How to Best Manage the LinkedIn Security Settings Maze?

October 15, 2024 7:09 AM

I've recently started looking for a job and have updated my LinkedIn profile. Whereas my facebook and IG accounts are set to private, anyone on LinkedIn - e.g. potential employers - can see my profile and access a significant amount of information about me. How do I manage the LinkedIn settings maze to - admittedly counterintuitively - best protect myself while sharing personal information at the same time?

Also, how do I stay on top of these settings, as I'm guessing LinkedIn periodically change them?

posted by 7 Minutes of Madness to Technology (3 answers total)

Best way to manage it is not to have any personal information on there. You only need to have name / photo / current title, job history and bit of self-promotion. Some people treat it like facebook with holiday photos & updates on their spouse's health, but they're doing it wrong. Keep it professional, so that there's very little data to leak that isn't already in the public domain.
posted by rd45 at 7:51 AM on October 15 [6 favorites]

I think the point of LinkedIn is to shout about your information! Poking through my own settings, there doesn't seem to be much about how or who my information is shared with or options to limit that. How I manage it is by limiting my information I keep on there. Basically it's just a light version of my CV - key roles and that's it. I want potential employers to see yes - it's londonexplorergirl - yes that matches with her application - DONE.
posted by london explorer girl at 7:51 AM on October 15 [1 favorite]

Can you elaborate on what personal information you want to protect?

I have a full career biography on my LI page and I leave it very public. I do not have my phone number or email on there - recruiters and connections can only send me notes via their messages thing. I overload my job listings with everything I've done, project by project, which is something I edit down for space on my actual CV. I want hiring managers and interviewers to find my LI page when looking into my background and spend as much time as possible there.

The one setting I would take care to turn off is the "notify others when I edit my page". You don't want to tip off coworkers at your current job that you're looking. I also took my college graduation date off my education section - I'm an old and I don't want to invite any discrimination there if possible.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:55 AM on October 15 [1 favorite]