Don’t assume that everyone who’s on LinkedIn is as professional as you. Because LinkedIn has its fair share of self-promoters, scammers, and bullies. Thankfully, all you need to do is block them. So in this article we’ll show you how to block someone on LinkedIn.
Why You Should Block Someone on LinkedIn
There are always going to be LinkedIn connections you don’t want. Perhaps you’ve accepted LinkedIn invites from strangers only to find that they’re marketers in disguise. And while it’s possible to find your next mentor on LinkedIn, there are also plenty of bad actors you need to avoid at all costs.
The good news is that LinkedIn allows you to block people and remove them if they don’t serve any use. Here are some of the behaviors which should automatically make you block the profiles behind them:
- Someone who refuses to take “no” for an answer.
- A member (or acquaintance) who keeps asking for money.
- Members who use bad language, or make misogynist or racist attacks.
- You invited someone from your email contact list with a click on the wrong button.
- Anyone looking for false endorsements and testimonials from you.
- People who try to use LinkedIn as a dating site.
- An individual who exhibits creepy behavior.
How to Block Someone on LinkedIn
To block someone on LinkedIn, you’ll have to visit their LinkedIn profile. A fellow LinkedIn member can see that you have visited their profile. But when you block someone, your entry will disappear from Who’s Viewed Your Profile.
So, don’t hesitate to take this step as the blocked member won’t get any notification of this action.
1. Search for the person from the LinkedIn search bar or go to the list of your connections (My Network > Connections).
2. Go to the profile of the person you want to block and follow the steps below:
3. Click the More… button below the member’s profile picture. Select the Report/Block option from the list.
4. A box titled What do you want to do? appears and asks you to take a follow-up action from the three choices. Click on Block [Member Name].
5. A follow-up box confirms if “Are you sure you want to block [Name]?“. Read the fine print, and if you are OK with the result, click on the blue Block button. If not, you can click on Go Back.
That’s it. There’s no other notification. The member you have blocked also won’t receive an alert. LinkedIn says that you can block up to 1000 members on LinkedIn.
How to Unblock Someone on LinkedIn
If you want to unblock someone on LinkedIn, head to your LinkedIn Blocked List. This can also help you confirm you’ve successfully blocked someone. The Blocked list tells you how many contacts you’ve blocked and how long ago you blocked them.
- Click the Me icon at top of your LinkedIn homepage.
- From the dropdown menu, select Settings & Privacy.
- The Privacy tab opens in your personal settings page. Click Blocking and hiding on the left sidebar.
- Click Change next to Blocking on the list.
- From your blocked list, find the person’s name and click Unblock. Enter your LinkedIn log-in password in the box that pops up and click the blue Unblock member button.
LinkedIn says that after unblocking someone you’ll have to wait 48 hours before re-blocking them again.
How to Block Someone on the LinkedIn Mobile Apps
If you’re using the LinkedIn mobile apps the steps to blocking people are similar. Here’s how to block someone on LinkedIn using the iOS app…
- Search for and go to the profile of the person you’d like to block.
- Click on the More below the profile photo of your contact.
- Tap Report or block option on the screen.
- Tap Block [Name] in the dialog that says What do you want to do?
- Confirm it again in the next pop-up window with a tap on Block.
What Happens When You Block Someone on LinkedIn?
There are some important caveats worth noting when deciding whether to block someone on LinkedIn:
- There won’t be a record of visits under Who’s Viewed Your Profile.
- You won’t be able to access the blocked member’s profile on LinkedIn either.
- Endorsements and recommendations from that member will be removed from your profile.
- LinkedIn won’t suggest the names for People You May Know and People also Viewed.
- LinkedIn Event notifications from either member will cease.
- All shared content between you and the member will be erased.
- Messaging between both members will be disabled.
The above limitations won’t matter if the connection is undesirable in the first place. But for any other relationship, you will have to weigh the pros and cons before you block someone.
If both of you belong to the same LinkedIn Group, the status of each individual member in the group depends on the Group Manager. That’s because they have the power to remove or block any member. You can choose to report a group member if they go against the group’s intent. Until then, both of you will be part of any group conversations.
Can Someone Still View Your Profile If You Have Blocked Them?
Yes, anyone can access your public profile. And it’s a no-brainer that someone who really wants to view your LinkedIn profile can just ask someone else to show it to them.
So, as well as following our LinkedIn profile tips to guarantee success, be sure to configure your privacy settings so that everyone can only see what you want them to see.
More LinkedIn Features You Should Be Using
There are many reasons to block someone on LinkedIn, and only you will know whether it’s the right thing to do. And while blocking someone isn’t the perfect solution to harassment and bullying, it’s a good option we’re glad exists.
The option to block someone on LinkedIn should help keep LinkedIn the professional networking platform it was designed to be. And there are plenty of other LinkedIn features you should be using.
Read the full article: How to Block Someone on LinkedIn
