LinkedIn Open to Work

If you're looking for a new job, LinkedIn should be your first stop. Not only is it the most popular social media platform for professionals but it's also the perfect place to showcase your skills and experience. On LinkedIn, you can search for jobs, connect with potential employers, and what's more, you can increase your chances of finding work. Yes, you got that right! With the amazing LinkedIn Open to Work feature, you can signal recruiters that you're open to new opportunities or even a career change. Read on to find out how to set up #opentowork on your LinkedIn profile.

What Does Open to Work Mean on LinkedIn?

If you're unfamiliar with Open to Work, it's a relatively recent LinkedIn feature that allows you to let recruiters know that you're actively looking for new opportunities. All you have to do is update your profile and add the #opentowork photo frame. Once you've done that, your profile will appear in search results along with the frame so that people can see you’re open to new opportunities.

Who Can See That You're Open to Work?

The best part about using Open to Work on LinkedIn is that it lets you control your visibility. What this means is you choose whether all LinkedIn members can see that you're open to new opportunities or recruiters only. So, by choosing:

All LinkedIn members, you will let everyone know that you're scouting for a new job. The #opentowork photo frame will appear around your LinkedIn profile picture meaning your profile will appear in search results related to job openings that correspond to your skills and expertise.
Recruiters only, LinkedIn will limit the visibility of your job hunt to recruiters only. This is a great choice if you're not ready to let your current employer know you're looking for a new job. This option will hide the alert from people who work for your current employer.

Note, however, that while LinkedIn protects your privacy by preventing the company you currently work at and users employed there from seeing that you're open to new opportunities but does not guarantee full privacy.

How to Let Recruiters Know You’re Open on LinkedIn

Now that we've established what Open to Work means on LinkedIn and who can see that you're open to new job offers it's time to learn how to set it up. The process is pretty straightforward, and it should take you no more than a couple of minutes to complete. Here’s how to put open to work on LinkedIn:

Log in to your LinkedIn account and go to your profile page.
Tap the "Me" icon located at the top of your page.
Go to "View profile", select "Open to", and then click on "Finding a new job".
Next, a pop-up window will appear where you can choose to share your job hunt with all LinkedIn members or recruiters only.
a) Choosing all LinkedIn members will add an #OpenToWork photo frame to your profile photo.
b) If you want to keep your job search private and share it only with recruiters, choose "Recruiters only".
Complete the process by clicking "Add to profile".

Another way to access this feature is to select the "Get started" option in the "Show recruiters you’re open to work" box appearing right below your profile picture.

And finally, regardless of whether you choose to become available to the entire LinkedIn platform or just recruiters, know that 3 million members are using the OpentoWork feature on LinkedIn and a great many have benefited from it. Also, if you change your mind about using #opentowork, you can always edit or disable it.

How to Remove Open to Work on LinkedIn

When you have found your dream job or you're no longer interested in receiving job offers you can always disable or remove this feature. Here's how to turn off Open to Work on LinkedIn:

Go to your profile page and tap on the "Me" icon located at the top of your screen.
Select "View profile" and then tap the "Edit" icon located in the "Open to Work" box.
Just follow the instructions to remove the Open to Work LinkedIn feature.
After you have made your changes, click "Save".

Note that the process is the same if you choose to edit the privacy settings of your job hunt and change them from "All LinkedIn members" to "Recruiters only" or vice versa.

The Pros and Cons of Using LinkedIn Open to Work

Like with everything else, using Open to Work on LinkedIn comes with certain advantages and disadvantages. So, before you add the photo frame to your profile, make sure you're aware of both the pros and cons.

Here are some of the advantages of using Open to Work on LinkedIn:

You will be more visible to recruiters.
Your profile will appear in search results related to job openings that correspond to your skills and expertise.
If you're one of 1.1 billion freelancers or self-employed individuals, this feature can help you find new projects or gigs.
You can use LinkedIn Open to Work to build your professional brand and expand your network even if you're not actively looking for a job.
This feature keeps your options open in case you're thinking about making a career change.

But there are disadvantages too as the #opentowork photo frame might also work against you:

Your current employer might find out that you're looking for a new job. And, you run the risk of LinkedIn members and users employed at your company seeing that you're planning on leaving.
You might get more LinkedIn InMail, messages, and requests from recruiters which can be overwhelming.
You might get invited to irrelevant events or get bombarded with messages and requests from potential scammers and spammers. So, try to confirm the legitimacy of the members reaching out to you with job offers.
If your profile is not optimized accordingly, it might draw the attention of the wrong recruiters.

Final Verdict

LinkedIn Open to Work can be a great way to find new job opportunities, but only if you use it wisely. Remember to take into consideration both the pros and cons before you add this particular feature to your profile. Also, make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated and optimized accordingly. This way you can avoid any potential problems and make the most out of this feature.