LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that allows you to connect with other professionals in your industry. When you connect with someone on LinkedIn, there are a few key things to know about the visibility of those connections.
Who can see your connections?
In your default LinkedIn settings, your 1st-degree connections are visible to anyone who views your profile. These are the people you are directly connected to on LinkedIn. So if you have 500 connections, anyone who views your profile will be able to see those 500 people you are connected with.
Your 2nd-degree connections, meaning people who are connected to your 1st-degree connections, are not visible to the public by default. Only you and your 1st-degree connections will be able to see your 2nd-degree connections.
You do have the option to change your settings to make your 2nd-degree connections visible on your profile. But most people keep them private by default.
Making connections private
If you don’t want all of your 1st-degree connections visible to the public, you can change your settings to make them private. Here’s how:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile
- Click on the “View profile” button to view your public profile
- Click the “Privacy & Settings” icon in the top right (the little person icon)
- Click “Change” next to “Your connections”
- Select “Only you”
This will make your connections completely private so no one else can see who you are connected to.
Who’s viewed your profile
LinkedIn does show you who has viewed your profile recently. But it only shows you a limited number of people – generally around 90 days worth of profile views. And the names shown are only a small subset of those who actually viewed your profile. So it’s not a complete or totally accurate list.
Those who view your profile are only able to see your connections if your settings are set to the default public view. If your connections are set to private, profile viewers won’t see any of your connections.
Pros and cons of a public profile
There are some pros and cons to consider when deciding whether to make your LinkedIn profile and connections public or private.
Pros of a public profile
- Demonstrates an extensive professional network
- Allows connections to see who you know for networking
- Shows you are open to being contacted by new connections
Cons of a public profile
- Connections may not want their name visible to others
- Presents privacy concerns for some users
- Could be used by recruiters or sales professionals unwantedly
Overall, it’s a personal decision whether you keep your profile public or private. Think about your priorities and comfort level when making the choice.
Limiting connection visibility
If you want to limit the visibility of your connections a bit, but not make them 100% private, LinkedIn does give you some options.
You can customize your settings to only show your connections to:
- Your network (1st degree connections only)
- Your network and their connections (1st and 2nd degree)
- Only people who know your email address or have your phone number
That way you can still showcase some of your professional network while limiting exposure at the same time. This gives you more granular control over who can see your connections list.
How to tell if someone views your profile
As mentioned previously, LinkedIn does show you a limited list of people who have viewed your profile recently. This can be found by:
- Going to your LinkedIn homepage
- Looking on the right rail for the “Who’s viewed your profile” section
- Clicking “See all” to view the list
However, this list is not 100% comprehensive. LinkedIn states they will only show you around 90 days worth of profile views. And the list provided contains a sample of those viewers, not every single one.
Some tips for finding out if specific people have viewed you include:
- Upgrading to a Premium account, which shows more profile viewers
- Using LinkedIn’s Profile Tracker tool to monitor views of a specific profile
- Using a browser extension like Who Viewed My LinkedIn Profile? to see more viewers
- Seeing if they show up in your “People Also Viewed” section, which suggests they recently looked at you
In summary, LinkedIn does provide some visibility into who is viewing your profile, but the information is limited. There is no way to know 100% of everyone who has viewed your profile unless they tell you directly.
How to hide your LinkedIn profile from specific connections
If you have a particular connection (or a few connections) on LinkedIn that you want to hide your profile from, there are a couple options for doing this:
Option 1: Block the connection
By blocking a connection, you sever the connection on LinkedIn and this person will no longer be able to view your profile or search for you. To block a connection:
- Go to your list of connections
- Find the person you want to block
- Hover over their name and click the “More” button
- Select “Block” to end the connection and hide your profile
Option 2: Adjust your settings
Another option is to keep the connection intact but adjust your privacy settings to exclude them from viewing your profile:
- Go to your profile Privacy & Settings
- Find the “Select who can see your connections list” setting
- Choose “Only people who know your email address or phone number”
This will hide your profile and connections from anyone who doesn’t already have your contact info. Specific connections won’t be able to find you in searches or view your profile anymore.
Conclusion
In summary, your 1st degree LinkedIn connections are visible to the public by default when they look at your profile. You can change this in your settings if you want to limit the visibility. There are also options to customize the visibility of your profile and connections to specific individuals.
Keep in mind the pros and cons of having a public or private profile on LinkedIn. Find the right balance for your personal preferences and professional needs.
While LinkedIn does provide some insight into who has viewed your profile, this data is limited and not completely comprehensive. There is no way to have 100% visibility into who has searched for you or looked at your profile.
By leveraging profile settings, blocking connections, and upgrading to Premium, you can gain more control over your LinkedIn profile visibility. Determine what works best for your career goals and comfort level.
| Connection Type | Default Visibility |
|---|---|
| 1st degree connections | Public |
| 2nd degree connections | Private |
| 3rd degree connections | Private |
