LinkedIn is a popular professional networking platform that allows users to connect with colleagues, find jobs, join industry groups, and more. One feature of LinkedIn is the ability for your network to see an upcoming birthday reminder on your profile. This can be a nice way for coworkers, connections, and recruiters to wish you a happy birthday. However, some users may prefer to remove the birthday reminder from their profile for privacy reasons. Luckily, LinkedIn makes it easy to turn off birthday reminders. In this article, we’ll walk through the simple steps to remove your birthday from your LinkedIn profile in just a few clicks.
Should You Remove Your Birthday from LinkedIn?
Before jumping right into the how-to steps, let’s first discuss whether you should remove your birthday from LinkedIn in the first place. Here are some pros and cons to weigh:
Pros of Displaying Your Birthday:
– Allows connections to wish you a happy birthday
– Humanizes your profile
– Shows your connections a bit about you personally
Cons of Displaying Your Birthday:
– Privacy reasons – some people prefer not to share their exact birthdate publicly
– Age discrimination – some worry about age bias, especially when job searching
– Security risks – birthdays can be used as part of security questions
So in summary, displaying your birthday can be a nice way to engage with your network. But if privacy or age concerns outweigh the benefits for you, then removing your birthday is easy to do.
How to Remove Your Birthday from LinkedIn
Removing your birthday from LinkedIn only takes a few simple steps. Here is a step-by-step walkthrough:
Step 1: Login to your LinkedIn account and go to your profile page.
Step 2: Click “View profile” to open your public profile view.
Step 3: Scroll down and click “Contact info”.
Step 4: Click the pencil icon to edit your contact info.
Step 5: Delete your birthdate. It will be listed below your name and location. Just click the “X” icon to remove it.
Step 6: Click “Save” to apply the changes.
And that’s it! Once you save the changes, your birthday will no longer be visible to your connections on LinkedIn. You can still add it back at any time in the future if you change your mind.
How to Add Your Birthday Back to LinkedIn
If you decide later on that you want to display your birthday on LinkedIn again, re-adding it is simple. Just follow these instructions:
Step 1: Go to your LinkedIn profile and click “Contact info”.
Step 2: Click the pencil icon to edit your contact info.
Step 3: Enter your birthdate below your name.
Step 4: Click “Save” to make it visible again.
Once saved, your birthdate will again be viewable on your profile and the birthday reminder will be turned back on.
Other Ways to Increase Privacy on LinkedIn
In addition to removing your birthday, here are some other tips for boosting your privacy settings on LinkedIn:
– Adjust profile visibility settings – you can limit who can see your full profile.
– Turn off notifications – disable email and push notifications to limit unsolicited messages.
– Review endorsements – delete unwanted skill endorsements.
– Block unwanted connections – use the blocking feature to prevent certain people from viewing your profile.
– Limit ad targeting – opt out of interest-based advertising to prevent targeting based on profile data.
– Be selective with sharing – be careful posting personal opinions or details publicly.
– Use anonymous browsing – use LinkedIn’s private browsing feature when you want to remain unseen.
So in summary, focus privacy settings on the elements of your profile you don’t want visible to recruiters, random connections, and the general public.
Conclusion
While displaying your birthday on LinkedIn can have benefits like birthday well-wishes and personalizing your profile, removing your birthday is easy for those who have privacy concerns. Simply edit your contact info, delete your birthdate, and save the changes. If you ever want to turn birthday reminders back on, just re-add your birthdate to your LinkedIn profile information. Additionally, customize other privacy settings like profile visibility, notifications, and ad targeting to take control over your LinkedIn data.
Summary of Key Points
– Pros of showing your birthday include birthday wishes and personalization
– Cons include privacy concerns, age discrimination risks, and security issues
– Steps to remove birthday: Edit contact info, delete birthdate, save changes
– To add it back: Re-enter birthdate in contact info and save
– Also adjust profile, notification, endorsement, and ad settings for more privacy
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find the birthday field on my LinkedIn profile?
Go to your public profile view, click “Contact info”, then click the pencil icon to edit. Your birthday will be listed below your name – click the “X” icon next to it to remove.
Will my connections get notified if I remove my birthday?
No, removing your birthday is a seamless change. Connections will not get alerted about your edit. It will simply disappear from your profile.
Can I delete my birthday and still see others’ birthdays?
Yes, removing your own birthday does not impact whether you can see others’ birthdays. You will still see reminder notifications for connections if they choose to display their birthdate.
Will removing my birthday also stop reminders in the LinkedIn mobile app?
Yes, once you delete your birthday on the LinkedIn website, it will also remove birthday reminders and notifications from the mobile apps.
If I apply to jobs, will employers still know my birthdate?
No, after you remove your birthday, it will no longer be visible to employers viewing your profile and applying to jobs. Only information you explicitly provide in applications will be seen.
How to Remove Birthday Reminders by LinkedIn Interface
The steps to remove your birthday may slightly vary depending on which LinkedIn interface you are using. Here are the instructions for both the classic LinkedIn and new LinkedIn interfaces:
Classic LinkedIn Desktop Interface
1. Click your profile photo in the top right
2. Select “View profile”
3. Click “Edit contact info” on the right rail
4. Delete your birthday and click “Save”
New LinkedIn Interface
1. Click “Me” icon at top
2. Select “View profile”
3. Click the pencil icon to “Edit intro”
4. Delete birthday below name and click “Save”
So the steps are very similar in both interfaces – the main difference is simply how to access the “Edit contact info” section.
Troubleshooting Birthday Removal
In most cases, removing your birthday from LinkedIn is quick and straightforward. But here are some troubleshooting tips if you run into any issues getting it removed:
– Double check that you fully saved your changes after deleting the birthdate. Often it requires clicking “Save” or “Done” for changes to apply.
– Try clearing your browser cache and cookies, then reload LinkedIn. Old cached data could show incorrect profile information.
– Make sure you are editing your full public profile, not just your limited “My Network” view. Only public profile changes will stick.
– Wait up to 24 hours for changes to fully take effect across LinkedIn. Rarely it can take a day to reflect universally.
– Contact LinkedIn customer support if your birthday remains visible after 24 hours and confirm if they can remove it.
Following these troubleshooting steps should help resolve most any issues with getting your birthday fully removed from your LinkedIn profile.
Conclusion
In summary, while displaying your birthday on your professional networking profile can have benefits, removing your birthday from LinkedIn is straightforward for those with privacy concerns. Simply access your contact info editor, delete your birthdate, and save the changes. You can always re-add your birthday later if you change your mind. Additionally, leverage other privacy settings to take control over your sensitive information. With these simple steps, you can easily opt out of birthday reminders on LinkedIn.
