Are you looking to delete your profile on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking site? Whether you want to take a break from professional networking, need to refocus your strategies, or just aren’t a fan of the platform, deleting your profile is a surprisingly straightforward process. This article will provide step-by-step instructions on how to delete your profile in Linkedin.
1. Introduction to Deleting Your LinkedIn Profile
Deleting your LinkedIn profile is a process that can seem intimidating or confusing at first. However, it’s actually a fairly straightforward process that’s easy to set up. This post will provide you with a comprehensive guide to deleting your LinkedIn profile, so that you can be confident that your account is permanently removed.
So, how can you delete your LinkedIn profile? First of all, you need to log in to your account. Once you have done that, click on the drop-down menu located at the top-right corner of your home page, and select the “Settings and Privacy” option. On the next page, you will find the “Account” subsection. From here, you can select the “Closing Your LinkedIn Account” option.
The next step is to review what will happen when you delete your profile. It’s important to remember that:
- Your profile will be hidden from view and friends. If you want to reactivate your account, you will need to create a new profile.
- You will no longer be able to access your LinkedIn account. This means that any contacts, messages, or other information in your account will be permanently deleted.
- Your profile data will remain in the LinkedIn database. This means that your profile will still be visible to employers and recruiters who have access to your information.
Once you have read the warnings and reviewed what will happen after you delete your account, you can click the “Close Account” button. Once you do this, your account and profile information will be deleted. You will need to create a new profile if ever you wish to rejoin LinkedIn in the future.
2. Identifying Your LinkedIn Profile
Your LinkedIn profile is a digital representation of yourself and your professional experience. Therefore, it is important to maintain a professional and an accurate profile which will help you to build your personal brand. Here are some ways you can identify your LinkedIn profile:
- Picture: Your profile picture should be professional. If you don’t have one, consider using a high-resolution headshot.
- Summary:Your summary should be brief and have an introduction, professional experience and an objective that includes details about the job title and industry you are hoping to pursue.
- Keywords: Use effective keywords that relate to your industry when you edit your profile.
It is recommended to add projects and skills sections to your profile too. Projects help showcase your ability to work in teams, execute complex tasks, and think critically. Skills have greater reach and can give recruiters insight into your core expertise. Don’t be afraid to get creative and add a portfolio, website, or blog links to your profile as well. If a recruiter is interested in your profile, they may take a look at your online brand.
Complete your profile by adding accomplishments and certifications. Bear in mind that it is not just about work experience, but also the knowledge and skills you have learned along the way.
3. Withdrawing Your LinkedIn Profile
Removing your LinkedIn profile can be done in a few simple steps. Here’s how:
- Start by going to LinkedIn’s ‘Privacy & Settings’ page (this link).
- You’ll be directed to the Account section, so click the ‘Close Your Account’ option.
- Follow the instructions on the page, enter your password and then click ‘Continue’.
Important notes: It may take several days for the process to be completed. Once you’ve clicked ‘Continue’, you will no longer be able to access any of your profile details.
Any endorsements you’ve received, recommendations you’ve made and any likes or comments you’ve made will be lost.
Remember to remove any software applications linked to your LinkedIn account if you don’t plan on using them again.
4. Deactivating Your LinkedIn Profile
If you’ve decided to take a break from using LinkedIn or want to delete your profile permanently, you can deactivate or delete your account. Since deactivation is reversible and allows you to return to LinkedIn with your existing profile should you choose to do so, we’ll discuss that before going into deleting your account.
- Deactivating Your Account
- Limitations of Deactivating Your Account
- Deleting Your Account
Deactivating Your Account
You can deactivate a LinkedIn account by going to “Settings and Privacy”, selecting “Account” and proceeding to “Closing your LinkedIn Account”. You will be required to enter your password at the bottom of the page to confirm and then the account will be manually deactivated by our customer service team.
Limitations of Deactivating Your Account
While your profile will be immediately hidden from the public and other members, your name may remain visible on messages you’ve previously sent, Groups you’ve participated in, or directories you’ve subscribed to.
Deleting Your Account
Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. You’ll need to contact LinkedIn customer service via the customer service portal to delete your account. Ensure that you have read the policies and procedures beforehand and remember that all content, including endorsements for skills and recommendations for colleagues, will be permanently deleted.
5. Deleting Your LinkedIn Profile
Making a Decision to Delete Your Profile
Deleting your profile from LinkedIn is a major step and should not be taken lightly. Consider the ramifications of doing so: Are you just looking to take a break from LinkedIn? Are you planning to create a new profile under another name? Or do you want to delete your profile permanently?
Removing Your Profile from Search
Once you’ve decided to delete your profile from LinkedIn, the next step is to prevent it from showing up in search. Visit your privacy settings and select “Turn off/on your activity broadcasts”. This will ensure that other users don’t receive notifications when you perform certain activities on LinkedIn.
Deactivating/Deleting Your Profile
Once you’ve removed your profile from search, the next step is to either deactivate or delete your profile. To deactivate your profile, go to “settings and privacy” and select the “account” tab. From there, select “deactivate your account”. This will fully disable your profile, yet leave it intact in case you wish to reactivate it in the future.
If you are sure you want to delete your profile permanently, click “Delete your account”. Here are the important things you should consider before deleting your account:
- All connections, endorsements and recommendations will be lost
- Data related to your profile, such as messages and groups, will be permanently deleted
- You will no longer have access to any of your data or information on LinkedIn
Once you are certain that you want to delete your profile, click “Delete my account”.
Deleting your LinkedIn profile is not a difficult process and just a few simple steps are all that’s required. You can easily tailor your profile for your own usage and delete it altogether if you decide it’s no longer necessary. With this guide, we have certainly hope to have helped you into understanding how to delete your profile from LinkedIn.
