There is a feature in LinkedIn that allows you to choose what of your Profile data is visible on your Public Profile.

This is a nice feature that allows you to not let the average person see different areas of your Public Profile. Maybe you want to hide the details of past positions or your Education or Interest.

Of course @NCWiseman wonders why you would even put this info on your LinkedIn profile if you didn’t want to share it, but I guess this is another conversation for another day.

However – Be Advised that choosing to not make sections of your Public Profile visible does not prohibit everyone from seeing it.

According to the email (below) that I received from LinkedIn Support, your entire Profile, the stuff marked Visible and all items not marked visible can be viewed by Corporate Recruiters who pay for the Premium LinkedIn Recruiters Account.

Therefore, I strongly recommend that you populate your LinkedIn profile with all relevant and beneficial information. If recruiters can see it all, make sure what they see speaks volumes about your talents, skills, experiences and business value in regards to what you want to do. Don’t exaggerate, ramble on and on, or tell falsehoods.

If your entire LinkedIn Profile is visible to Corporate Recruiters let them see a great story about you.

Email from LinkedIn Support

On Thu, Jun 7, 2012 at 2:07 PM, LinkedIn Customer Support
LinkedIn Customer Support Message

Subject: Profile Visibility
Hi Teddy,

Thanks for reaching out to me today regarding information visibility.

Most of our subscriptions don’t offer this information. If a person simply upgrades their account, there’s no personal subscription that has a feature that would allow them to see this information. Only our Corporate Recruiter clients can see this information.

If you have questions or if there’s anything else I can do for you, please let me know. I’m committed to helping you succeed!

Jordan
Your Customer Experience Advocate