LinkedIn Privacy Policy

LinkedIn Privacy Policy - by https://www.market-connections.net

LinkedIn Strategies January 27, 2021

LinkedIn Privacy Policy

Your LinkedIn Content Privacy

Normally, when you are setting up your LinkedIn privacy settings, you’re selecting the audience you want to be able to see your LinkedIn profile. But there is a particular LinkedIn setting that you will want to select to ensure that LinkedIn doesn’t share your content.

LinkedIn and Microsoft Integration: What It Means for Your Content

When Microsoft purchased LinkedIn in 2016, the integration of the social media platform with Microsoft’s products was alluded to in the announcement. In an internal memo published on TechCrunch.com, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner identified some specific areas where the two companies would work together. These included:

• LinkedIn identity and network in Microsoft Outlook and the Office Suite.
• Enabling members drafting résumés in Word to update their profiles, and discover and apply to jobs on LinkedIn.​​

With the announcement of a new Microsoft Word feature called “Resume Assistant,” that integration is becoming even more apparent. When this feature is enabled, it shows what other people in similar roles say about themselves in their LinkedIn profiles, allowing users of the word processing software to incorporate that content directly into the résumé they are creating for themselves.

While it has always been possible to view profiles of individuals in similar roles for inspiration when constructing your résumé, LinkedIn Headline, and profile content, this new feature allows users to directly copy content from other peoples’ LinkedIn profiles. And, in fact, it is encouraged by Microsoft/LinkedIn.

Fortunately, with the introduction of this new feature, LinkedIn has also recently added a new privacy setting to allow you to omit your LinkedIn profile from showing up in Microsoft Word’s Resume Assistant. 

Disabling the sharing function makes it harder for others to “plagiarize” your LinkedIn content — whether you wrote it yourself, or had assistance from a professional résumé writer.
​
One of the best things you can do to keep your content from being plagiarized is to make it uniquely about you and branding yourself so distinctively that your content couldn’t possibly be used to describe anyone else but you!
​

• LinkedIn identity and network in Microsoft Outlook and the Office Suite.
• Enabling members drafting résumés in Word to update their profiles, and discover and apply to jobs on LinkedIn.

Step 01: Click “Me” on Your LinkedIn Profile

Click "Me" on your LinkedIn profile

• Here’s how to turn on the LinkedIn privacy setting to disable Resume Assistant.
• When logged into your desktop LinkedIn account click on “Me.”
• Look for instructions on how to do this on your mobile device, listed after Step 7.

​Step 02: Find “Settings & Privacy”

Step 02: Find “Settings & Privacy”

• Click “Settings & Privacy.”

Step 3: Other Applications

• The default setting is “Yes” — “Choose whether work experience from your profile can ve shown in Resume Assistant.”
• Change the default option from  “Yes” to “No”
• Changing the setting to “No” keeps LinkedIn from sharing your descriptions with Microsoft Word users.

Step 03: Other Applications

Step 04: Resume Assistant Integration

• Here is LinkedIn’s explanation of the Resume Assistant integration.

Step 04: Resume Assistant Integration

• Note: Even though you have disabled the sharing of your content with the Resume Assistant, LinkedIn Privacy Policy and Terms of Service explicitly warn users that the information that you share can be seen, copied, and used by other members.
• One of the best things you can do to keep your content from being plagiarized is to make it uniquely about you — branding yourself so distinctively that your content couldn’t possibly be used to describe anyone else but you!

​​​​​Step 05: Changing This Setting In LinkedIn's Mobile App

• You can also change this setting in the LinkedIn mobile app.
• In the app, go to the “Settings” gear in the upper right-hand corner and click “Privacy.” Scroll down to “Microsoft Word” and display the setting.
• Change the slider to “ No. ”
• Resume Assistant is a new feature that is only available to Office 365 subscribers who are part of the “Office Insider” program. Resume Assistant pulls suggested skills and work experience descriptions from LinkedIn profiles when the Resume Assistant setting is set to “Yes.”​

Final Thought

​Protecting your LinkedIn content requires both awareness and intentional action. Taking control of your privacy settings is a simple yet important step in maintaining ownership of the information you share. At the same time, the way you write your profile plays a critical role in how easily it can be reused by others. When your content reflects your unique experience, voice, and value, it becomes far more difficult for anyone else to replicate it in a meaningful way. Consistently reviewing your settings and refining your messaging will help you stay ahead of potential misuse. Over time, this approach strengthens your personal brand and reinforces your credibility.

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Mandy Fard

About the Author

Mandy Fard is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, CMRW) and Recruiter with decades of experience in assisting job seekers, working directly with employers in multiple industries, and writing proven-effective resumes.