As a recruiter on LinkedIn, you may want to change the visibility settings for messages you send to candidates. LinkedIn offers recruiters several options for controlling message visibility, which can be useful for tailoring your outreach strategy.
Understanding Message Visibility Settings
When you send an InMail message on LinkedIn, you have three options for the message visibility:
- Anonymous – Your name and profile information is hidden from the recipient. The message will appear to be sent by “Anonymous.”
- Name visible – The recipient can see your name and profile information, but your company is not disclosed.
- Full profile visible – The recipient can see your full profile information including your name, company, and position.
The default setting is “full profile visible” but you can change this in your LinkedIn account settings. Here’s an overview of when you may want to use each option:
- Anonymous – This hides your identity entirely. It can be useful if you want to initially reach out without revealing who you are. You can then disclose your identity later once you’ve established contact.
- Name visible – This allows you to keep your company hidden. It’s useful if you want to reach out in a more personal, less corporate way.
- Full profile visible – Displaying your full details establishes your credibility. It’s the most transparent option and tends to work well especially when contacting active candidates.
Changing Message Visibility
LinkedIn allows you to change your message visibility settings to control how much information recipients see when you send InMails. Here is how to update the settings:
- Go to your LinkedIn account settings page and click “Communications.”
- Under “Message preferences,” click “Customize your message settings.”
- You will see the three visibility options: Anonymous, Name visible, Full profile visible.
- Choose your preferred default setting for the messages you send. This will be automatically applied anytime you message a new recipient.
- If desired, toggle “Override account setting” to customize the visibility for an individual message each time you send it.
- Be sure to click “Save” to apply any changes.
The visibility settings can also be accessed directly when composing a new message:
- From the LinkedIn homepage, click “Messaging” in the top toolbar.
- Click the button to start a new message. You will see the visibility options near the top.
- Choose your preferred setting for that particular message. The default account setting will be pre-selected.
- Send the message once you’ve reviewed the visibility choice.
Recommended Visibility Strategies
The optimal message visibility settings depend on your recruiting goals and the type of candidates you want to engage. Here are some recommended best practices:
Passive Candidates
When reaching out to passive candidates who aren’t currently job seeking, an anonymous or name-only message may work better to pique their interest initially. Once they respond, you can share more details about the roles you have in mind.
Active Candidates
Active candidates who are open to new job opportunities tend to prefer seeing full profile details upfront. It allows them to vet the legitimacy of the recruiter and company before responding.
Cold Outreach
If you’re doing cold outreach to prospects who don’t know you, displaying your full profile can improve response rates since it establishes your credibility immediately.
Referrals
When contacting referrals or prospects from your existing network, showing your full identity typically works best to leverage your familiarity.
Follow-Up Messages
After initial contact, you may want to make yourself anonymous or name-only for follow-up messages to encourage further discussion in a more informal, personal context.
Testing different settings and tracking response rates for each can help you determine what works best for your outreach campaigns.
Pros and Cons of Each Visibility Type
Here is a summary of the key advantages and potential drawbacks of each message visibility setting:
| Visibility | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymous |
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| Name Visible |
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| Full Profile Visible |
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Tips for Effective Messaging
In addition to adjusting visibility settings, here are some best practices for creating compelling, high-converting messages:
- Personalize each message with the recipient’s name and tailored content that shows you understand their background.
- Establish relevance in the subject line so they immediately see it’s worth their time.
- Highlight exciting aspects of the role you have in mind and how it fits their goals.
- Pose open-ended questions to encourage dialogue and build rapport.
- Express enthusiasm and share why you’d value the chance to connect further.
- Make next steps clear such as scheduling a phone call to continue the discussion.
Conclusion
LinkedIn provides recruiters great flexibility through its messaging visibility settings. You can target passive and active prospects using anonymous, name-only or full profile contact methods. Testing different approaches is key to determining what works best. Combine visibility options with compelling content tailored to each recipient for maximum effectiveness.
