A question came to me from a client:
How do I stay private when looking at others’ profiles now that I can see them with the Premium service I now have?
Assuming you are looking at profiles of people who you are not connected to, there are 2 ways:
1) preferable: you can safely log off LinkedIn and look at their public profile by googling them and selecting the search result of their LinkedIn page. It looks a bit different, but contains mostly the same, or the exact, info.
2) I am not a fan of this as it dilutes LinkedIn as an open discussion and searchable forum, but here goes any way: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/49410 but just be sure to change back to open mode when you are finished “spying.”
And by the way, premium or free service, my comments above pertain to either.
Sometimes I have to answer the question I am asked even though I do not endorse espionage.
As always, should you or any of our blog readers be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This blogpost will self-destruct in ten seconds.
Why Spy? I was 13 when “I Spy” was on TV. It featured two spies traveling undercover as international “tennis bums”. Two different people who became a team and good friends. The whole purpose of LinkedIn is to create relationships, not to “spy”. If I am curious about someone, I visit their page. If they want to know why, they can message me. The worst that can happen is nothing. The best that can happen is a good connection.