Being blocked on LinkedIn can be frustrating and leave you wondering what happened. There are a few ways to tell if someone has blocked you on the professional networking platform.
Your connection request is rejected
The most obvious sign that someone has blocked you on LinkedIn is if you try to connect with them and your request is rejected. When you send a connection invitation to another member, they have the option to accept, ignore, or reject it. If they choose to reject your request, you will get a notification saying “Your invitation to connect was declined.” This means they have actively blocked you from connecting with them.
Their profile is no longer searchable
Another indication that you may have been blocked is if you can no longer find the person’s profile when you search for them on LinkedIn. Even if you directly enter their name or company in the search bar, their profile will not show up in the results if they have blocked you.
For example, if you previously connected with John Smith who works at XYZ Company, but now cannot find his profile when searching those terms, it likely means he blocked you and his profile is now hidden from your view.
You get an error message when visiting their profile
Trying to directly visit a connection’s LinkedIn profile URL only to be met with an error message is another sign of possibly being blocked. You may see a “profile unavailable” notification if the person blocked you from viewing their profile.
Your messages are marked as “undelivered”
If you attempt to send someone a message on LinkedIn and see your messages are repeatedly marked as “undelivered,” this can indicate the person blocked you. LinkedIn will notify you if your messages cannot be delivered, which usually means the recipient blocked you or adjusted their account settings to not accept messages from you.
You disappear from their connections list
LinkedIn allows you to browse the list of connections of other members on the platform. If you notice you no longer appear on someone’s connections list when you previously were connected, it’s possible they blocked you and severed the connection.
You can no longer see their activity updates
When you are connected with someone on LinkedIn, you typically will see their profile updates, new job posts, and other activity in your feed. However, if you can no longer view someone’s activity updates, this may be because they blocked you.
They stop engaging with your posts and content
Someone who previously liked, commented on, or shared your posts disengaging from your content could be a sign they blocked you. If a connection stops interacting with your LinkedIn activity abruptly after previously being active, they likely blocked you from seeing their posts and restricted you from seeing theirs.
You cannot send InMail messages
LinkedIn InMail is a way to directly contact members you are not connected with. However, if someone has blocked you, the platform will not allow you to message them through InMail. If your InMail messages to a particular person consistently fail with errors, it’s possible they blocked you.
You are removed from their groups
If you were a member of the same LinkedIn groups as another user but suddenly can no longer see them in your shared group, this may indicate they blocked you. Group admins and moderators have the ability to remove and block members, so if you were removed from a group you shared with someone, they may have blocked you.
You can no longer tag them in posts or photos
The tagging feature on LinkedIn allows you to mention other members in your posts and photos. However, if someone has blocked you, the platform will not let you tag them. If you notice you cannot tag a certain connection in LinkedIn posts anymore, it likely signals they blocked you.
Their “People Also Viewed” section disappears
LinkedIn shows you a “People Also Viewed” section on member profiles featuring profiles commonly viewed by people who visited that profile. However, if you visit someone’s profile whom you suspect blocked you and cannot see the “People Also Viewed” section, it can indicate you have been blocked.
You cannot invite them to events
Event organizers on LinkedIn can invite connections to relevant professional events. However, if you are unable to invite a specific connection to your hosted events, this may be because they blocked you on the platform.
Other connections drop off without explanation
In some cases, someone blocking you on LinkedIn may spark a ripple effect where some of your other connections also disappear from your network. If people close to the person who blocked you also begin disconnecting from you without explanation, it may be because they were asked to block you as well.
Your permissions change for shared content
If you previously collaborated with someone by co-authoring LinkedIn posts or sharing content and suddenly can no longer edit or even view the material, this sudden permission change may indicate they blocked you.
You have a history of disputes or disagreements
Reflecting on your past interactions can provide context on if you may have been blocked. If you have a history of animosity, disputes or strong disagreements with the profile in question, they may have made the move to block you due to that negative history.
Your account or content was reported
Violating LinkedIn’s policies by sending spam or inappropriate messages or posts can get your account reported and potentially blocked by other members. If your messages to a connection bounced or you engaged in behavior that warrants reporting, the person may have blocked you in response.
Their profile photo disappears
In some cases of being blocked, the profile photo of the person who blocked you will disappear from their profile when you view it. Seeing a blank or generic avatar icon instead of their photo may be confirmation the account restricted your access.
Your social media connection ended badly
Think back on how your relationship with this person began and ended on other social networks. If you had a falling out that resulted in blocking on sites like Facebook or Twitter, they may have decided to preemptively block you on LinkedIn as well.
LinkedIn says you have been blocked
In some cases, LinkedIn will actually notify you that you have been blocked from viewing a profile or contacting a member. If you receive an official notification from LinkedIn that you have been blocked, that confirms this member took action to restrict your ability to connect with them.
You notice signs they are avoiding you
Beyond digital clues, you may pick up on real world indications the person is avoiding you and wants to restrict contact. If they decline invitations to connect outside of LinkedIn or stop engaging with you at professional events, they likely blocked you on the platform.
Your gut instinct tells you they blocked you
Sometimes your intuition knows best. If you have a strong hunch that someone blocked you, even without definitive proof, it may be correct. Think back on your interactions and relationship – if your gut says they blocked you, it’s probably right.
What to do if you’re blocked on LinkedIn
If you confirm someone has blocked you on LinkedIn, here are some tips on what to do next:
- Respect their decision – Do not try to circumvent the blocking or contact them from a different account.
- Reflect on why – Think about what could have prompted the blocking based on your past interactions.
- Move forward professionally – Focus on other beneficial connections and don’t dwell on the broken one.
- Do not retaliate – Avoid blocking them back or taking other retaliatory actions.
- Review dispute resolution options – LinkedIn does offer conflict resolution resources to resolve issues.
Conclusion
Being blocked on LinkedIn can feel jarring but takes some detective work to confirm. Watch for signs like disconnected access, sudden profile unavailability, and severed messaging channels. If you determine you have been blocked, gracefully accept their decision and reflect on how to improve other connection experiences moving forward. With over 675 million users on LinkedIn, focus on the plethora of promising professional relationships you can continue building.