There are a few main reasons why you may come across locked profiles when searching on LinkedIn Recruiter:
1. The member has set their profile to private
LinkedIn members can choose to set their profile visibility to private. This means their full profile will not be viewable to anyone they are not connected to. On Recruiter, private profiles will show up in searches but key details will be hidden and the profile image may be blurred or generic. There will also be a lock icon indicating the profile is private.
Members set their profiles to private for various reasons – they may be passively looking for jobs and don’t want their current employer knowing, or they want to control who can view and contact them. As a recruiter, you won’t be able to access a private profile or any of the member’s contact information.
2. The member has signaled they are not open to recruitment
LinkedIn members can indicate on their profile settings that they are not actively looking for new job opportunities. This sends a signal to recruiters that the individual does not wish to be contacted for recruitment purposes.
When a member sets this status, their profile will show as locked to recruiters and hiring managers. You can still view the profile overview and headline, but contact information and key details will be hidden. Respecting the member’s preferences, you should avoid contacting them regarding job opportunities.
3. The member’s company has restricted profile visibility
Some companies set restrictions that limit which parts of an employee’s LinkedIn profile are visible to external recruiters. This means key details like contact information may be hidden on profiles.
This is done by the company through LinkedIn Elevate or LinkedIn Talent Insights. It enables organizations to protect their talent pool from being poached while still allowing employees to maintain public profiles.
4. You’ve hit the profile view limit
LinkedIn Recruiter licenses come with monthly search and profile view allotments. If you go over the limit, many profiles will show as locked on the platform.
This view limit aims to encourage focused searching and targeting of ideal candidates rather than just browsing tons of profiles. If you are hitting the maximum, you may need to refine your search strategy or consider upgrading to a larger license tier.
5. The member’s LinkedIn Recruiter account is inactive
If a LinkedIn member also has their own Recruiter account, they can set their recruiter profile to inactive or active status. Inactive recruiter accounts will show as locked profiles when you are searching on Recruiter.
Members set their Recruiter profile to inactive when they are not actively using it to source talent. This signals to other recruiters not to view or contact them for opportunities. The profile lock is automatically enabled when they switch to inactive mode.
6. You don’t share any common connections
LinkedIn Recruiter limits unconnected recruiters from viewing full profiles unless they share a mutual connection. If you have no connections in common with a member, their profile will be locked and key details will not be viewable.
This rule aims to respect privacy and prevent recruiters from lurking or contacting members who are essentially total strangers. To unlock the profile, you would need to connect with the member directly or through a shared connection.
7. The member’s company limits Recruiter visibility
Some organizations restrict which parts of their employees’ profiles are visible to external recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiter. This can mean profile details like skills, experience, and education are hidden.
Companies often do this to limit other recruiters poaching their top talent. But it allows employees to still maintain public profiles. As a recruiter, you may only see limited overview information for these locked profiles.
8. You don’t have a recruiting license
To access full profiles and contact info on LinkedIn Recruiter, you need an active Recruiter license. Free LinkedIn accounts have very limited profile visibility on Recruiter.
All profiles will show as locked, and you can only see overview blurbs rather than full work experience and education. Upgrading to a paid Recruiter license will unlock full profile visibility as well as messaging capabilities.
9. The member works for a competitor
Some companies block recruiters who work at competitor organizations from viewing their employees’ full profiles. This aims to prevent headhunting and poaching of talent.
If you work for a competitor of the member’s company, their profile may show as locked on Recruiter. You will be restricted from viewing key details and contacting them. This profile blocking is usually enabled by their employer.
10. You have been restricted by the member
On rare occasions, an individual member may choose to manually block you as a recruiter from viewing their LinkedIn profile. This results in you seeing their profile as locked.
Members can block specific recruiters for reasons like being contacted about irrelevant roles. If you find yourself blocked by a prospect, it’s best to respect their decision and not attempt to contact them further.
Tips for dealing with locked profiles
When you come across locked profiles on LinkedIn Recruiter, there are a few tips that can help:
- Double check your Recruiter account status and settings to make sure everything is enabled properly on your end.
- If connections unlock a profile, consider reaching out to mutual connections to ask for an introduction.
- Only send InMail messages when appropriate and respect the member’s preferences if they indicate they aren’t interested.
- Avoid contacting members associated with a company that blocks you to prevent being flagged for suspicious activity.
- Refine your search criteria to target candidates open to new opportunities who will have visible profiles.
- Upgrade your Recruiter license if you are hitting visibility caps that cause profiles to lock.
- Be mindful of privacy settings and recruit ethically without scraping data or attempting to bypass restrictions.
Why LinkedIn profile privacy is important
While profile locks may create some obstacles, it’s important to respect the privacy controls in place on LinkedIn. Here are some reasons why profile privacy matters:
- Lets members control their data and online presence.
- Protects members’ current jobs and business relationships.
- Avoids unwanted solicitation and spam from strangers.
- Maintains trust in the LinkedIn platform.
- Empowers members to connect on their terms.
- Reduces noise for recruiters by focusing on interested candidates.
- Creates a professional community based on transparency and ethics.
By understanding and working within the bounds of member privacy, recruiters can build trust and maintain a high quality experience on LinkedIn for all users.