How do I select my preferred location on LinkedIn?

Setting your preferred location on LinkedIn is an important part of customizing your profile and making sure opportunities come your way. Your location helps determine the content you see on LinkedIn, including jobs, people, and news. It also factors into the way you appear in searches. Selecting an accurate location ensures your profile gets in front of the right people.

Why should I set a preferred location?

There are a few key reasons to set your preferred location on LinkedIn:

• It helps target job opportunities and suggestions to your area.
• It connects you with other local professionals.
• It gives you access to relevant local groups and events.
• It tailors news and content to your geographic region.
• It improves your visibility in location-based searches.

Essentially, setting your location makes your LinkedIn experience more customized, relevant, and useful. It helps align your profile and activity with your geographical area.

How do I set or change my preferred location?

Setting your preferred location is easy to do by following these steps:

1. Go to your LinkedIn profile page.
2. Click on the ‘View profile’ button to access your profile settings.
3. Find the ‘Location’ section and click on ‘Edit’ next to your current location.
4. Start typing your desired city into the location field.
5. Select your city from the dropdown list.
6. Click ‘Save’.

You can also access your location settings by clicking on ‘Me’ > ‘View profile’ from LinkedIn’s top toolbar. Your location will now be updated on your profile.

What location should I use?

Here are some tips for selecting your LinkedIn location:

• Use your current city if you are job hunting or networking locally.
• Use the city where you went to university if you are looking to connect with alumni.
• Use your hometown or another city where you have strong connections.
• Use the city where your company is headquartered.
• Use a major metro area near you for a wider net.
• Use a location where you are willing to work or relocate to.

In general, set your location to somewhere you have ties to or are trying to strengthen your professional network. Avoid selecting locations at random just to appear in more searches.

Can I show multiple locations?

Unfortunately, you can only select one preferred location on your LinkedIn profile. However, there are a couple workarounds:

• List other cities you are associated with in your profile summary or experience descriptions.
• Join LinkedIn groups related to your other locations.
• Follow companies from the other areas.
• Network online with connections from the other places.

This will help increase your visibility and reach in those additional locations beyond your single selected city.

How often can I change my location?

You can update your preferred location on LinkedIn as often as you’d like. However, you may not want to change it too frequently, as that could come across strangely to your connections. Here are some common reasons you may want to modify your location:

• You moved to a new city.
• You are relocating for a new job.
• You are targeting opportunities in a different metro area.
• You have shifted your professional focus to a new region.

Aim to update your location immediately after one of those changes to best reflect your current situation. Changing it multiple times in a short period without an obvious reason could seem odd.

Will changing my location notify my network?

No, changing your preferred city on LinkedIn will not automatically notify your connections. It will update on your profile page without sending any alerts. However, your connections may still notice your new location if they view your profile. They may also see it if you appear in a new geographic search.

How does location impact my LinkedIn experience?

Here are some of the ways your selected city tailors your LinkedIn use:

As you can see, location has a big impact on the opportunities and information you see on LinkedIn. Setting it accurately is important for personalization.

How does my location affect how others see my profile?

Your selected city also influences the visibility and reach of your profile in these ways:

• You will appear higher in searches within your metro area.
• Recruiters can easily find you for local job openings.
• You have access to location-based alumni and employee networks.
• Other members can browse professionals from your city.
• You can be discovered by companies in your geographic region.

So your location settings significantly impact who can find you and how you show up in searches on LinkedIn.

Can I choose a different location for job searching?

Yes, you can select a different location just for your job search on LinkedIn. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Jobs page.
2. Click on the location filter at the top.
3. Type in your desired job search location.
4. Select it from the dropdown menu.

The job results will now be tailored to that city, while your profile location remains unchanged. You can update your job search location at any time without impacting your public profile.

What’s the best way to get local opportunities?

Here are some tips for maximizing local opportunities based on your LinkedIn location:

• Select a city where you have strong professional connections.
• Join LinkedIn groups focused on your metro area.
• Follow companies headquartered in your region.
• List locallyheadquartered companies on your profile.
• Highlight volunteer work and organizations in your city.
• Attend in-person networking events in your area.
• Engage with other members who list your location.

Taking these steps will help boost your visibility and connections in your chosen geographic region beyond just setting your location.

What if I want opportunities in multiple cities?

If you are interested in opportunities in several locations, here are some tips:

• Select the city where you are most likely to relocate to first.
• Join LinkedIn groups for all your target cities.
• Follow companies in each desired metro area.
• List all cities of interest in your profile summary.
• Set your job search location to each place when browsing openings.
• Build up your network with local contacts in each area.

While you can only pick one official location, you can still optimize your profile and network to connect with multiple geographic regions.

Should I select a smaller city nearby or a major metro area?

This depends on your specific situation and priorities:

• Smaller nearby cities are good for hyperlocal networking and opportunities.
• Major metro areas cast a wider net for jobs and connections.
• Use your actual city if being accurate to your location is important.
• Choose the big metro if you are willing to commute for work.

Evaluate whether you want to focus on your immediate surroundings or have access to a broader region. Pick the location that best aligns with your professional goals.

Is my location visible to anyone?

Your LinkedIn location is visible to others in a few ways:

• It appears on your public profile page.
• It shows up in searches filtered by location.
• Recruiters see it when viewing your profile.
• Connections see it when they look at your profile.
• It displays when people look at profiles of others in your network.

However, your location will not display on your activity feeds or posts. It is primarily shown on your full profile. You can restrict some visibility by adjusting your profile settings.

Can I hide my location from my profile?

LinkedIn does not allow you to fully hide your location from your profile. However, you can limit visibility in a couple ways:

• Adjust profile settings to only show location to connections.
• Leave location field blank but fill it in when applying for jobs.
• Exclude location from your public profile intro card.

While not completely private, these settings do allow you to limit broad visibility of your location if needed.

What happens if I set my location inaccurately?

It’s best to avoid setting an inaccurate location on your LinkedIn profile. Here are some potential downsides:

• You will miss out on local opportunities near you.
• Searching and networking is harder without proximity algorithms.
• Others may find it odd or misleading if your location seems random.
• You may appear manipulative if angling for certain opportunities.
• Recruiters may doubt your willingness to relocate.

An incorrect location undermines the usefulness of LinkedIn’s location-based features. Set your city truthfully for the best experience.

Can I personalize my location with details?

Yes, LinkedIn allows you to customize your location setting with more specificity, such as:

• Greater Seattle Area
• Silicon Valley
• Downtown Austin
• Historic Triangle region

Adding details like this can give people a better sense of where you are located. Just keep it to actual geographic regions to avoid confusion.

What’s the difference between Location and Contact Info on LinkedIn?

Your Location and Contact Info sections serve different purposes:

• Location shows your preferred city for networking and opportunities.
• Contact Info includes details like your address for direct communication.
• Location tailors your LinkedIn experience and visibility.
• Contact Info gives specifics for reaching you offline.

Location is for visibility on LinkedIn. Contact Info is for in-person interactions. Use both strategically as part of your profile.

Conclusion

Your preferred location is a key element of your LinkedIn profile. Take the time to set it accurately based on where you want to make professional connections and advance your career. Keep it updated as your situation evolves. Use location-based features and settings strategically to control visibility and opportunities. With the right location, you can maximize the effectiveness of LinkedIn for networking, job seeking, and building your brand.