Having “open to work” displayed on your LinkedIn profile has become an increasingly common practice for job seekers in recent years. But is it actually an effective strategy for finding a new job? Or could it hurt your career prospects? There are arguments on both sides of this debate.
Some experts argue that signaling you’re open to new opportunities makes you more discoverable to recruiters and hiring managers. LinkedIn estimates that members who add the open to work photo frame to their profile are 30% more likely to receive InMail from recruiters. This increased visibility could help you land more interviews and get hired faster.
However, other professionals warn that openly advertising your job search could worry your current employer or make you seem desperate. There’s also a risk that some recruiters may avoid contacting you if they assume you’re just casually browsing options rather than seriously looking.
So should you display that you’re open to work on LinkedIn? Here’s a comprehensive look at the potential pros and cons to help you decide.
Pros of Open to Work on LinkedIn
Displaying that you’re open to new job opportunities on LinkedIn offers several potential advantages:
Increased Discoverability for Recruiters
When your profile clearly signals you’re looking for a new role, it becomes much easier for recruiters to identify you as a viable candidate. Recruiters often search LinkedIn specifically looking for people who are open to new positions. This gives you a major visibility boost.
According to LinkedIn, members who add the open to work photo frame see a 30% increase in Recruiter InMail. So it significantly expands the number of recruiters reaching out to you about openings.
Rather than waiting for the perfect job to be posted and hoping you find and apply to it, putting open to work allows opportunities to come directly to you through recruiter messages. This makes your job search much more passive and efficient.
Control Narrative Around Job Change
Openly communicating that you’re looking for a new opportunity allows you to control the narrative around why you’re making a job change.
Rather than fearing that employers will see you as disloyal or problemtic if you apply while still employed, the open to work label signals that you’re transparently looking for a change.
You can then customize your LinkedIn profile and application materials to highlight your reasons for job seeking – whether it’s seeking new challenges, looking to relocate, pursuing a passion, or needing to compensate for new life circumstances.
Being open about your search helps attract companies that are understanding about your motivations and goals.
Ability to Research Options
When you indicate you’re open to work, recruiters begin reaching out with new roles that may be interesting options you weren’t previously aware of.
This lets you discreetly research the job market and find out what types of opportunities are out there. You can learn more about compensation ranges, responsibilities, and requirements for roles you may be qualified for.
Even if you ultimately decide to stay in your current position, being open to work provides helpful benchmarking. And you may just find your dream job along the way.
Networking Opportunities
In addition to inbound recruiter outreach, being open to work can lead to valuable networking conversations.
Recruiters and hiring managers are more likely to accept connection requests and engage in discussions when they know you’re interested in exploring opportunities.
These expanded professional networks provide longer term value in strengthening your industry contacts and relationships. If you ultimately decide to seek a new job again down the line, you’ll have established critical connections.
Salary Negotiation Leverage
If you receive an offer after displaying open to work, it can increase your negotiating leverage with both the new employer and your current company.
When employers know you have interest from competitors, they may be motivated to offer higher compensation and perks to win you over.
And if you ultimately decide to stay with your current employer, you can leverage the offer to negotiate a raise or added benefits. Signaling that you have options empowers your position.
Cons of Open to Work on LinkedIn
While displaying open to work has advantages, there are also some potential downsides to consider:
Current Employer Becomes Aware
One risk of signaling you’re open to work is that your current company may become aware you’re job searching, especially if you have coworkers or managers in your network.
This could raise questions about your loyalty or commitment. Your employer may worry you’re disengaged or at higher risk of departure.
In some cases, it may even provoke your employer to begin looking for your replacement as a contingency plan in case you quit.
However, handling this smoothly comes down to communication. You may choose to be transparent with your manager that you’re casually looking but assure them you remain committed to adding value in your role.
Perceived as Job Hopper
If you change roles frequently, displaying open to work may contribute to some recruiters or hiring managers perceiving you as a candidate who lacks commitment or will only stay in a role briefly.
This could make you appear higher risk or less appealing.
