My clients often have questions about LinkedIn public profiles.
For instance, they ask:
- Is my LinkedIn profile public?
- Can anyone see my profile on LinkedIn?
- How can I get a LinkedIn public profile?
I will answer those questions and more below.
About LinkedIn Public Profiles
LinkedIn lets you design a public profile that people who aren’t logged in can find via Google.
It can be almost as complete as your entire profile, or you can limit the information you share.
How to Set Up, View, and Change Your Public Profile
To manage your public profile:
- Click “Me” on the top horizontal rail of your profile.
- Next, click “Settings & Privacy.”
- Then, click “Visibility.”
- Then, click “Edit your public profile.”
In the left column of the page, you can see how your public profile displays. The right column gives you several display options.
Edit Your URL
The first option involves editing your profile’s URL. It’s essential (and easy) to customize it to fit your needs.
How to Make LinkedIn Profiles Public
Next, you can edit what’s publicly visible on your profile (this is how you “get” a public profile):
- First, click the button to make your profile visible, i.e., public.
- Second, decide who can see your photo.
- Third, determine which sections of your profile to show; everything is best.
Avoid hiding information unless you have a compelling reason to do so. Why? Because your public profile might be the only version a viewer sees.
Many Recruiters Search LinkedIn via Google
A public LinkedIn profile matters because many recruiters search LinkedIn from outside the platform.
LinkedIn charges them buckets of money to search inside, so many source candidates from LinkedIn via Google.
Thus, if you’re a job seeker, it’s good to include everything LinkedIn allows in your public profile.
You’ll also add your email address to your LinkedIn “About” section. That way, recruiters can see it and contact you without logging in to LinkedIn.
How Can I View My LinkedIn Public Profile?
If you want to see what recruiters see when they view your public LinkedIn profile, it’s easy:
- Log out of LinkedIn.
- Google: [your name] AND LinkedIn.
- Find your LinkedIn profile in the Google search results.
- Click through, and you will see what recruiters see.
Another Reason to Have a Public Profile
LinkedIn has outages.
If you have a public profile, Google will cache it and show it to recruiters when LinkedIn isn’t working.
A Redundant System
As you can see, activating your public profile creates a redundant system that can be useful in several ways.
So, yes, if you want to be found via LinkedIn, you need a public profile.
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Image: freshidea
Updated May 2023
© 2019 – 2023, Donna Svei. All rights reserved.
Donna Svei, an executive resume writer and former C-level executive, retained search consultant, and CPA, authors all of AvidCareerist’s posts.
She is a Fast Company Contributor and has written for and been quoted by 100+ business and general media outlets, including Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, CNBC, the New York Times, USA Today, Time, US News & World Report, CBS, the BBC, Lifehacker, Social Media Today, IT World, and Business News Daily.
Let her expertise inform your job search strategy and decision-making.
Contact Donna here to learn more about her resume and LinkedIn profile services and fee structure.
Comments 4
Great
Richa,
Thank you.
Donna
Donna, I believe having a Public LinkedIn Profile is vital, especially if you are in a job search. You want to give recruiters and hiring managers every way possible to find you. You want to make it easy for them. So glad you’ve given people this reminder!
Donna,
Thank you. I think people often skip over LinkedIn’s privacy settings and don’t understand that they’re essential to visibility on the platform.
Donna