LinkedIn has become one of the most popular platforms for professionals to network, build their personal brand, and explore new career opportunities. With over 740 million members worldwide, it’s no surprise that many employees use LinkedIn to search for jobs or connect with recruiters while still employed. This raises an important question – can your current employer see that you are job searching on LinkedIn? The short answer is maybe. Here’s a more in-depth look at how much visibility employers have into employees’ LinkedIn activity.
LinkedIn’s privacy settings
LinkedIn has several privacy settings that allow members to control what their connections and wider network can see about their activity on the platform. This includes settings like:
- Profile viewing options – controls who can see your LinkedIn profile and how much of your profile they can see
- Activity broadcasts – controls whether your connections receive notifications when you like/comment on posts or make new connections
- Sharing profile edits – controls whether your connections are notified when you update your profile
- Visibility of Recommendations – controls whether Recommendations you’ve written for others are visible to your network
By adjusting these settings, you can limit the visibility of some of your activity on LinkedIn. However, there are still ways your employer may be able to see that you are job searching on the platform.
Searching for jobs on LinkedIn
When you search for jobs on LinkedIn, this activity is private by default. Your connections will not be able to see that you’ve searched for jobs or applied to any postings. However, some caveats include:
- Employers may be able to see anonymous, aggregated data about how many people have searched or applied for their postings.
- If you apply for a job through LinkedIn, the employer will obviously know you are job searching.
- You may appear as a suggested candidate for roles at your employer if you have listed skills that match the job description. Employers may be able to tell you are open to new roles if you are suggested frequently.
Connecting with recruiters
If you connect with recruiters from other companies, your current employer will not receive a notification or be able to see these new connections. However, here are some ways the employer may still find out:
- If your employer follows you on LinkedIn, they may notice recruiters appearing in your connections list
- You may accidentally mention a recruiter’s name or company in communications with co-workers
- Your employer may see anonymous data that you have engaged with employees of certain companies on LinkedIn
Updating your profile
Adjusting your LinkedIn profile to indicate you are job searching – for example by adding “Open to new opportunities” to your bio – will not notify your employer or connections if your profile visibility is limited. However, here are some risks:
- If your employer or co-workers are following you on LinkedIn, they will likely see profile changes
- Your employer may notice changes if they regularly check employees’ LinkedIn profiles
- If you forgot to turn off activity sharing, your connections may be notified of major profile edits
Engaging with other companies
Vigorously engaging with other companies’ LinkedIn pages by liking, commenting, sharing posts, etc can signal that you may be interested in job opportunities there. However, your employer is unlikely to notice unless:
- Your employer closely monitors their employees’ LinkedIn activity
- You forget to turn off sharing settings, leading to notifications when you engage with posts
- You engage with employees of a key competitor, which your employer may find suspicious
In summary
Here are some best practices to keep your job search private on LinkedIn:
- Double check your profile and activity sharing settings
- Be cautious when connecting with recruiters
- Don’t mention recruiters or other companies by name to co-workers
- If you update your profile, turn sharing off and remove openings publicly visible for long
- Engage normally with companies – don’t go on a liking/commenting spree
While not completely invisible, you can take steps to keep your employer in the dark about your job search activities on LinkedIn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my current employer see if I view other company pages on LinkedIn?
No, your employer cannot see which company pages you view on LinkedIn. Viewing a company page does not notify your connections or employer. The exception is if the employer has enabled LinkedIn’s Company Page analytics. In this case, they may be able to see aggregate, anonymous information about how many LinkedIn members viewed their page. However, your individual identity would not be revealed.
Can my employer see if I follow their company on LinkedIn?
No. Following or unfollowing your employer’s company page is not shared or made visible to them. The exception is if you use a company email address associated with your employer to follow their page. In this case, some analytics on followership by company email domain may be available to them.
Is it safe to connect with recruiters from my employer’s competitors?
Connecting with recruiters at competing companies carries some risk. Your employer will not be notified of the connection. However, the connection may be visible if your employer checks your profile regularly. Some precautions include turning off your share new connections setting and only connecting with recruiters at competitors you may genuinely be interested in.
Can my employer tell if I get messages from recruiters?
No, your employer will not receive any notification or be able to track messages you receive from recruiters on LinkedIn. This communication is private. The risk is if you accidentally reference the messages in communications your employer can see or leave the messages open on your screen at work.
What happens if I accidentally apply for a job opening at my employer?
If you accidentally apply for a job at your current employer on LinkedIn, they will obviously be able to see this. You may want to withdraw your application as soon as possible and prepare to explain the situation to your manager or HR department. Mistakenly applying for an internal role that closely matches your current one may not be a significant issue, but take care when applying for roles you are not qualified for at your employer.
Job Searching Do’s and Don’ts on LinkedIn
Here are some key do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when leveraging LinkedIn during your job search:
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Turn off settings that share profile edits and new connections | Leave settings on that broadcast all your LinkedIn activity |
| Be selective when connecting with recruiters | Connect with every recruiter that contacts you |
| Wait to update your profile until you are ready to start searching | Update your profile months in advance and leave obvious clues |
| Engage normally with company pages | Go on an obvious liking/commenting spree on competitors’ pages |
Following these tips will allow you to leverage LinkedIn’s opportunities while maintaining your privacy!
Comparing LinkedIn’s Job Search Features
LinkedIn provides several options for finding and applying to jobs. Here is an overview of some of the main job search features:
| Feature | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs search page | – Huge variety of postings – Can filter/sort by preferences |
– Not all companies post here – Need to apply on company site |
| Easy Apply postings | – Super quick application process – Some screening and matching built-in |
– Less detail on postings – Can’t customize application |
| Recruiter messages | – Personalized opportunities – Recruiter screens candidates |
– Quantity of contacts can be overwhelming |
| Career Pages | – Learn about company culture/values – Internal postings visible |
– Need to visit each site individually – Postings may not be current |
Consider leveraging a mix of these options to maximize the quantity and quality of roles you discover during your job search.
Tips for Assessing Your LinkedIn Visibility
Wondering how visible your LinkedIn activity and job searching efforts are to your employer? Here are some tips:
- View your own profile in incognito mode – This will show you what your public profile looks like to others.
- Check your sharing settings – Toggle notifications on/off for profile edits, new connections, recommendations, etc.
- Review activity broadcasts – Scroll through your feed to see what types of notifications are being generated.
- Ask someone to check your profile – Have a friend or colleague view your profile to confirm what is visible.
- Temporarily disconnect – Disconnect from your employer and search for jobs freely for a short period.
Staying on top of your LinkedIn visibility and settings is crucial to keeping your job search discreet.
Conclusion
LinkedIn can be a valuable tool for discovering new job opportunities and connecting with recruiters. However, employees need to be cautious about keeping their job search activities private from their current employer. By taking advantage of LinkedIn’s security settings, being selective when connecting with others, and maintaining profiles/activity judiciously, job seekers can reap the benefits of LinkedIn without jeopardizing their current position. Discretion and some surveillance of your own visibility are key to a confidential job search.