#OpenToWork
Time and again I read differing opinions of the #OpenToWork banner on LinkedIn, and it’s a question I’m often asked in my job seeker calls.
On the off chance you aren’t familiar with it when you have a LinkedIn account, you have the option of putting a Green Banner around your photo, which appears on your profile and on your mini-pic by your comments and posts.
You can also toggle a hidden Open to Work switch, which isn’t visible, but is searchable.
It allows recruiters who have the right LinkedIn license to filter by this feature.
It also highlights to your network your availability. Such as if they see you on their feed, or in reacting/commenting on posts.
Click on your LinkedIn profile picture, and you’ll see the option under ‘Frames’.
LinkedIn implemented it to support jobseekers, and make it a little easier to prioritise people who are out of work.
At face value, there is little reason not to use it, although on its own it is at best a marginal gain, and may make no difference for most.
The controversy around OpenToWork is that some recruiters state it makes ‘people who use it desperate’, particularly at a senior level.
While it’s easy to dismiss that argument, there is a valid point to consider.
Which is that some people will hold the same opinion and never venture it publicly. And some of these people may be a hiring authority in a role you’ve applied for.
So the question becomes separate related questions:
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How likely is it that a hiring manager for the role you want will hold this opinion?
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Can you afford to have them make that decision on you?
Those are questions only you can find an answer to, and it's worth taking a little time to consider.
Talk to your peers, and network with hiring managers, even if they aren’t actively filling vacancies. What are their opinions?
If you find the answer leans in one direction, that may be your answer.
For most people though there is a net gain in using it:
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Most employers will benefit from a candidate being immediately available, compared to being on notice, everything else being even
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Some people use it when transitioning careers, or with an end date to a contract coming up. While they aren't immediately available, this still signals they may be receptive to new vacancies (particularly when it is turned on invisibly), which is an advantage for hiring processes
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Some people are compassionate and would favour an unemployed candidate, everything else being even
There’s another benefit to OpenToWork which is less obvious - community.
If you’ve been out of work for a while, I strongly recommend keeping in touch with fellow job seekers in your domain. The ‘board of directors’ for your job search is a great way to keep sane, share ideas, and set each other goals you can be accountable for.
Conversely, as recruiters, it should be on us to push back on hiring managers who discriminate for this reason. As well as for any other unfair reason.
Your status does not inform your candidacy, and never should.
One day that hiring manager may well find themselves in a similar situation - best to unpick their assumptions now, so that they can expect decency when they need it, with no hypocrisy.
As to whether there is proof it helps…
I’ve seen a number of people get increased enquiries due to using it, and that possibility alone makes it worth considering.
Connections tell me it helps raise awareness on LinkedIn and their real life network.
Whenever a recruiter runs a poll that has more than 54 votes, typically that leans towards it being a benefit too.
So, in general, it seems a fine thing to use.
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Greg
