Using LinkedIn but Keeping Your Job Search Private

How do you use social tools that broadcast your intentions while keeping those intentions under wraps? That is a paradox my clients face all the time when they are deciding whether or not to use LinkedIn. 

The good news is that you can still leverage the power of LinkedIn, a tool that – despite some of my skepticism of social media and general concern for privacy – I recommend all of my clients use. Here are some quick tips for using LinkedIn without making it clear to everyone that you are looking for a new position or simply keeping your options open.

Always use LinkedIn – The simplest way to keep people "off your scent" is to simply regularly be using LinkedIn. Consistent updates to your profile send the message that you are staying on top of your professional brand and minimizes the potential for the “wow, she just redid her LinkedIn… What’s she up to?” suspicions.

Shut off profile-edit notifications – Speaking of alerting people when you update your profile… You can turn those notifications off altogether. So, your boss might notice you revamped your profile if she is checking on it frequently, but she is not going to be alerted every time you make an update. And let’s be honest, who in your network really wants to get a notification every time you change your profile?

Hit up recruiters on the DL – LinkedIn has a feature that enables you to privately let recruiters know that you are on the market. The great thing about this feature is that it only alerts recruiters who are part of LinkedIn’s official recruiting product and it hides your information from users within your company.