedIn activity and patterns.
Does Sales Navigator Show When Employees View Your Company Page?
Yes, employers can see statistics on how many times employees have viewed the company LinkedIn page using Sales Navigator. Here’s what’s visible:
– Number of employees who have viewed the company page over time
– Trends showing page view growth among employees
– Percentage of employee base that has viewed the company page
– Comparison vs. industry benchmarks for employees viewing company pages
While employers can’t see which specific individuals viewed the company page, the aggregated statistics provide useful insights. Page views are one metric of employee engagement.
If you wish to view the company page anonymously as an employee, you can use Sales Navigator’s private mode when browsing. This hides your profile information during viewing activity.
Can Employers See if Employees Contact Customers on LinkedIn?
Employers using Sales Navigator Corporate or Recruiter accounts have visibility into messages sent by employees. However, there are limitations:
– Employers can see the total number of messages sent, such as InMails or connection requests
– The percentage of messages accepted vs rejected is also visible
– But employers cannot see the content of messages or specific recipients
So while employers can gain insights into overall messaging activity patterns, the privacy of those communications is still maintained.
If employees wish to reach out to customers or leads anonymously, they can use Sales Navigator’s private mode or opt out of employer Link statistics.
It’s also good practice for employees to use personal judgment on when to contact customers directly vs leaving it to corporate sales teams.
Sales Navigator Post Visibility for Employees
When employees interact with posts on LinkedIn, is it visible to an employer? Here’s an overview of what’s visible through Sales Navigator:
Post Interactions NOT Visible to Employers
– Specific posts liked, commented on, or shared by employees
– Content of employees’ comments or shares
– Impressions or viewers of employees’ own posts
Post Activity THAT is Visible
– Anonymized, aggregated statistics for:
– Total likes
– Comments
– Shares
– Posts created
– Trends showing changes in employee interactions
The privacy of individual posts and comments is maintained. But employers can see overall patterns in anonymized activity metrics for their workforce.
Options for Opting Out of Employer Link Tracking
As an employee, you can opt out of having your Sales Navigator activity tracked through the Admin Portal:
1. Visit the LinkedIn Admin Portal and open Settings.
2. Under Sales Insights, click “Manage visibility” next to LinkedIn Insights.
3. On the Visibility tab, toggle the setting to “No one” to disable tracking.
Alternatively, you can opt out when first installing the Sales Navigator app on mobile:
1. When prompted to allow your company to collect your usage info, tap “No Thanks.”
2. Toggle off “Share Usage Analytics” to prevent tracking.
Opting out will limit employer visibility into your specific activity patterns and metrics. However, some aggregate statistics may still appear anonymously.
Private Browsing Options in Sales Navigator
You can use Sales Navigator’s private browsing options to limit employer visibility while prospecting:
**Web Private Mode**
– Click your profile image > Settings & Privacy > Turn on private mode
– Profile and activity will not appear in LinkedIn Recruiter or Sales Insights
– Search anonymously and view profiles without alerts
**Mobile Private Mode**
– Tap Me (iOS) or profile icon (Android) > Turn on private browsing
– As above, will browse anonymously without notifications
– Disable option to reconnect with private profiles through your account
Private mode is available to all Sales Navigator users. It’s a great way to anonymously search prospects and accounts while job seeking.
Conclusion
While employers can gain some high-level insights into employees’ overall activity patterns using Sales Navigator, individual privacy is still reasonably maintained. Specific profiles, posts, and connections remain private.
Being thoughtful about what information you choose to share publicly on LinkedIn will limit corporate visibility. Adjust privacy settings, exercise judgment when connecting, and use private browsing options where helpful.
With some minor adjustments, you can comfortably use Sales Navigator to build your professional network and connect with customers. Just be aware of what information is visible to corporate accounts versus your personal connections.
