How To Job Search On LinkedIn Confidentially

By Jessica Holbrook Hernandez

We speak with job seekers every now and then who are concerned that jumping on LinkedIn or suddenly improving their profile will alert their potential employer or colleagues that they’re in a job search. Which brings up the question – is it possible to job search on LinkedIn without being “found out”?

How To Job Search On LinkedIn Confidentially

After speaking with a potential client this week who wanted us to write his LinkedIn profile for him but was nervous that his connections would figure out what he was up to, I decided to do a little research of my own. Here are some tips I found for conducting a job search on LinkedIn on the “down low.”
You have the ability to turn off your network updates. There are some great tips from Meg Guiseppi on ExecutiveCareerBrand.com.
Adjust who can see your activity and connections. Find out more at CareerThoughtLeaders.com.
Change your profile settings so you can browse profiles of target companies and make the right connections you need without anyone knowing.
Here’s how:

• Go to your profile settings and click privacy settings.
• Under privacy settings click profile views.
• Under the last setting click that you want to be completely invisible to users that you’ve viewed.

A few additional tips to remember when job search confidentially on LinkedIn:

• Do not post status updates that say you’re in a job search or include that information anywhere else on your profile. (duh, right?)
• Leave the box on your profile indicating you’re open to new job opportunities unchecked.
• Be mindful of what you post and reply to in job search-related groups and how you answer questions in discussion groups.

And now for a few things to make sure you DO when job searching on LinkedIn: To find out what to do read the rest of the Careerealism article