Why would someone use private mode on LinkedIn?

There are a few key reasons why someone might want to use LinkedIn’s private mode feature:

Privacy

One of the main reasons is for privacy. When you use private mode on LinkedIn, your profile and activity will not be visible to other members while you search and browse the platform. This can be useful if you want to:

• Research people or companies anonymously without them seeing you viewed their profile
• Browse job listings without recruiters knowing you are looking
• Look up connections without them getting notified about your activity

Using private mode prevents your browsing from showing up on the “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section of other member’s profiles. It gives you more privacy and discretion as you navigate LinkedIn.

Separating work and personal profiles

Another reason to use private browsing is if you want to keep separate personal and professional profiles on LinkedIn. For example, you might have one profile for a side business you run in addition to your full-time job. With private mode, you can easily switch between profiles without logging out and in each time. This keeps your activity and networks separate.

Avoiding targeted ads and recommendations

Private browsing also prevents LinkedIn from using your activity to personalize ads and recommendations in your feed. It stops the platform from catering content based on the groups, companies and individuals you search for or engage with. This can be helpful if you want to avoid seeing irrelevant or inappropriate recommendations.

When would someone use private browsing on LinkedIn?

Here are some common scenarios when LinkedIn members might enable private mode:

Job searching

Many people want to keep their job search discrete during the interview process. Viewing job ads and company pages could tip off recruiters that you are looking. Private mode allows you to research potential employers, look up interviewers, and browse job listings anonymously. Recruiters and companies won’t get notified when you look at their pages or ads in private mode.

Making industry connections

You may want to expand your professional network by connecting with new people in your industry. With private browsing, you can send connection requests and messages without the other person knowing you viewed their profile. This allows you to make connections discreetly without potentially awkward notifications.

Following competitors anonymously

Private mode is useful for benchmarking competitors or monitoring their activity on LinkedIn. You can follow company pages, look up employees, and see updates without them knowing. It allows discreet competitive research and analysis.

Viewing old connections and colleagues

If you want to look up old work contacts, colleagues, or classmates without them knowing, private browsing prevents LinkedIn from notifying them. It allows you to browse old connections and reminisce without awkwardly announcing you were viewing their profile.

Seeing who viewed your profile

You can also use private browsing to check who has been looking at your profile. LinkedIn shows you who viewed your page in the last 90 days. Private mode lets you do this without triggering reciprocal views and notifications.

How to use private mode on LinkedIn’s desktop site

Using private browsing on LinkedIn’s desktop website is straightforward:

1. Click on the Me icon at the top right of your LinkedIn homepage.
2. Select View As Private from the dropdown menu.
3. This will open a new private browsing window. The window will have a banner at the top saying “Private Mode”.
4. Conduct searches, browse profiles and view updates as normal with full privacy.
5. To return to normal mode, close the private browsing window. Private mode will automatically deactivate.

The View As Private option enables one-click access to private browsing anytime you need it.

Enabling private browsing on LinkedIn’s mobile app

The LinkedIn mobile app also has private browsing functionality:

1. Tap on your profile picture in the top left corner of your home feed.
2. Tap View As from the menu.
3. Toggle the switch for “Private mode” on.
4. The app will reload in private browsing mode. You can now browse discreetly on mobile.
5. To exit, return to the View As menu and toggle private mode off.

This makes private browsing easily accessible on iOS and Android devices.

Limitations of LinkedIn’s private mode

While private mode provides more privacy, it does have some limitations:

• You still appear in search results – others can find your profile, just not see who viewed it.
• Paywalled profile views still get used – viewing paid premium accounts uses up a view.
• You can’t message connections – private mode blocks messaging capabilities.
• Notifications reappear when disabled – you’ll get notifications again after exiting.
• It’s session based – private mode needs reactivating in each new browser session.

So while helpful for browsing discretely, some LinkedIn features get disabled or limited.

Conclusion

Here are some key takeaways on LinkedIn’s private mode:

• Allows discreet browsing without your activity showing up on profiles.
• Prevents ads and recommendations from being personalized based on your views.
• Useful for job searching, competitor research, reconnecting with old connections anonymously.
• Easy to enable on desktop and mobile – just a click or tap away.
• Provides more privacy, though some messaging and notifications still limited.

Overall, private browsing is a useful privacy tool on LinkedIn. It empowers users to control what information they share as they navigate the platform. There are valid reasons both personal and professional to browse discreetly or maintain separate profiles. Private mode allows this added privacy and anonymity.