LinkedIn has become one of the most popular platforms for job seekers and recruiters. With over 740 million members worldwide, LinkedIn offers access to a massive professional network and a wealth of job opportunities. However, many job seekers wonder – is my job search activity on LinkedIn really private?
What LinkedIn profile information is public?
When you create a LinkedIn profile, certain information is visible to anyone by default. This includes:
- Your name
- Headline
- Profile photo
- Location
- Industry
- Connections
- Posts and articles you’ve shared
So anyone who views your profile can see this basic information. However, the full details of your work experience, education, skills, accomplishments, recommendations etc. are not public by default.
Adjusting your LinkedIn privacy settings
LinkedIn does allow you to control what parts of your profile are visible to different audiences. Here’s an overview of the main privacy settings:
- Public profile: Fully visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn. This is the default setting.
- Connections only: Visible only to your 1st-degree connections.
- Select connections: Visible only to connections you specifically pick.
- Only you: Parts of your profile are totally private and not visible to anyone else.
So you can tweak these settings to limit what recruiters, colleagues, and other LinkedIn members can see. For maximum privacy, set profile sections like experience, education, skills, etc. to “Only you”.
Is your job search activity private by default?
When you start actively searching for jobs on LinkedIn, certain actions and signals become visible.
For example:
- Recruiters are notified when you view their profile or job postings.
- You appear in ‘People Also Viewed’ sections of other profiles.
- You may show up in recruiter searches within their price range.
So by default, your job hunting activities are not 100% private. However, there are steps you can take to be more discreet:
- Toggle your “Open to Work” setting to “No” or only visible to recruiters.
- Be selective about who you connect with. Don’t accept connection requests from random recruiters.
- Use anonymous browsing to research people and jobs incognito.
Who can see that you’ve applied for jobs?
When you formally submit job applications through LinkedIn, your activity becomes more visible. Here’s who can see that you’ve applied:
| Can See You’ve Applied | Details |
|---|---|
| Hiring manager | Sees full application and profile. |
| Other employees | May see you applied but not full application. |
| Your connections | Notified when you apply to jobs at their company. |
| Recruiters | Recruiters you’ve engaged with may see you’ve applied. |
| Other applicants | Can’t see your application or identity. |
So when you formally apply for a job, it does become much more visible across LinkedIn. The hiring manager, recruiters, employees, and your own connections may be aware.
Tips to keep your job search private
If you want to keep your job search under the radar, here are some tips:
- Research jobs anonymously in private browsing mode.
- Adjust your LinkedIn settings to hide your openness to work.
- Be conservative about applying formally – use informal outreach instead.
- Don’t connect with recruiters you don’t know or trust.
- Ask trusted connections not to share that you’re looking.
- Remove connections you don’t want seeing your activity.
While you won’t have complete privacy, being cautious about these aspects can help you be discreet.
Should you make your job search invisible?
While it’s understandable to want a private job search, visibility can also work in your favor. Here are some potential pros of being open about your search on LinkedIn:
- Recruiters may proactively contact you about good roles.
- Your network can surface hidden opportunities.
- Hiring managers see you’re motivated to make a change.
- Being passive may miss some great openings.
- Others can advocate for you within their companies.
So evaluate whether it’s worth curbing visibility to be discreet, or if you can enlist your network’s help by being more transparent. Either approach can be effective.
Is LinkedIn tracking your external job search?
LinkedIn does not have any visibility into your job search activity on other sites or offline. For example:
- Applying directly on a company’s website – LinkedIn can’t see this.
- Interviewing or networking calls – not tracked by LinkedIn.
- Working with external recruiters – remains private.
Any search efforts outside of LinkedIn’s platform remain confidential. LinkedIn’s data is limited to how you use LinkedIn itself.
Can you see who viewed your LinkedIn profile?
LinkedIn does allow paid account holders to see limited information on who has viewed their profile. Here’s what’s available:
- How many profile views you received in past 90 days.
- Industry and location of viewers.
- Recent viewers who are not connections.
- Anonymous list of people that viewed you.
However, you can’t see exactly who looked at your profile. The data is aggregated and anonymized for privacy. Recruiters with paid accounts may have more visibility into who specifically viewed a profile.
Does LinkedIn notify your employer?
LinkedIn will never proactively notify your employer that you are searching for jobs. However, here are some scenarios where your employer may still find out:
- A recruiter or hiring manager mentions reaching out to you.
- You connect with many people at a particular company.
- You disappear for interviews during work hours.
- Your activity is visible to current coworkers.
- You announce a new job on LinkedIn.
So while LinkedIn won’t tell your boss, increased activity during work hours or communicating with competitors’ employees may inadvertently tip them off. Be cautious about when and who you connect with.
Should you notify your employer before starting a search?
There are pros and cons to informing your employer that you plan to look for a new job:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| – Shows courtesy and professionalism | – Manager may feel betrayed or disappointed |
| – Allows smoothing out the transition | – Risk of being denied promotions or projects |
| – Can gracefully negotiate duties | – May need to continue working there if search fails |
| – Keeps relationship intact | – Word may spread quickly through office gossip |
Consider your manager’s personality, company culture, and job market when deciding if and when to disclose your plans.
Handling the resignation discussion
If you do plan to tell your manager you’re looking, some tips include:
- Frame it as wanting new challenges vs. dissatisfaction.
- Assure them you’ll maintain your current performance.
- Offer to help transition projects or hire your replacement.
- Say you’d prefer discretion until a new role is secured.
- Emphasize appreciation for opportunities you’ve had.
With empathy and care, you can preserve the relationship even when moving on. Be thoughtful about handling sensitive employment conversations.
Conclusion
While a completely invisible job search on LinkedIn is very difficult, you can take steps to be more discreet. Adjust your settings, be selective about connecting, and use anonymous browsing when possible. However, some visibility can also work in your favor to surface hidden opportunities. Determine the right balance for your situation between privacy and visibility. With a methodical approach, you can conduct an effective yet confidential LinkedIn job search.
