How to Avoid Outing Yourself on LinkedIn (+ It's Launch Day!)
If you're working like mad to move your career forward, shift paths or get out of a job that, well, just doesn't do it for you, you'll want to learn everything you can about LinkedIn. It's your power tool, and could be your direct ticket to the next big thing.
But if you're currently employed, and would die if your co-workers or boss found out that you're sniffing around elsewhere, you really need to be careful as you use LinkedIn as part of your overall search strategy -- especially if you have colleagues, supervisors or clients among your LinkedIn connections.
Top 3 things to do / not do if you're trying to stay under the radar:
If you join Groups related to job search, hide the logo. This is a must. And it's easy to do. If you're new to a Group, you will have an option to show or hide the logo as you go through the signup process. If you've already joined one, and want to hide the logo now, go into the Group => Click on the italic "i" near the top of the screen => Go into Settings => Uncheck "Display Group Logo".
Don't ask 10 people for recommendations all at once, especially not colleagues. People revving up for a job search often decide to chase after a few new recommendations. Which is great, but if you're conducting a search on the sly, use care in who you approach, and how many people you approach at once. As a recruiter, if I see someone has 10 new recommendations within the space of a week, guess what I think? Yep. Blaring billboard for "job seeker."
As you make edits, turn off your activity broadcasts as you work. This is, perhaps, the Mack Daddy of things you need to get right. If you plan to update your LinkedIn profile as means to put your best foot forward with job search, don't edit a single thing until you turn off your activity broadcasts. Otherwise, every little change you make will be announced to your connections, and they may wonder what you're up to.
Instead, make all the updates with the broadcast feature turned "off" and then flip it back on when you're done. You'll find that in Privacy & Settings => Privacy Controls => Turn on / off your activity broadcasts. UNcheck the box as you work.
LinkedIn will absolutely be a vital tool for you, through job search and beyond. You just want to be mindful of perceptions if you're trying to pull off a search in secret.
Need more LinkedIn guidance?
Our Ridiculously Awesome LinkedIn Kit launched today. In the kit, you'll learn how to set up your profile the right way, and how to leverage the heck out of this incredible resource for research, professional branding, and as a brilliant tool that'll help you endear yourselves to the exact people who could make a huge difference to your career.
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