A Rollercoaster Ride: From Panic to Relief on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has been a cornerstone of my professional life for the past 13 years. As an executive recruiter, my entire business, Recruiter Hustle (recruiterhustle.com), thrives on the platform's vast network and powerful search tools. It's safe to say, temporarily losing access to my LinkedIn account sent shivers down my spine and brought me to tears.

Yesterday, I woke up to the dreaded message: Permanent Ban Account Restricted. Panic surged as visions of my business grinding to a halt filled my head.? Over 11,900 connections, years of nurtured professional relationships, and countless recruitment opportunities – all seemingly gone overnight.

However, this experience, while initially terrifying, turned out to be one of the BEST, albeit most unexpected, professional days I've had. Why? Because it highlighted the incredible support system LinkedIn offers its members.

My initial attempts to regain access by filing an online case were met with a knot of worry.? But then, Emiley and Suyuri, LinkedIn Member Safety and Recovery Consultants, stepped in to escalate this issue.? After prompt communication and willingness to escalate my case instilled a much-needed sense of calm.?

The great news came by 7:00pm and was given an update that it was not due to the initial content violation alert, but due to suspicious activity detection. After verifying my identity using my work email address and company website, was given access to my account again.?

Tears of joy came running down my face as I celebrated regaining access to my account. The joys of not losing my professional identity I spent many years on Linkedin and absolutely gratitude being on the Linkedin platform, was something to be celebrated.

As I mentioned, it turned out, the restriction was only due to suspicious login activity. This emphasized the importance of online security – a valuable lesson for everyone. Especially during this time of high cybersecurity breaches with our personal devices.

Here's how we can all protect ourselves:

• Monitor your passwords regularly:?Change them every few months, especially after any major security breaches. Use strong, unique passwords for each online account.
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA):?This adds an extra layer of security, requiring a code from your phone or email in addition to your password when logging in. https://www.dhirubhai.net/help/linkedin/answer/544
• Check email addresses on your account to ensure they are current: https://www.dhirubhai.net/help/linkedin/answer/60
• Find more tips here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/help/linkedin/answer/267

Thankfully, thanks to Emily's help and the robust security measures in place, I regained access to my account. The relief was immense!

This experience made me even more grateful for LinkedIn.? It's a platform that has facilitated countless connections, helped me build a thriving business, and continues to be a valuable resource for the entire professional community.

Many thanks, Linkedin, for creating such a powerful and professional network that no one should ever take for granted.

To the LinkedIn team and especially Emiley and Suyuri, thank you!? I look forward to continuing to be a contributor and supporter of this amazing platform for the rest of my career.