How To Hide Your LinkedIn Job Search From Your Current EmployerWhat if you want to be visible on LinkedIn, but not… TOO visible? That is, what if you want potential employers to notice you, but not your current employer (that you’re looking to leave)?
If you are conducting a confidential job search, there are several things you can do to keep your efforts covert.
First, make sure your privacy settings are selected properly.
Here are some basic instructions:
- Click on your name in the upper right-hand corner of the screen next to the search box.
- Pull down to “Settings.”
- Enter your password.
- Look in the middle of the screen, under “Privacy Controls.”
- Click on “Turn on/off your activity broadcasts.”
- Un-check the box that says “Let people know when you change your profile, make recommendations, or follow companies.” Save changes.
- Click on “Select Who Can See Your Activity Feed.”
- Find “Your activity feed displays actions you’ve performed on LinkedIn.”
- Select who can see your activity feed. Set to “Only You.”
- Save changes.
There are some additional steps you can take so you don’t attract undue attention:
Perform changes to your profile or activities on LI gradually. Adding a couple of sentences here and there, or connecting with a couple of people every day, will probably not get you noticed by the boss. A complete profile overhaul or connecting with dozens or hundreds of people at a time is risky. So, take your time and proceed cautiously.
It might seem obvious, but it must be said, if you want to stay in your current job for a while, please don’t post that you are looking for a new job, that you are currently unemployed (or want to be), and don’t check the box, “open to career opportunities.”
Remember that your Groups may be visible on your profile, unless you select not to have them show in your settings, so join job search groups with caution. You may want to censor that you’re looking for a new job there, as well. Someone could be lurking in the group, waiting to bust you for job searching to the boss! (It happens.)
And you may not want to follow all of your company’s competitors, or connect with too many colleagues from rival companies. This could attract unwanted attention from management.
Think twice before you hide your contacts. A walled-up profile might look more suspicious to your boss than a visible one, since that’s what most LinkedIn users have. Remember, you want to keep your activity normal looking. Anything outside the norm could make you seem like a flight risk.
Another thing to help you appear like the average user would be to post regularly. If you post things every day or so, you’ll attract attention for being engaging, but it won’t send up red flags to the boss, since that’s just what your routine is. Staying active is a great way to “hide in plain sight,” so to speak.
Last, if your employer should ask you about your LI activity, simply stating that you are doing your best to represent the company professionally. Hopefully, they will understand that is in the best interests of both of you!
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