When posting a job on LinkedIn, recruiters often wonder if they can see who the applicants are that have applied. LinkedIn does provide some visibility into applicants, but there are limitations on what information recruiters can access.
LinkedIn’s Applicant Privacy Policy
LinkedIn has measures in place to protect the privacy of applicants that apply to jobs posted on their platform. Their privacy policy states that they will not share any personal identifying information about applicants with recruiters or hiring managers without the applicant’s consent.
This means that recruiters posting jobs on LinkedIn will not see the full profiles or any contact information for applicants unless those applicants choose to share that information.
What Recruiters Can See About Applicants
While recruiters can’t see full profiles, LinkedIn does provide some basic visibility into who is applying for posted roles. Here is what information recruiters can see about their applicants on LinkedIn:
- Number of applicants
- Where applicants are located (city/state level)
- Where applicants work currently (company name only)
- Applicants’ industry
- Applicants’ years of experience
- Applicants’ education levels
- Applicants’ LinkedIn skills and endorsements
This allows recruiters to view de-identified applicant data to see what types of candidates their job posting is attracting. It can help them identify if they are getting applicants with the desired experience levels and backgrounds.
When Recruiters See Full Profiles
Recruiters will only see the full LinkedIn profiles of applicants under certain conditions:
- The applicant chooses to share their full profile with the recruiter directly
- The applicant has applied on LinkedIn and granted profile access to that specific employer
- The recruiter gets access if the applicant progresses to later stages of the hiring process
- The applicant’s profile settings allow their full profile to be visible to all LinkedIn members
Most applicants choose to keep their full profiles private until they are further along in the recruitment process. So recruiters should not expect to see full profiles for all applicants unless applicants choose to share them.
Contacting Anonymous Applicants
If recruiters want to reach out and contact applicants directly, there are a couple options if the full profile is not visible:
- Send an InMail message – This goes to the applicant even without a full profile
- Use recruiter messaging – Applicants receive messages and can choose to respond anonymously or share their info
- Request profile access – Recruiter can send a request to view the applicant’s full profile
Many applicants may not feel comfortable sharing their full profiles right away. Recruiters should be prepared to communicate with applicants anonymously at first if they want to make contact.
Screening and Managing Anonymous Applicants
Not being able to see full profiles for applicants creates challenges for screening and tracking applicants through the recruitment process. Here are some tips for recruiters:
- Review the available applicant data carefully to screen for desired experience levels, skills, and other attributes
- Use Excel or an ATS to track and organize the limited applicant data available
- Rank/prioritize applicants for follow up based on the information you do have access to
- Customize recruiter messages and InMail templates to provide key information applicants need about the role, hiring process, etc.
- Constantly monitor the applicant pipeline for new applicants and changes in existing applicants’ data
While limited, taking advantage of the applicant data that is available can help recruiters be proactive reaching out to and screening applicants even without full profiles.
Why Applicant Privacy is Important
While recruiter visibility is restricted, this applicant privacy policy benefits both applicants and recruiters in a few key ways:
- Lets applicants apply safely without concern their current employer will find out
- Gives applicants more control over when and how they share their information
- Encourages more applicants to apply due to privacy protections
- Generates higher quality leads since applicants know their data is protected
- Creates a fair process by having recruiters focus on applicant qualifications rather than personal details
Applicant privacy makes LinkedIn a safer platform for quality candidates to connect with opportunities. And by focusing on applicant skills rather than personal details, it encourages unbiased recruiting.
Increasing Applicant Visibility
If recruiters want more visibility into the full pool of applicants, there are a few options:
- Communicate the value proposition of roles clearly to encourage profile sharing
- Build the employer brand on LinkedIn to attract applicants
- Promote the company culture to showcase why applicants should want to work there
- Spotlight career growth opportunities applicants can gain
- Highlight any benefits or perks that will appeal to applicants
- Provide ample information upfront about the interview process and expectations
- Use recruiter messaging to have personalized conversations with applicants and build trust
- Ask applicants directly if they’d be willing to share their full profiles
By taking steps to appeal to applicants as an attractive employer, recruiters are more likely to gain visibility as applicants become more engaged in the process.
Third Party Sourcing Integration
Some recruiters use third-party sourcing tools integrated with LinkedIn to identify and source potential candidates separately from the applicant tracking on LinkedIn. This can provide more visibility into full profiles.
However, sourcing tools still have to abide by LinkedIn policies. Any users or tools violating applicant privacy guidelines risk having API access revoked by LinkedIn.
Sourcing integrations can provide value identifying prospects, but recruiters should be careful not to improperly access applicant data.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key points for recruiters on applicant visibility on LinkedIn:
- LinkedIn protects full applicant profiles and contact details by default
- Recruiters can see some useful but limited applicant data like experience level and location
- Full profiles are only seen if explicitly shared by the applicant
- Effective screening and communication is still possible with limited data
- Building employer brand and value proposition encourages applicant openness
- Any tools used should respect applicant privacy settings on LinkedIn
While the lack of full visibility can create some challenges, recruiters can still effectively leverage LinkedIn to source and manage applicants. With some adaptions to process and messaging, recruiters can work within LinkedIn’s applicant privacy framework.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can recruiters see if an applicant has viewed their LinkedIn profile?
No, recruiters cannot see if an applicant has viewed their profile. This would reveal that the person applied, violating the privacy policy.
Are applicants notified when a recruiter views their profile?
Applicants will only be notified if a recruiter views their full profile with their consent. General profile views do not trigger notifications.
Can I export the list of applicants from LinkedIn?
No, LinkedIn does not allow exporting or downloading applicant data in bulk. You can only view applicant information on an individual basis.
What are the risks of using an external sourcing tool with LinkedIn?
Scraping data or accessing private profiles risks violating terms of service. LinkedIn may revoke API access rendering the integration useless.
Conclusion
LinkedIn aims to provide recruiters just enough applicant visibility to evaluate candidates and make outreach meaningful, while protecting applicant privacy. Recruiters must work within these restrictions and adjust processes accordingly. However, by fostering an appealing employer brand and candidate experience, recruiters can still excel at sourcing on LinkedIn despite limited visibility.
Applicant Data Visible to Recruiters | Applicant Data Not Visible to Recruiters |
---|---|
Number of applicants | Full profile details |
Applicant location | Contact information |
Current company | Exact current job title |
Industry | Full work history |
Years of experience | Education details |
Skills and endorsements | Photo |