No matter how large your LinkedIn network is, without the benefit of searching LinkedIn with a LinkedIn Recruiter account, you will inevitably come across search results with “Private” displayed where the name of the person should be.

While many people are aware that this kind of search result is actually just representative of an “out of network” profile, have you ever wondered if truly “private” profiles exist?

I have, and as far as I can tell, there isn’t a way to actually configure a LinkedIn profile/account to be private. However, there are things a person can do to be very difficult to find and identify.

Additionally, there are some people on LinkedIn that you cannot specifically search for and identify, regardless of the level of your LinkedIn account (yes, even the mighty LI Recruiter).

Let me show you. Continue reading →