Being able to see who has viewed your LinkedIn profile or applied to jobs you have posted can provide valuable insights into your talent pipeline. However, this level of visibility into your LinkedIn activity requires a premium account.
LinkedIn Recruiter Access
The most comprehensive way to see applicants on LinkedIn is with a Recruiter license. LinkedIn Recruiter allows you to access the full LinkedIn network, search profiles using advanced filters, view full profiles of people outside your network, and see anonymous applicants to jobs. Here are some of the key features of LinkedIn Recruiter for viewing applicants:
- See everyone who has applied to jobs you have posted, even if they are not in your network
- Filter and search for applicants by skill, location, experience level, and more
- View detailed profiles of applicants that contain full work history, skills, education, and more
- Save applicant searches to be notified when new prospects matching your criteria appear
- Integrate with your ATS or HRIS system to manage candidates
LinkedIn Recruiter is available in three tiers – Professional, Corporate, and Enterprise – which offer varying levels of access, data, and integrations depending on the needs of your business. Pricing starts at around $8,000 per year for the Professional tier.
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
For small businesses and individuals, LinkedIn offers Recruiter Lite as a more affordable way to access some applicant tracking features. With Recruiter Lite you can:
- See who has applied to jobs you have posted
- View profiles of applicants outside your network
- Filter applicants by date applied, experience level, and a few other filters
- Manually move applicants through tracking stages
Recruiter Lite costs $99 per month with an annual contract. It does not provide the advanced search filters, talent pool management, or ATS integrations that the full Recruiter tiers offer.
LinkedIn Premium Business Accounts
LinkedIn’s Premium Business accounts provide some limited visibility into applicants compared to Recruiter licenses. With a Business Plus or Sales Navigator Team account, you can:
- See the number of applicants to jobs you have posted
- View profiles of applicants that are outside your network
- Filter applicants by date applied, current company, and location
However, you do not have access to the full profiles, advanced search filters, or tracking capabilities of Recruiter products. Premium Business accounts start at around $60 per user per month when billed annually.
Seeing Who’s Viewed Your Profile
In addition to seeing applicants to posted jobs, Premium accounts also allow you to see who has viewed your own LinkedIn profile. This can help identify prospective candidates who are interested in you or your company. To see who has viewed your profile with a Premium account:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile
- Click on the number next to the “Who’s viewed your profile” section
- This will show you a list of up to 500 people (anonymous if they are not connections) who have viewed you in the past 90 days
- You can filter the list by criteria like location and industry
Other Ways to See LinkedIn Applicants
If you want to evaluate applicants but don’t have access to Recruiter or Premium accounts, there are a few other options:
- Ask applicants to add you as a connection so you can view their full profiles
- Use free LinkedIn filters to search for prospects matching job criteria
- View publicly available profiles of applicants, keeping in mind these may not include full work history
- Ask applicants to apply through your company site or ATS as well as LinkedIn
- Request recommendations and referrals from your employees and networks to uncover potential fits
Conclusion
Having visibility into who is viewing and applying for jobs is a key talent acquisition capability. While LinkedIn’s Recruiter and Premium products provide the most robust applicant tracking features, there are also alternative approaches to evaluate applicants if budget is a constraint. Focus on sourcing quality prospects through search, referrals and direct outreach to build a pipeline of potential candidates for current and future roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between LinkedIn Recruiter and Premium?
LinkedIn Recruiter is designed specifically for recruiting professionals, with features like applicant tracking, advanced search, talent pool management, and ATS integrations. Premium is for general business use, with more limited applicant visibility and no specialized recruiting features.
What if I already have a Premium account?
You can upgrade an existing Premium account to LinkedIn Recruiter. Contact the LinkedIn sales team to understand the differences in features and pricing.
Can I see who viewed my profile with a free account?
No, seeing who has viewed your profile requires a Premium account. With a free account you can only see aggregate profile view numbers.
Does Recruiter Lite provide the same features as Recruiter?
No, Recruiter Lite has limited capabilities focused mainly on applicant tracking. The full Recruiter product provides much more advanced features and integrations tailored for recruitment professionals.
Can I export applicant data from LinkedIn?
Yes, with a Recruiter license you can export applicant information and profiles to an ATS or HRIS using integrations. You can also manually export limited applicant data with Recruiter Lite and Premium accounts.
Example LinkedIn Applicant Tracking Table
| Applicant Name | Position | Date Applied | Current Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Smith | Senior Engineer | 9/20/2022 | Resume Review |
| Sarah Davis | Product Manager | 9/18/2022 | Phone Screen |
| Michael Brown | Software Developer | 9/15/2022 | Technical Interview |
