Having a professional and polished LinkedIn profile is important for establishing yourself in your industry and career. While you can easily view and edit your own profile, being able to preview what your profile looks like to others is an insightful step in optimizing your presence on the networking platform. Luckily, LinkedIn gives all users the ability to preview their profile just as any other LinkedIn member would see it. Here are some tips on how to view your LinkedIn profile from someone else’s perspective.
Enable private browsing
The easiest way to view your profile as others see it is to enable private or incognito browsing. Here are the steps:
- Open a new browser window in private/incognito mode (see instructions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari)
- Go to LinkedIn and log into your account
- Search for your profile and click on it to open it in the private browsing window
The benefit of private browsing is that LinkedIn will treat you like any other user, so you’ll see exactly what your profile looks like without any special visibility permissions. The downside is you won’t be able to test out profile edits in this view. Use the main browser window for editing.
Log out of LinkedIn
Another simple method is to log completely out of your LinkedIn account and then view your profile. Follow these steps:
- Log out of LinkedIn in your main browser
- In the same browser, go to LinkedIn and search for your profile
- When your profile comes up, you will be viewing it as any non-connected user would
This gives you the same limited perspective as private browsing, but allows you to make and preview edits since you’re in your main browser. The only catch is having to log back in every time you want to make a change to your profile.
Use a secondary account
Having a secondary LinkedIn account is useful for gaining an outsider’s view of your primary profile. Here is how to do it:
- Create a new LinkedIn account (use a different email address than your primary profile)
- Do not connect your secondary account to your primary profile
- From the secondary account, search for and view your primary profile
This option gives you the most flexibility to make edits and see how your profile looks to the public. The extra account also lets you keep your main profile logged in while viewing it as an unconnected user. The main limitations are not being able to interact with your primary profile from the secondary account.
Ask someone else
Recruiting a friend or colleague who is not connected to your LinkedIn profile is an easy way to get an outside perspective. Simply ask them to search for and open your profile, then take screenshots to share back any formatting issues, unclear sections, or recommendations on improvements.
Having a real person review your profile has advantages over a purely self-guided approach. It provides human feedback on how your profile comes across and what elements need work. If possible, ask reviewers from your target industry to get the most relevant advice. Just be sure the person isn’t connected on LinkedIn, so they have the same limited view as others.
Check profile visibility settings
LinkedIn’s profile visibility settings determine what parts of your profile can be seen by the public or only your direct connections. Before viewing your profile as others see it, check what your current visibility settings are:
- Go to your profile
- Click “View profile” to see your public view
- Go to the “More” menu in the top right and choose “Settings & Privacy”
- Select “Privacy” from the sidebar
- Go to “Profile viewing options” to see your current settings
For the most accurate view as a non-connected user, set your profile visibility to “Public”. This will allow unconnected people to see all available profile sections. You can always change it back after evaluating your profile.
Check profile completeness
Before evaluating what your public profile looks like, it’s a good idea to make sure you’ve filled out all the core profile sections. LinkedIn profiles with high completion rates tend to rank better in search results. Check that your profile has info covered in the following sections:
- Profile photo
- Headline
- Summary
- Current position (plus 2 past positions)
- Education
- Skills
- Accomplishments/certifications
- Links to websites
Having a complete profile establishes your professional presence and gives viewers more information to engage with.
Check profile formatting
When viewing your profile from an outside perspective, check that the formatting presents your information clearly and cleanly. Look out for:
- Logical section order and flow
- Consistent and readable font sizes and colors
- No odd text spacing, alignment, or indentation
- Lists and bullet points display correctly
- Tables or other embedded elements appear properly
Clean formatting helps maintain a polished, professional look for your profile. Fix any issues that could make your profile confusing or unattractive to read.
