LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 850 million members. As a social media site focused on career networking and job seeking, LinkedIn profiles contain a wealth of professional information including work history, education, skills, recommendations, and more. This valuable data helps LinkedIn members network, recruit, and get recruited. But with so much personal information being shared publicly on LinkedIn, an important question arises – are LinkedIn profiles completely public by default or do users have options to control profile visibility?
The Default LinkedIn Profile Setting
By default, when you create a LinkedIn account and build your profile, your profile is set to public. This allows anyone on LinkedIn to view your profile information regardless of whether they are directly connected to you or not. The rationale behind profiles being public by default is that the primary purpose of LinkedIn is to create broader professional connections and network beyond just people you already know. Having a public profile allows you to be discovered by and discover other professionals outside of your direct network.
Some key things to note about the default public profile setting:
- Anyone who has a LinkedIn account can see your public profile.
- Your public profile can also be indexed by search engines like Google, so someone could find you on LinkedIn without an account.
- A public profile means details like your photo, work experience, education, skills, accomplishments, recommendations, and other info can be viewed by anyone.
So in summary, yes – the default visibility setting for LinkedIn profiles is public. When you create your profile, you don’t have to change any settings for it to be visible to the LinkedIn community as well as anonymous people on the internet through search engines. Public is LinkedIn’s default profile status because optimizing your networking ability is a core part of their platform.
LinkedIn Profile Visibility Options
While public is the default profile setting on LinkedIn, users do have options to customize the visibility of their profile and control who can see it. Here are some privacy controls available:
Your Connections
You can restrict your profile visibility to only your 1st-degree connections on LinkedIn. With this setting, no one will be able to view your profile or search for you unless they are connected to you. This still allows for networking within your contacts, but removes public visibility.
Private Mode
LinkedIn also offers an ultra-private “Private Mode” for your profile. This means it can only be viewed by you. Your profile will not appear in searches or suggestions and only you will be able to view it when logged into your account. Turning on Private Mode is the only way to fully remove your profile from public access.
Customized View for Specific Connections
LinkedIn provides options to customize what specific connections see on your profile. You can exclude certain sections of your profile like your education or skills from being visible to chosen connections in your network. This allows you to be selective about what aspects certain connections can view.
Viewer Restrictions
You can also restrict viewers of your full profile based on relationship and industry. For example, you can exclude recruiters from being able to view your full profile which contains contact info while still allowing connections to see your full profile. You can also exclude connections from seeing your profile if you only want people in your industry to discover you.
Search Exclusions
Another option is to exclude your profile from appearing in search results on LinkedIn. Even if your profile is public, ticking this setting means you won’t show up when people search LinkedIn. But anyone with a direct link to your profile can still view it.
So in summary, while public profiles are the norm on LinkedIn for maximum networking benefit, users absolutely have options to limit visibility and customize who can see parts of their profile.
How to Change Your LinkedIn Profile Visibility
Here are the steps to change your LinkedIn profile visibility from public to limit access:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile page
- Click on the ‘Edit public profile & URL’ button located just below your profile photo
- This will open your profile settings. Click on the ‘Privacy’ tab.
- Under the ‘Select who can see your profile photo and network updates’ section, choose from the available options:
- Public – Default setting, anyone can view full profile
- Connections only – Limits profile visibility to direct connections
- Private mode – Profile fully private and only visible to you when logged in
- Customize any additional privacy restrictions like searchability, industry/connection restrictions, etc.
- Click Save Changes
It’s also possible to customize visibility and access for specific profile sections like education, skills, recommendations etc. The above steps change the overall profile visibility settings. To customize visibility of specific sections, go to profile editing mode and use the options shown in each section.
Pros and Cons of a Public LinkedIn Profile
Here are some potential advantages and disadvantages to keeping your LinkedIn profile completely public:
Pros
- Increased visibility and discoverability for networking and career opportunities
- Showcases your professional brand and credibility
- Conveys openness and helps establish trust/authority in your field
- Public recommendations build goodwill and social proof
- Find new connections outside your existing network
Cons
- Lack of privacy and control over who can access your info
- Potential for identity theft if critical details are revealed
- Unwanted communication or contact through profile
- Details used without your consent or misrepresent you
- Provides information about you to competitors
Best Practices for Profile Visibility
Here are some best practices and recommendations when it comes to LinkedIn profile visibility:
- Keep your profile public when actively job searching or open to new opportunities
- Be selective about what you include – avoid sensitive personal data
- Utilize customized restrictions to limit unwanted attention
- Use private mode if you are not currently looking to network/be discovered
- Toggle between public and private depending on your circumstances
- Use anonymous browsing to view your own public profile as others see it
- Update visibility as you progress through different career stages
Conclusion
LinkedIn defaults to public profiles to empower professional networking and discovery of new connections and opportunities. But users have options to customize visibility and protect their privacy. Striking the right balance depends on your career situation and comfort with publicly sharing professional details online. As circumstances change, reevaluate your LinkedIn profile visibility settings.