LinkedIn has become an essential platform for professionals to build their online presence and network with others in their industry. With over 800 million members, LinkedIn offers users the ability to create detailed profiles highlighting their work experience, education, skills, accomplishments, and more.
One common question that comes up is whether it’s possible to hide or exclude your current employer from your LinkedIn profile. There are a few reasons why someone may want to do this, such as job searching discreetly or avoiding awkwardness with a current boss who may not know the employee is looking.
Why Would You Want to Hide Your Current Employer?
Here are some of the main reasons why someone may want to exclude their current company from their LinkedIn profile:
Looking for a New Job
The most common scenario is when someone is actively searching for a new job but doesn’t want their current employer to know. Having an up-to-date LinkedIn profile is crucial for job seekers to be found by recruiters and hiring managers. But listing your current company could tip them off that you’re looking to leave.
Privacy Concerns
Some people simply want to maintain privacy and separation between their professional and personal life. If you’d rather connections and coworkers didn’t see all the details of your current role, removing the employer name could help.
Avoiding Awkwardness
If your relationship with your existing manager has become strained, highlighting that you still work together on your profile could feel awkward. Omitting the employment detail avoids raising questions.
Prevent Poaching
In some industries, there could be concerns about competitor companies trying to poach employees if they’re actively listed on LinkedIn. Taking your employer name off avoids signaling that you’re open to being approached.
Starting a Side Hustle
Freelancers and entrepreneurs working on side projects in addition to a regular job may not want their current employer knowing about those outside activities. Excluding the company allows discretion.
Is It Possible to Completely Hide Your Current Employer?
LinkedIn does not allow you to fully hide your current employer from your profile. Any work details you include will always be visible to at least 1st-degree connections. However, there are ways to limit the visibility of your current company to different extents:
Remove Company Name from Headline & Experience
You can exclude the company name from your professional headline and experience section. This makes it invisible to public views of your profile and people outside your network. Only 1st-degree connections will still see the company listed on your profile.
Show Position without Company
Listing your current title and dates, but leaving the company field blank, will also remove the visibility from public and 3rd-degree network views. Again, 1st-degree connections will still see where you work.
Disable Company Showcase Page
Company Showcase Pages display information about an organization when you list them as an employer. You can remove this showcase to limit the visibility of your current employer.
Leave Off Current Job Entirely
The most thorough option is to leave your current job off your LinkedIn profile altogether. This completely removes any mention of the company or role from public view. Just be aware it may look suspicious to have an employment gap.
Factors to Consider Before Hiding Employer
While it is possible to minimize the visibility of your current company on LinkedIn, there are a few potential drawbacks to doing so:
Employment Gaps Look Suspicious
Having an extended period of blank space in your work history can raise red flags with recruiters. It looks better to have consistent employment, even if specifics are hidden.
Lack of Job Detail Looks Unprofessional
A sparse profile missing detail about your background comes across as insubstantial and vague. Being too opaque can undermine your professional brand.
Harder to Get Noticed by Recruiters
If you’re trying to change jobs, limiting employer information makes it more difficult for hiring managers to find or validate your experience.
Missed Networking Opportunities
Obscuring your current role means coworkers and connections can’t discover your commonalities as easily, hindering relationship building.
Reduced Endorsements for Skills & Accomplishments
Without employer context, you can’t get as many endorsements from colleagues, weakening the credibility of your abilities.
Overall, evaluate whether the privacy benefits outweigh these potential career impacts for your situation. You want to maintain enough professional detail to appear credible.
Best Practices for Discretion on LinkedIn
If you do opt to hide or limit current employer information, here are some tips to maintain an impactful profile:
Keep Older Job Details Intact
Leaving previous positions unaffected ensures there are no suspicious gaps.
Show Skills, Volunteer Work and Education
Demonstrating expertise through skills badges, nonprofit activities, and academics covers any background gaps.
Display Accomplishments Anonymously
Quantify achievements generically without naming employers, like “Increased sales 72% in 2 years”.
Use Broad Industry Terms
Rather than a company name, describe your role in relation to the overall field or business category.
Build Robust Connections
Cultivate a large network with recommendations to reinforce your reputation, regardless of current role visibility.
Should You Remove Position After Leaving a Job?
Once you do change jobs, it’s recommended to list your previous employer and position normally again. A few reasons why:
The Company Name Remains on Your Profile History
Even if hidden while working there, the company still displays on your past positions after leaving.
It No Longer Risks Signaling You’re Job Seeking
After exiting, it’s clear you’re not currently open to new opportunities with competitors.
It Explains Any Employment Gaps
Restoring your tenure at the company covers any missing history while there.
It Allows Colleagues to Endorse You
Former coworkers can now validate your skills, with company context.
Unless you have legal restrictions around listing the employer, it’s best to show your full background once departing a company.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn does not enable users to completely hide their current employer, there are techniques to limit its visibility and searchability if needed. This includes removing the company name from your profile headline, experience section, and Company Page showcase. However, maintaining gaps in your background and role details could impact your professional brand and discoverability.
Weigh the benefits of discretion against potential costs to your reputation and networking. In most cases, it’s wise to restore your previous company history fully once you depart that employer. With care, you can strike the right balance of privacy and professional transparency.