LinkedIn is a major platform for professionals to connect with each other to seek jobs. If you want to take full advantage of LinkedIn, you should build your network really carefully as it really depends on people you know. Like all platforms, LinkedIn also has a strict policy to keep the spam activities in check. If certain activities go against their policies, LinkedIn is really quick to restrict one’s account. More severe violations can result in the account getting banned permanently.
Why is my LinkedIn account restricted?
This question is being asked by many, since the recent update of LinkedIn. When any update of an app comes up, their algorithms to monitor unusual activity also updates. LinkedIn algorithms analyze your activity against already banned accounts, if your activity is similar to those accounts, there are chances that your account will also be restricted. LinkedIn considers these activities as spam:
Excessive email invitations
When you send excessive automated email invitations, LinkedIn considers it as spam activity. It might ask you to enter an email address of the person you’re trying to send the email, to check if you really know the person. If your account is banned due to this reason, try not to send email invitations for a few days. Doing this will lift the restriction in one or two days.
Weekly invitation limit reached
LinkedIn has now set a weekly invitation limit. You can only send 100 connection requests per week. No one is allowed to exceed this limit, not even premium users. Try to comply with this rule in order to not get banned or restricted.
Automation tool detected
Sometimes employers use automated tools to make their daily tasks of sending emails, messages, and invitations easy. But most of the time they end up getting their account restricted, as LinkedIn algorithms are smart to detect automated activity. Try not to use automated tools, it goes against the LinkedIn terms and conditions. If your account is restricted due to this reason, wait for a few days’ chances are the restriction is for a shorter time period. Stop using any automated tool in the future as it might get your account banned permanently.
ID request restriction
It is one of the serious restrictions, it happens when LinkedIn detects:
- Your account is not real
- You’ve violated LinkedIn’s terms of service multiple times
- Frequently share flagged content
- Using an automation tool
Reported multiple times
If users have reported your account multiple times for being not known, it can end up getting restricted. When you send invitations or messages to a lot of unknown people, sometimes they tend to report your account. It’s better to build your network through mutual connections. There is no way of finding how many people have reported your account.
Sending same message
When you send the same message to multiple users, the LinkedIn algorithm will detect it as automated activity. As mentioned earlier, LinkedIn doesn’t support such actions, as it tries to maintain the quality of networking. Avoid spamming users with the same message to save yourself from any account restrictions.
If you share inappropriate, degrading, or offensive posts, comments, or articles, LinkedIn will flag it as inappropriate. It goes against LinkedIn policy to use fake news to drive traffic to your account. It is advised to avoid such activity that might be considered offensive for a certain group of people.
How to get my account unrestricted?
If your account gets restricted, contact LinkedIn support immediately. To do so log in to your LinkedIn account and start follow-up messaging or simply email them. You can also tweet @LinkedInHelp account. Keep in mind that you’re asking for help or forgiveness for your unwanted action on the platform. Make sure to keep your interaction professional and to the point. Don’t indulge in unnecessary banter out of frustration, as the ball is in LinkedIn’s court. Try to be patient, as hundreds of accounts get restricted, it might get some time for support to get back to you.
What to do to avoid restriction on LinkedIn?
Here are a few things to keep in mind, when you’re active on LinkedIn:
- Use your real name when you sign up on LinkedIn. Avoid using any special characters in your username as it looks unprofessional. Also in case your account gets restricted, LinkedIn asks for your National ID which contains your official name. It is important that both names should be the same.
- Give accurate information. Make sure to provide your exact content information, like email address, contact number and employment info. It will help you in maintaining your credibility on the platform.
- Try to comply with terms of services of LinkedIn. Platform have some strict policies against the spam and automated content to maintain the quality of content.
- Use LinkedIn in professional manner. It is platform to connect businesses to build a professional network. It is not a social media app for the friendly banter, rather it is platform to build authentic connections.
How to keep my LinkedIn account safe?
Accounts with a higher number of connections have recently started getting hacked. Even though LinkedIn has good protection system but still some hackers find a breach in the system. If you get any notification for a sign-in attempt on your LinkedIn account, follow these steps instantly:
Change password: Instantly change your password. Make it a really strong one by using special characters, numerical and uppercase letters.
Turn on two-step verification: When you turn on two-step verification, LinkedIn will send a code on your number whenever someone is signing in to your account from a new device. You’ll instantly get to know if someone else is trying to sign in.
Review email addresses and contact info: Make sure you have entered an accessible email address and contact number. In case your account is hacked you can recover it by getting a reset password email on your account.
Review active session: Frequently review your active sessions on LinkedIn to check your account log-in status. If you find any unknown devices, be quick to remove them.
We hope this solves your problem and happy linking.