The green banner on LinkedIn that says “Open to work” is a feature that allows LinkedIn members to privately signal to recruiters that they are looking for new job opportunities. When enabled, a green frame with the text “Open to work” will appear atop the member’s profile photo. This banner is only visible to recruiters, so a member’s connections and regular profile visitors will not see it. The purpose of the green open to work banner is to passively advertise that a LinkedIn member is interested in hearing about new roles from recruiters. It serves as a way for job seekers to get their profiles in front of more recruiters without having to directly apply for jobs.
Who Can Use the Open to Work Banner?
The green open to work banner is available to all LinkedIn members, with a few exceptions:
- Students cannot enable the banner on their profiles.
- Members who have marked themselves as retired cannot enable the banner.
- Members who have been restricted from searching for jobs due to violations of LinkedIn’s terms cannot enable the banner.
As long as you have a regular LinkedIn member profile and are not in one of those three categories, you should be able to turn on the green banner to signal your openness to new job opportunities.
How to Turn On the Open to Work Banner
Turning on the open to work banner is simple:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile page.
- Click on the “Open to work” button near the top of your profile, to the right of the “Add profile section” button.
- This will open up the “Open to work” page.
- Click the blue “Show recruiters you’re open” button at the top of the page.
- On the next screen, toggle the switch for “Yes, I’m open to work” to the on position.
- Select whether you want the banner to be visible to recruiters at your current company or all recruiters.
- Click “Save” and your green open to work banner will now be visible!
The process is very quick and simple. You can turn the banner off at any time by going back to the “Open to work” page and toggling the switch off again.
Customizing the Open to Work Banner
When you first turn on the open to work banner, it will display a default message indicating the job types and roles you are interested in. However, you can customize this banner text to provide more details and make your banner stand out more to recruiters:
- Job Types & Roles – Specify the exact types of jobs or roles you are open to.
- Locations – List the cities, states, or countries you are willing to work in.
- Remote Work – Indicate if you are open to fully remote opportunities.
- Job Seeking Status – Say if you are casually looking or actively job searching.
- Timeline – Mention when you are looking to make a job change by.
- Skills/Experience – Highlight specialized skills, certificates, or achievements.
- Open to Relocation – Note if you are willing to relocate for the right job.
Adding these details will help grab recruiters’ attention and zero in on opportunities that match your preferences.
Who Sees the Open to Work Banner?
As mentioned previously, the green open to work banner is only displayed to recruiters. Regular LinkedIn connections and profile visitors will not see it.
Within the recruiter audience, you can choose whether you want the banner visible to:
- All recruiters
- Only recruiters outside your company
If you select the “outside your company” option, internal recruiters and HR staff at your current employer will not see that you are open to work. This allows you to discreetly explore new opportunities without signaling anything to your existing company.
How Recruiters See and Use the Banner
For recruiters, profiles with the open to work banner stand out clearly in LinkedIn’s database. On search results and profile pages, the green banner is very eye-catching. Recruiters can also filter searches specifically for members who have the banner turned on. This allows them to rapidly identify and connect with qualified candidates open to new roles.
Some of the ways recruiters interact with open to work banners:
- Sending InMail messages to invite potential candidates to apply for relevant openings.
- Contacting the member through LinkedIn to pitch opportunities and gauge interest.
- Clicking on banners to view customized open to work details and preferences.
- bookmarking open to work profiles for future job openings.
Essentially, the banners serve as a recruiting beacon that makes it much easier for recruiters to identify and connect with interested candidates in LinkedIn’s membership base of over 690 million professionals.
Pros of the Open to Work Banner
Some key advantages of enabling LinkedIn’s open to work banner include:
- Increased Recruiter Exposure – The banner makes your profile stand out, leading to being discovered by more recruiters.
- Passive Job Searching – You can focus on day-to-day work while the banner passively advertises your interest in new opportunities.
- Matching Relevance – Custom banner details help you attract openings that closely match your preferences.
- Higher Response Rates – Recruiters are more likely to contact members who have explicitly expressed interest.
- New Possibilities – The banner can expose you to exciting opportunities that aren’t publicly listed yet.
In summary, the banner can significantly expand your job search reach and possibilities with very little effort on your part.
Cons of the Open to Work Banner
There are some potential downsides to think about as well:
- Current Employer – Your current company may see the banner and question your commitment, even if you limit visibility.
- Bad Timing – You may not be prepared to immediately act if an irresistible opportunity is presented.
- Overwhelming Response – The banner could lead to getting spammed by irrelevant recruiters.
- Misaligned Offers – Recruiters may pitch openings that don’t match your preferences.
- Stalled Existing Process – You may already be far along in a job search process you want to complete.
While the banner does entail taking a small risk, you can mitigate downsides by keeping your search discreet, being thoughtful about your timing and preferences, and focusing on the right opportunities.
Best Practices for Using the Banner
To maximize the advantages of the open to work banner while avoiding potential negatives, some best practices include:
- Keep details general if concerned about employer seeing
- Only enable it when fully prepared to act on opportunities
- Customize banner text to emphasize your best qualifications
- Politely respond to irrelevant messages thanking recruiter but declining
- Disable banner if discussions progress with priority opportunities
- Use anonymous browsing when researching prospects to avoid tipping employer
- Follow up promptly and enthusiastically on interesting possibilities
Following these tips will allow you to use the banner most effectively in your job search.
Alternatives to the Banner
If you decide the open to work banner isn’t the right fit, there are a few alternative approaches on LinkedIn for signalling your interest to recruiters:
- Status Updates – Posting status updates stating you are exploring new opportunities.
- Open to Work Profile Badge – Adding the open to work photo frame badge to your profile.
- Groups – Joining industry professional and alumni groups related to your target roles.
- Jobs Page – Actively viewing and applying to open positions using LinkedIn’s job search.
- Contacts – Reaching out directly to recruiters at companies of interest.
However, none of these provide the same passive visibility benefits and recruiter targeting as the open to work banner. But they can still help broaden your search in more public and active ways.
Conclusion
The LinkedIn open to work banner provides a simple, discreet, and effective method for getting your profile in front of relevant recruiters. With a single click you can greatly expand your job search exposure and possibilities. By customizing the banner details and using best practices, you can maximize the career advantages while preventing any potential negatives. While not right for everyone’s situation, overall the banner is a powerful tool if used strategically at the opportune time.