LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 800 million members. Given its massive user base, LinkedIn profiles tend to attract a lot of attention from recruiters, sales professionals, and even random strangers looking to connect. This means that keeping your LinkedIn profile private and secure is extremely important.
One common question LinkedIn users have is – can someone find your LinkedIn profile if they only have your phone number? The short answer is maybe. Here’s a more detailed look at how LinkedIn’s search functions work and how you can better protect your privacy on the platform.
Does LinkedIn Allow Search by Phone Number?
Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn does not provide an option to search for users directly by phone number. However, there are a couple indirect ways your phone number could be used to look up your LinkedIn profile:
- If you have your phone number listed publicly on your LinkedIn profile in the contact info section, then someone could search LinkedIn by that phone number and find you that way.
- Some Recruiters and Sales Professionals have access to tools like Clearbit or RocketReach that can take a phone number and match it to associated LinkedIn profiles. So they could use your number to uncover your profile even if it’s not listed.
The best way to prevent being found by phone number is to simply not include your phone number anywhere on your LinkedIn profile. You can still share it privately when needed in messages or emails, but don’t have it listed publicly.
Does LinkedIn Allow Account Search by Email?
LinkedIn does provide a way for users to search for other members by email address. Here’s how it works:
- Go to the main LinkedIn search bar at the top of the homepage.
- Type in the email address you want to find.
- If there is a public LinkedIn profile associated with that email address, the person’s profile should appear in the drop-down search results.
This search by email function allows you to uncover LinkedIn profiles that may not appear in a name search. As long as the email address is listed somewhere in the member’s public profile, LinkedIn will index it to allow email lookups.
How to Prevent Being Found by Email
To prevent your LinkedIn profile from being discovered through a search of your email address, here are a few options:
- Remove your email address from the contact info section of your profile.
- Adjust your profile visibility settings to control who can see your email address. You can limit it to only 1st degree connections or nobody at all.
- If you want to keep your current email address on your profile but prevent search discovery, you could list an alternate public email that forwards to your real email instead.
Can Someone Find You on LinkedIn by Phone or Email?
In summary, here’s a table summarizing if and how someone could potentially find your LinkedIn profile with just a phone number or email address:
| Identifier | Can Find LinkedIn Profile? | How to Prevent Being Found |
|---|---|---|
| Phone Number | Indirectly if listed publicly on profile. Recruiters may be able to lookup. | Don’t list phone number on public profile. |
| Email Address | Yes, if email is listed publicly on profile. | Remove email from profile or adjust visibility settings. |
The key takeaways are:
- LinkedIn allows search by email address, so don’t list your email publicly if you want to avoid being found.
- While there’s no direct search by phone number, it’s still risky having your phone number on your profile.
- Adjust your profile visibility settings and what contact details you share to control how findable you are.
How to Make LinkedIn Profile Completely Private
If you want to make your LinkedIn profile completely invisible to anyone you’re not connected with, follow these steps:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile Privacy & Settings
- Under Profile Visibility, choose the ‘Private’ setting
- For your Public Profile, uncheck all options about your name, headline, photo etc.
- Under Contact Info Visibility, select ‘Only visible to 1st degree connections’
- Save your changes
This will make your profile completely private except for your 1st degree connections. No one will be able to find or view your profile through searches or public listings.
Other LinkedIn Profile Security Tips
In addition to your privacy settings, here are some other tips for locking down your LinkedIn profile:
- Don’t use your current work email on your profile. Use a personal email instead.
- Turn off your LinkedIn member feed and automatic notifications to limit info sharing.
- Remove your last name if you want to be harder to find in searches.
- Block anyone suspicious who tries to view your full profile.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn doesn’t allow direct searches by phone number, there are still ways someone could potentially lookup your profile using just a phone number or email address. The best approach is to avoid having that contact information listed publicly on your profile altogether. Adjust your privacy settings to limit what connections and non-connections can see as well.
With over 800 million users, LinkedIn can feel like a very public professional platform. But you do have options to take control over your profile visibility and security. Take the time to review all your settings to determine what’s visible and who can see it. Your goal should be sharing access to your profile on your own terms.
LinkedIn is an invaluable tool for networking and career development when used properly. Don’t let privacy concerns scare you off from having a profile. Just be smart about what information you share publicly and with whom. That will allow you to benefit from LinkedIn while maintaining your privacy and security.
With the right settings and awareness, you can control whether someone can find you on LinkedIn using just a phone number or email address. Limit the personal details you share publicly and exercise caution when connecting with strangers. Your professional life benefits from a robust LinkedIn presence. But always be vigilant about protecting your privacy.
Trying to find the line between maintaining an open and useful LinkedIn profile while also keeping your privacy intact can be tricky. But the platform provides all the necessary settings and tools to achieve both goals.
Keep business contact details off your public profile, restrict what’s visible to non-connections, and be selective about who you connect with. Doing this allows you to unlock all the opportunities of LinkedIn without sacrificing your privacy and security.
With identity theft and online scams so prevalent, we rightfully have concerns around how much personal information to make public. LinkedIn and other social networks provide ways to dial in your desired privacy settings.
The key with LinkedIn is to only share information relevant to networking and your professional persona. Keep personal details limited and out of public view. Approach connecting with others selectively. And utilize all available options to customize visibility.
Privacy on a massive platform like LinkedIn may seem out of your control. But by investing time into adjusting your profile and security options, you can protect yourself while benefitting from the connections made. It’s empowering to take charge of your identity and online footprint.
