LinkedIn allows you to control the visibility settings of your profile so you can choose who can view your full profile. By default, your profile is visible to the entire LinkedIn community, but you can change this in your settings. Here’s what you need to know about making your LinkedIn profile visible only to your network.
What Does “Your Network” Mean on LinkedIn?
On LinkedIn, your network refers to your 1st-degree connections – these are people you are directly connected with on LinkedIn either by sending or accepting an invitation. So when you limit profile visibility to your network, it means only your 1st-degree connections will be able to see your full profile.
People who are not directly connected to you on LinkedIn, such as 2nd or 3rd degree connections, recruiters you are not connected to, and the general public, will not be able to see your full profile if you limit visibility to your network. They will only see your name, headline, industry, location, and a few other basic details.
How to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Visible Only to Your Network
Here are the steps to make your LinkedIn profile visible only to people in your network:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile page and click on the “Me” icon at the top right.
- From the dropdown menu, select “Settings & Privacy”.
- On the left sidebar, click on “Visibility”.
- Under the “Your profile visibility” section, select the option for “Visible only to people in your network”.
- Click on “Save changes” at the bottom of the page.
Once you save the changes, your profile visibility will be limited only to your 1st degree connections on LinkedIn. Others will see a limited version of your profile.
Who Can See Your Profile with Network-Only Visibility?
Here are the people who will be able to see your full profile if you limit visibility to your network:
- Your 1st degree connections on LinkedIn
- People you’ve imported from your email contacts who are on LinkedIn
- Followers you’ve approved to follow you back
- People who you’ve sent an invitation to connect on LinkedIn
So in summary, anyone you are directly connected to or have some established connection with on LinkedIn will still be able to view your full profile. Limiting to your network prevents your profile from being visible to the wider LinkedIn community.
Who Cannot See Your Full Profile with Network-Only Visibility?
Here are some examples of people who will NOT be able to see your full profile if you limit it to your network only:
- 2nd and 3rd degree connections on LinkedIn
- People who have viewed your profile anonymously
- Recruiters and HR professionals you are not connected to
- Prospects and leads you are trying to connect with
- General public visitors who find you through search engines
So in most cases, limiting profile visibility to your network means cutting off access to your full profile for people you don’t already have an established connection with on LinkedIn.
Should You Make Your Profile Visible Only to Your Network?
Here are some pros and cons to weigh when considering limiting your profile visibility to your network only:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| – Increased privacy and control over who sees your full profile | – Reduces “discoverability” – makes it harder for new people to find and connect with you |
| – Limits unsolicited outreach from recruiters or sales prospects | – Can limit networking opportunities and inbound requests |
| – Still allows visibility for your established connections | – Not recommended if you are job searching and want to be found by recruiters |
In general, limiting to your network is recommended if you want to limit access from recruiters or random people finding you. But it may reduce incoming opportunities and connections. Those actively networking or job searching should keep their profile public.
Other LinkedIn Profile Visibility Options
Along with your network, LinkedIn provides a few other options for profile visibility:
- Public: Your profile is visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn. This is the default setting.
- LinkedIn members: Visible to anyone with a LinkedIn account, which includes over 740 million professionals.
- Only people who know your email address or phone number: Visible only to people who have imported you as a contact.
The “only your network” option provides a good middle ground between being completely public and limiting visibility only to imported contacts. But you can explore the other options too for the right balance of visibility vs privacy.
Does Limiting Profile Visibility Affect Search Engine Results?
Making your LinkedIn profile visible only to your network will remove it from being indexed and appearing in Google or other search engine results. So people will not be able to find you through Google if they search your name and “LinkedIn”.
However, some of your basic profile info like your name, headline, location, industry, etc. will still be visible on Google. But people will not be able to see your full profile unless they are logged into LinkedIn and within your network.
So in summary, limiting profile visibility does remove you from search engine indexing of LinkedIn profiles. But it does not completely eliminate all search visibility or the ability for people to find you.
How LinkedIn Recruiters Can Still Find You
If you limit profile visibility to your network, 3rd-degree recruiters will not be able to see your full profile. However, some options still exist for recruiters to find you:
- You appear in searches within LinkedIn Recruiter if you match the search criteria
- Recruiters can find your limited profile through Google search
- You can appear as a suggested similar profile when viewing others’ profiles
- Recruiters can request to connect with you to view your full profile
So recruiters have not lost the ability to discover you entirely. But limiting profile visibility does remove the ability for recruiters to proactively browse and view your full profile without an established connection.
How to Enable Full Profile Access for Recruiters
If you want to maintain visibility just for your network but also be discoverable by recruiters, LinkedIn offers an option to be “discoverable by recruiters” even with limited profile visibility. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to your LinkedIn Settings
- Under the Privacy tab, go to Profile Visibility
- Choose “Visible only to your network”
- Check the box for “Make my profile visible to recruiters at select companies”
- Select which companies you want to grant access under “Select companies”
- Click Save
This allows recruiters at those specific companies to bypass the network-only visibility limitation and see your full profile. Great option for job seekers who want privacy but still be findable for the right opportunities.
The Takeaway on LinkedIn Profile Visibility
Limiting your LinkedIn profile visibility to just your network provides more privacy control over who can view and access your full profile. It prevents unsolicited outreach from people you don’t know.
However, it also reduces incoming opportunities and connections from new people. Those actively networking or job searching should keep their profile public.
Overall, adjusting your LinkedIn profile visibility settings provides flexibility based on your preferences and needs as a professional. Experiment to see what works best for your goals on the platform.