Review profile content
Beyond just completion and formatting, evaluating your profile content from an outside point of view is key. When reviewing the text of your profile, look for:
- Errors – Typos, grammar problems, incorrect details
- Readability – Clear, concise language appropriate for your audience
- Consistency – Related skills, positions, education align
- Relevance – Information relates to target career goals and audience
- Evidence – Proof through accomplishments, recommendations, links
The content needs to quickly communicate who you are and what you offer as a professional. Check that it presents you in the best possible way for your career aims.
Compare with similar profiles
Put your profile in context by comparing it side-by-side with professional profiles similar to yours. Search for people in your industry and career level on LinkedIn and analyze:
- What additional info can you add to your profile?
- What can you emphasize more to stand out?
- Any improvements to formatting, structure or style?
Benchmarking against others in your target space helps identify gaps and opportunities in your own profile.
Get feedback from coworkers
Coworkers may have useful insights on how your professional brand comes across online. Ask trusted colleagues to review your profile and give feedback, either informally or through LinkedIn’s profile review feature. Focus their feedback on:
- How well your profile represents your workplace expertise and soft skills
- Whether your profile supports the broader employer brand
- Suggestions for presenting achievements, skills and personality
Feedback directly from peers who know you and your work can help you shape your profile to match your professional environment.
Check profile custom URLs
LinkedIn allows you to customize the unique URL of your public profile with a vanity name. Check what your custom URL is by:
- Going to your profile
- Clicking “Edit public profile & URL” on your intro card
- Viewing your public profile URL
Set your URL using a simple, professional version of your name. This creates a clean linkedin.com/in/username to include on resumes, websites, or business cards.
Update your profile thumbnail
Your profile thumbnail appears in LinkedIn search results and messages. Check that your current thumbnail is:
- A professional headshot or upper body photo of you
- High quality and in focus
- Well-lit and visually engaging
Having an updated, appealing thumbnail helps your profile stand out and represents your brand well when people encounter you on LinkedIn.
Customize your LinkedIn background
Personalize the top banner that appears on your LinkedIn profile. You can customize it by:
- Clicking “Edit public profile & URL” from your profile
- Clicking your current cover photo
- Choosing a background color, image, or LinkedIn-provided option
Pick a background that aligns with your professional brand and complements your profile photo. This visually distinguishes your page.
Showcase media on your profile
You can add visual media samples directly into your profile to showcase your work. This could include:
- Photos or videos of your projects
- Presentations, infographics, or documents you’ve created
- Graphic designs, publications, or illustrations
Displaying your work immerses viewers in what you offer and differentiates your skills and experience.
Recommend and endorse your profile
Getting recommendations and endorsements from managers, colleagues, clients or partners is a way to enhance your credibility. To build up your recommendations:
- Reconnect with past coworkers and ask for recommendations
- Endorse colleagues for skills in exchange for endorsements
- Offer to provide recommendations before asking for one
- Thank everyone who takes time to recommend or endorse you
Genuine recommendations and endorsements give convincing proof of your abilities according to people you’ve worked with.
Showcase volunteer work and causes
Volunteer work and social causes bring your profile to life beyond just employment. Highlight volunteer experience by:
- Listing volunteer roles like other positions with details on your contributions
- Getting recommendations from leaders of organizations where you volunteer
- Joining LinkedIn groups and following companies and causes you care about
This adds dimension to your profile and shows your interests and values beyond work.
Share diverse content through posts
Posting unique content allows you to share diverse aspects of yourself while engaging your network. Post about:
- Your insights and expertise in your industry
- Career advice and tips
- Current work projects and accomplishments
- Articles or content related to your interests
- Conferences, education, or other events you attend
posting engaging, useful content builds your reputation and keeps your network informed.
Conclusion
Viewing your LinkedIn profile from an outside perspective provides valuable insights to create the best representation of yourself professionally. Focus on profiling yourself completely and accurately while showcasing your capabilities and achievements. A polished, visitor-ready profile establishes you as an authority in your industry and opens more opportunities through the LinkedIn community.