How do I hide my LinkedIn profile from my employer?

Many employees wonder if it’s possible to keep their LinkedIn profile hidden from their current employer. There are a few reasons why you may want to do this:

• You’re job searching and don’t want your employer to know
• You want to keep your professional network private
• You don’t want your employer seeing certain endorsements or recommendations

The good news is there are steps you can take to hide or limit your employer’s ability to view your LinkedIn profile. Here are some tips on how to hide your LinkedIn from your employer.

Adjust Your LinkedIn Profile Settings

The first step is to adjust your profile settings in LinkedIn. Here are a few options to consider:

• Make your profile private – Go to your LinkedIn account settings and under “Profile viewing options” choose “Private mode”. This will make your entire profile invisible to anyone you are not directly connected to.
• Selectively show endorsements/recommendations – Go to your account settings and under “Profile viewing options” you can choose to hide endorsements and recommendations from your current employer or specific individuals.
• Remove current position – Consider removing your current employer name and position from your profile. You can still list past positions.

Making these adjustments to your profile settings limits the amount of information your employer can see if they look you up on LinkedIn.

Restrict Connections

LinkedIn gives you control over who can send you connection requests. Make sure your employer is not able to connect with you:

• Go to your LinkedIn Settings and choose “Privacy & Settings”
• Under “Advanced settings” select “Only accept connection requests from people in these networks or groups”
• Unselect your employer’s company name or any company groups

Now your employer won’t be able to connect with you or view your full profile unless you accept their invitation.

Check Your Public Profile Settings

LinkedIn automatically generates a public version of your profile for search engines. Make sure you preview what information is visible here:

• Go to your “Public Profile” under account settings
• Preview what employers would see if they search your name on Google or LinkedIn
• Remove any unnecessary personal details – you want to limit this to basics like name and headline

This controls what the public (including employers) sees if they search you on LinkedIn or Google.

Use an Alternate Profile for Job Searching

The most foolproof way to prevent your employer from seeing your LinkedIn activity is to create an alternate “job searching” profile.

Here’s how to set up a second stealth LinkedIn profile:

• Sign up for a new LinkedIn account with your personal email
• Use a slightly different name – for example use a middle initial
• Use your personal email rather than work email
• Don’t connect this profile with your current employer
• Use this profile when applying for jobs or connecting with recruiters

This ensures your main LinkedIn profile remains private from your employer. You can use the secondary profile specifically for job hunting activities.

Use LinkedIn Anonymously

When logged into your account, LinkedIn shows your name and photo wherever you go on LinkedIn. To be anonymous, use LinkedIn in an incognito or private browser window.

Here’s how to browse LinkedIn anonymously:

• Open a new incognito window in Chrome or private window in Firefox
• Go to LinkedIn.com and search for people or jobs without signing in
• Employers won’t see your profile viewing their pages or searching jobs

Using a private browser is an easy way to search LinkedIn without leaving a footprint.

Limit Company Page Activity

Your employer can see who views their Company LinkedIn page. Avoid viewing your company page while logged in.

Here are ways to limit your company page activity:

• Browse the company page in an incognito window while logged out of LinkedIn
• Unlike or unfollow your company page so it doesn’t show up in your feed
• Block employees who actively post so you don’t see company updates

Being thoughtful about how and when you view your company page prevents detection.

Turn Off Profile Tracking

LinkedIn shows employers a list of people who have viewed their profile. Prevent your employer from seeing you in their visitor list:

• Go to your Account Settings and Privacy
• Under “How others see your LinkedIn activity” turn “Profile viewing options” to private mode

This stops your name from showing up when you view someone’s profile.

Remove Employer After Leaving

Once you leave an employer, remove them from your LinkedIn profile. Here’s how:

• Go to your Experience section
• Click “Edit” next to your past employer
• Choose “Remove” to delete the position

Without an employer listed, there is no indication on your profile that you ever worked there.

Conclusion

By making a few adjustments to your LinkedIn account settings and activity, you can keep your profile anonymous to employers. Restrict your connections, use private browsing, and maintain two separate profiles for work and job searching. With some extra care, you can prevent your current employer from accessing your LinkedIn profile.

FAQs

Can my employer see if I view their LinkedIn page?

Yes, employers can see a list of profiles that have viewed their Company LinkedIn page. To view anonymously, use a private browsing window while not logged into your LinkedIn account.

Does LinkedIn notify my employer if I change my profile?

No, LinkedIn does not proactively notify your employer if you make updates to your profile. However, employers may still view your profile at their discretion if you are connected.

Can I permanently hide my profile from my employer?

There is no way to permanently hide your profile from a specific person on LinkedIn. The best options are to disconnect from your employer, restrict profile viewing, and use private browsing when needed.

Does putting my LinkedIn profile in private mode remove it from Google search?

No, your public LinkedIn profile may still show up in Google search results even if your account is in private mode. Adjust your public profile settings to control what shows up in search engines.

Can I get in trouble if my employer finds my hidden LinkedIn profile?

Most employers allow employees to have personal LinkedIn profiles. You likely cannot get in trouble simply for having a private account. However, some employers may consider it a breach of trust if you are actively job searching.

Table: Key Settings to Change

Summary

Here are some key takeaways on how to hide your LinkedIn from an employer:

• Switch your profile to private mode
• Create a second “anonymous” account for job searching
• Browse LinkedIn in private browsing mode when needed
• Limit interactions with your company page
• Turn off profile viewing receipts

With the right settings, you can maintain your professional network on LinkedIn while keeping certain details private from your current employer. Just be thoughtful in how you configure your profile and activity.