However, you can mitigate this perception by taking time to thoughtfully customize your LinkedIn profile. Ensure your About section and experience descriptions convey why you made each job change and how it added to your development arc.
Framing your trajectory as intentional rather than haphazard is key.
Overwhelmed by Low Quality Outreach
While some recruiters who contact you when open to work will present exciting relevant opportunities, much of the outreach may be sprayed generic messages.
Sifting through low quality contacts can become a time suck. And declines in response rate may damage your LinkedIn reputation over time.
You can avoid getting overwhelmed by proactively customizing your LinkedIn settings. Turn off open to work notifications and opt out of being contacted about opportunities you indicate are irrelevant based on your preferences.
Curating your outreach ensures you only engage with substantive opportunities.
Vulnerable to Discrimination
Unfortunately, displaying open to work may subject you to discriminatory recruiting practices in some cases.
Certain companies filter their recruiting pipelines by demographics. Signaling you’re a job seeker may expose you to prejudicial treatment.
For example, candidates who are older or nearing retirement age may receive fewer contacts when openly searching compared to other demographics. While illegal, age discrimination remains a problem in hiring.
You can mitigate potential unfair treatment by limiting view of your open to work status only to 1st and 2nd degree connections. This ensures only those who already know you see your job searching status.
Appears Desperate or Unqualified
In some cases, a hiring manager may interpret a candidate signaling they are open to work as conveying they can’t find opportunities through a normal job search.
Unfortunately, this can lead to assumptions that you seem desperate or unqualified.
You can counteract this by taking time to thoughtfully complete your entire LinkedIn profile. A polished About section, fully fleshed out experience descriptions, and robust endorsements help convey you are a skilled, motivated candidate.
It’s also wise to be selective about which opportunities you respond to rather than engaging every recruiter. Applying discretion avoids appearing desperate.
Best Practices
If you decide displaying open to work is right for your search, here are some best practices:
– Customize Settings – Limit visibility of your status and notifications to avoid overwhelming low-quality outreach.
– Update All Profile Content – Ensure your profile is complete and polished to convey your value.
– Be Selective in Engaging Opportunities – Only respond to contacts that seem like an excellent fit for your goals.
– Proactively Communicate with Your Network – Let close contacts know you’re exploring but committed to adding value in your current role.
– Remove When Ready – Once you’ve secured a new opportunity, remove the open to work display.
Alternatives to Open to Work
Rather than the open to work label, here are a few alternative low-key ways to signal you’re exploring opportunities on LinkedIn:
– Discussion Posts – Engage in LinkedIn groups exploring career transitions and new opportunities.
– Increased Networking – Proactively connect with more professionals in your target companies or industries.
– Follow Relevant Companies – Follow pages of employers you’d be interested in. They may check out your profile.
– Location Preference – If willing to relocate, add a location filter on your search preferences.
– Skills – Ensure all relevant skills for new roles are highlighted prominently.
Should You Display Open to Work?
Here are some key questions to help you decide if openly signaling you’re job searching is right for your situation:
– Are you concerned about your current employer becoming aware? If so, discreet alternatives may be better.
– Do you want to be proactive or passive about your search? Open to work facilitates more inbound recruiter outreach.
– Are you receiving sufficient relevant opportunities through direct applications? If not, open to work expands possibilities.
– Is your entire profile polished and complete? A fully fleshed out presence conveys you’re qualified.
– Are you realistically prepared to accept a new opportunity? Open to work signals you’re ready for the right fit.
Conclusion
Displaying your open to work status on LinkedIn can expand possibilities and efficiency in your job search through increased discoverability and recruiter outreach. However, it also carries risks like employer perception issues and low quality contacts.
Overall, being open about your search can be an effective approach for passive candidates who have a polished presence and are selective about engaging opportunities. But more discreet alternatives may be preferable if you wish to keep your search confidential.
Consider your own circumstances, goals and priorities to determine if signaling you’re open to work would be a helpful catalyst or potential hindrance in your job seeking journey.