While having a public presence on LinkedIn can be beneficial for networking and career development, some users may wish to limit the visibility of their profile and activity on the platform. LinkedIn offers several options that allow members to put their accounts into a private mode to control what people can see.
Putting your LinkedIn profile into private mode is relatively straightforward, but it’s important to understand exactly what content will be hidden from public view if you enable these privacy settings. This article will explain the key things you need to know about putting your LinkedIn account in private mode and the steps to enable these options.
What Does Putting LinkedIn in Private Mode Do?
Putting your LinkedIn profile in private mode restricts certain information on your profile and activity so it is no longer publicly visible. Specifically, setting your account to private mode does the following:
– Makes your connections list private so other users can’t see who you are connected to
– Hides your profile views from others
– Removes your name, photo, and profile information from LinkedIn search engine results
– Prevents other users from being able to look you up by your name or email address
However, there are some key things that remain public even when you put your profile in private mode:
– Your name, headline, location, and industry will still be visible on your profile page
– Any content you’ve shared on LinkedIn, such as articles, posts, or comments, stays public
– People you are connected to can still view your full profile
– Employers can still see your full profile and activity if you have applied for jobs through LinkedIn
So putting your profile in private mode limits some information being publicly accessible, but does not completely hide your presence on LinkedIn. Some key professional details on your profile and any content sharing activities will still be visible.
Why Would You Want to Put LinkedIn in Private Mode?
There are a few main reasons why LinkedIn members may want to utilize the platform’s private mode options:
– **Limit contact from recruiters or sales professionals** – By hiding your connections list and profile from search visibility, you avoid unsolicited outreach from recruiters or other professionals on the platform.
– **Maintain professional connections without active job seeking** – If you want to maintain your network but are not actively pursuing new job opportunities, private mode allows you to keep your connections without visibility to recruiters.
– **Separate personal and professional networks** – Putting LinkedIn in private mode can help segregate work-related connections from other social media profiles.
– **Reduced risk of identity theft** – Limiting the information visible on your profile can help minimize the potential for identity theft or fraud from bad actors misusing profile information.
– **Prioritize quality over quantity connections** – With limited publicly visible information, private mode focuses your network building on more meaningful engagement rather than passive viewers.
– **General privacy concerns** – For those who value their privacy and are uncomfortable sharing profile information publicly, private mode provides more control over data visibility.
The need for increased privacy versus actively promoting your brand and connections on LinkedIn will depend on your own preferences, career status, and networking goals. But private mode gives users the option to tailor their settings as needed.
How to Put Your LinkedIn Profile in Private Mode
Putting your LinkedIn account into private mode is simple and can be done by navigating your profile settings on both desktop and mobile apps. Here are step-by-step instructions:
On Desktop:
1. Go to your profile on LinkedIn and click on the ‘Me’ icon in the top navigation bar.
2. From the dropdown menu, select ‘Settings & Privacy’.
3. Next click on the ‘Privacy’ tab at the top of the page.
4. Under the ‘Profile viewing options’ section, change the toggle for ‘Make my connections private’ to the on position to hide your connections.
5. Scroll down and switch the toggle for ‘Make my profile photo private’ if you also want to hide your profile image.
6. Under the ‘Profile viewing options’, change the ‘Profile viewing option’ dropdown from ‘Your network’ to ‘Only you’ to limit full profile access.
7. Finally, toggle the options for ‘Enable profile visibility in search engines’ to the off position and ‘Allow LinkedIn members to download your public profile’ to no.
8. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the page to apply the new private mode settings.
On Mobile:
1. Tap your profile icon in the top left of the LinkedIn app.
2. Tap on the gear icon to access settings.
3. Choose ‘Privacy’ from options.
4. Toggle ‘Private mode’ to the on position to enable private settings.
5. Toggle off options for ‘Let others know your profile was viewed’.
6. Tap ‘Done’ to confirm settings change.
Once you save these new settings, your profile and activity will switch to private mode and limit visibility as previously discussed. The process can be reversed and toggled off at any time from the same profile privacy settings if you want to make your account public again.
Things to Consider When Switching to Private Mode
While limiting the exposure of your LinkedIn presence can be advantageous, there are also a few drawbacks to consider with private mode:
– **Reduced networking opportunities** – By restricting profile access, you may miss out on connecting with professionals or recruiters who could advance your career.
– **Limited social proof** – Things like profile views and expansive connections lists can build your credibility. In private mode, this social proof is no longer on display.
– **Confusion for existing connections** – Connections may wonder why your profile suddenly provides limited info and they can’t see mutual connections anymore.
– **Less data for LinkedIn algorithms** – LinkedIn uses profile data like connections and views to improve relevancy of content and recommendations shown to you. Private info gives their algorithms less to work with.
– **Can still appear in Google** – Although you limit LinkedIn search visibility, your name, headline, and public profile content can still get indexed by Google.
Depending on your goals, you may want to evaluate whether potential drawbacks outweigh the benefits of increased privacy. Some selective use of private mode settings can balance both interests.
Other Ways to Increase LinkedIn Privacy
In addition to the profile privacy settings discussed, LinkedIn offers members a few other options to take control over their information and activity:
Manage visibility of LinkedIn activity – You can limit sharing of posts, articles, and mentions publicly by adjusting activity privacy settings.
Turn off profile notifications – Disable options for notifying connections when you view profiles or make changes to limit visibility.
Selectively hide connections – For individual connections you want to hide, you can remove them from your connections list.
Use anonymous mode – This allows you to visit profiles and groups anonymously so it leaves no public footprint.
Opt out of targeted advertising – Use account settings to limit data used for targeted ads.
Selectively share content – Be selective in engaging with public posts and avoid sharing personal opinions. Focus on professional topics.
Limit public information – Only fill out relevant profile sections, keep descriptions general, and don’t connect personal accounts.
So make use of all the privacy settings and options LinkedIn provides to find your ideal balance of professional exposure versus making your presence selectively private.
Conclusion
Maintaining privacy can be important for many LinkedIn users depending on their specific circumstances and preferences. LinkedIn’s private mode settings offer simple toggles to quickly convert your profile and activity to be more discreet and protected.
The key impact is limiting profile views, search visibility, and hiding your connections list. But some profile and activity details remain public, so private mode doesn’t fully anonymize your presence. Evaluate whether the benefits of increased privacy outweigh any potential downsides based on your career networking goals.
Also keep in mind private mode can be easily disabled again if you want to make your profile more publicly accessible later on. So there is flexibility to adjust settings as needed over time.
Along with private mode, be sure to explore the additional options LinkedIn provides to fine-tune privacy settings and limit sharing of your personal information and activity. With more awareness and selective use of privacy controls, you can maximize the professional benefits of LinkedIn while only exposing details you are comfortable with publicly.