When you apply for jobs on LinkedIn, your application activity is private by default. This means that the jobs you’ve applied to will not be visible to others on LinkedIn. There are a few reasons why your applied jobs don’t show up:
Your application activity is private
LinkedIn keeps your job application activity private by default. This prevents others in your network from seeing where you have applied. LinkedIn does this to protect your privacy and avoid any potential awkwardness with your current employer if you are looking for jobs.
You’ve turned off your activity broadcasts
In your Settings & Privacy menu, you can control whether your activity is broadcasted to your network. If you have disabled your activity broadcasts, others will not be notified when you apply for jobs, make connections, etc. Double check that your activity broadcast setting is turned on if you want others to be able to see your job applications.
The employer has not made the job listing public
Some employers keep their job listings private on LinkedIn. In this case, only candidates with the direct link can see and apply for the job. Your connections will not be able to see that you’ve applied for the job since the listing itself is not public.
You’ve removed the job from your list
If you withdraw your application or remove a job from your list of applied roles, it will no longer show up under your job applications. Others will no longer be able to see that you had applied for that specific role.
You applied directly on the company’s website
If you applied for a job directly on the company’s career site, rather than through LinkedIn, it obviously won’t show up in your LinkedIn activity. Any applications outside of LinkedIn will not be tracked and visible to your network.
How to make your job applications public
If you do want your LinkedIn connections to see where you have applied, you can change a privacy setting:
- Go to your Settings & Privacy page
- Click on the Privacy tab
- Under Activity Broadcasts, turn on “Let others know when you’re actively applying for jobs”
- Click Save
This will allow your 1st degree connections to see when you apply for jobs or get interviewed/hired. However, you still won’t be able to see where your connections have applied.
Who can see your applied jobs?
Here is a breakdown of who can see your job application activity:
| Connection | Can see your applied jobs |
|---|---|
| Yourself | Yes |
| 1st degree connections | Only if you turned on activity broadcasts |
| 2nd & 3rd degree connections | No |
| Public | No |
So you, recruiters/hiring managers you’ve applied to, and your 1st degree network are the only ones who may have visibility into your job applications on LinkedIn.
Pro tips for finding and applying to jobs
Here are some tips to improve your job search and application process on LinkedIn:
Use advanced search filters
Narrow your job search results by title, location, company, date posted and other filters. This helps you spend time looking at relevant openings.
Turn on job alerts
Get notified whenever new jobs matching your search criteria are posted. This allows you to apply early before openings get flooded.
Research before applying
Study the company, role requirements, hiring manager etc. to make sure it’s a good fit before applying. This gives you a higher chance of hearing back.
Follow companies
Follow your target companies to get notified when they post new openings. You can even get a weekly digest of new jobs from your followed companies.
Use LinkedIn skills
Add skills to your profile that potential employers may search for. This helps surface your profile to recruiters looking for those skills.
Ask for referrals
Reach out to connections at your target companies to see if they can refer you for open roles. Referred candidates often get priority.
Check application status
Follow up with the hiring manager or recruiter to check on the status of your application. But avoid reaching out too frequently.
Follow up after applying
Send a note to the hiring manager after applying to express your interest and enthusiasm for the role.
Conclusion
In summary, your applied jobs are kept private on LinkedIn by default. Others in your network can only see your job applications if you specifically enable activity broadcasts. If you want to be more transparent about your job search, you can adjust your privacy settings. But most LinkedIn members keep their applications private until they land a new role. With the advanced search features and ability to follow companies and turn on alerts, LinkedIn makes it much easier to find and apply for relevant job openings even though applications themselves are not public.