This section is a work in progress. I set it up now as a result of a client who has been with the same 2 employers for his entire working career. This is someone who would never have needed LinkedIn, ATS, or ever have to understand how it all works.
The fact is, people who have never had to change jobs in the age of recruiting technology are having to grapple with a lot very quickly. It's intimidating. Plain and simple. This article will be updated to provide step-by-step instructions for background settings to make LinkedIn work better for you and take on your preferences for what you want to see on it as well as what it is about you that gets shared. LinkedIn wants a lot of data. It's your personal preference what you share/how much you share.
As I come across situations and clients who need to have the instructions, I'll add to this article. A final note before moving on to the first item: the menu paths provided are documented at the time the instructions were created. LinkedIn has a habit of moving things around. If that happens, let me know and I can update the instructions.
MENU PATH TO SWITCH ON MSWORD and MENU PATH TO SHARE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE WITH RECRUITERS WHEN YOU APPLY FOR A JOB
1. Log into LinkedIn and in the top ribbon, click on the little photo of yourself that's right next to the icon that looks like a bell (notifications). You just want to click on your photo.
2. Dropdown menu you get, click on Settings & privacy
3. Click on Data privacy from the options in the left column
4. Scroll to Job seeking preferences
5. Click on Job application settings
6. Set all three buttons to On--it's here where you tell LinkedIn it's ok for recruiters (they pay for recruiter level access to LinkedIn) to see what's on that resume.
7. At the top of the page, click on <Back
8. Scroll down to the very end of the right column, click on Other applications
9. Click on Microsoft Word
10. Move the button to the On position if it's not already on. This is where your profile data is set up to share it in MSWord when someone wants to have your profile outside of LinkedIn (when you said 'yes' above to share your profile data).
Everything saves when you make those setting changes.
MENU PATH TO KEY PRIVACY SETTINGS WHEN UPDATING YOUR PROFILE (aka, you don't want people to see that you're making changes just yet):
Key Privacy Settings:
1. Click on your little profile photo at the top of the ribbon when you're logged in. You'll see a dropdown list that includes Settings and Privacy. Click on that to get the next menu.
2. Click on Visibility.
3. Then click on Visibility of your LinkedIn Activity.
Change 2 settings:
4. Share profile updates with your network (slide this to OFF), and
5. Manage active status: Choose who can see when you are on LinkedIn. (choose the option No One). At this point, you're pretty much anonymous and no one knows to track you, even if you're connected to them.
RECRUITING SETTINGS: WHO SEES THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A JOB
You want recruiters and hiring managers to know you're looking for a new job, and you don't want everyone else to know.
1. Go back to LinkedIn Home.
2. Click on your little photo at the top ribbon on the page.
3. Click on View Profile.
4. Looking at your editable profile page, you see your photo, then your name, then your headline and location, then your number of connections.
5. Under that there's a solid blue oval that says Open to. Click on that.
6. Click on Open to Work. Fill in the appropriate information you'd like someone to search on and find you (e.g., Job titles, Workplaces, Job Locations, Start date, Job Types).
7. Next, choose Who Sees You're Open to work:
8. Choose Recruiters only.
9. Then click Save.
10. Again, remember to Save.
To know you've done this correctly, when you look at your profile photo on LinkedIn,
there SHOULD NOT BE A GREEN SWIRL AROUND YOUR PHOTO THAT SAYS #Open to Work
It's a very rare situation or industry to have the green swirl around your photo. Having it, in my opinion and that of many recruiters I network with, that you're desperate. Desperate people will take any job as a rebound job to have until you find a job that's a better match for you. You don't want to be interpreted that way--whether you're just looking for the rebound job or not. Don't advertise it.
HIDE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE
The following directions are using your computer to follow the instruction to hide your profile.
1. Go to https://www.linkedin.com and log in using your user name and password.
2. In the menu bar that runs along the top of your screen, select the "Me" option that appears below a miniaturized version of your profile photo, and click "View Profile."
3. Click the "Edit public profile & URL" option on the right-hand side of your screen.
4. Open the "Edit public profile & URL" menu from your LinkedIn profile.
5. Under the "Edit Visibility" option on the left side of the screen, toggle the lever next to "Your profile's public visibility" to OFF, to hide it from non-LinkedIn users and search engines.
6. You will then see a message confirming that the change has been made, and the lever will be labeled "Off."
7. Click the visibility switch to set it to "Off," and hide your profile.