How To Add ‘Open To Work’ On LinkedIn? Let Recruiters know Without Telling Your Boss

Do you want to increase your chances of finding work on the LinkedIn platform? LinkedIn has an option to add a frame that showcases that you are actively looking for work. This feature is called ‘Open to work”. It lets people on the LinkedIn platform know when a user is looking for a new job. Let’s find out how to add ‘open to work’ on LinkedIn.

How to add ‘Open To Work’ on LinkedIn?

Step 1 – Login to your LinkedIn account and click on your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen

Step 2 – Click on ‘View profile’ from the drop-down menu

Step 3 – Click on the ‘Open to’ blue button on your profile page and select ‘Find a new job’

Step 4 – Edit your job preferences (Job Title, Job Location, Start Date, Job Types) 

Step 5 – Choose who sees you are open (All LinkedIn members or Recruiters only)

Step 6 – Click on ‘Add to profile’ and choose if you want to turn on email updates or not. 

Step 7 – Click on ‘Update Settings,’ and you are done.

What is the ‘Open To Work’ feature of LinkedIn?

The #OpenToWork feature activates a section of your LinkedIn profile that is visible to either people who have a recruiter account or everyone on LinkedIn. The ‘Open To Work’ feature signals that you want to be contacted for new roles.

There are two options to choose from:

• All LinkedIn Members – This option lets everyone, including your current employer, know you are searching for a job. It adds an OpenToWork photo frame to your existing profile picture. Some recruiters consider this option to be less effective.
• Recruiters Only – It alerts only those using the LinkedIn recruiter feature. This option prevents your current company from seeing your alert. While it does help to keep your search private, it cannot guarantee complete privacy.

LinkedIn research shows that about 3 million people have chosen to add ‘Open To Work’ since its launch in June 2020 and 40% are more likely to be contacted by recruiters with #OpenToWork turned on.

What happens when you use the Open To Work feature on LinkedIn?

Once you enable Open To Work on LinkedIn, your information will be shared with the recruiters looking for talent in the areas you mentioned in your profile. You are expanding your job search by allowing several recruiters to see your information while your signal is hidden from recruiters at your current company and partner companies.

How to make the most out of Open To Work?

Recruiters will skim your profile for a few seconds before deciding to dig deeper or move on. Therefore, use that brief period to impress them to look closer. When a recruiter passes your profile to the hiring manager, that optimization will give you a better chance of landing a job.

1. Start with a profile photo. It must be at least 400 x 400 pixels and a maximum of up to 8MB file size. The photo should look professional – show your face, and you should be well groomed in the photo. Ensure that your profile photo is visible to All LinkedIn members by changing your privacy settings.
2. Optimize your LinkedIn headline. Include what you do as well as your current position. You can write a headline up to 120-character long, so make sure to take advantage of the opportunity.
3. Explain your experience in the About section of your profile. In this section, you have the most flexibility to share who you are, your past accomplishments, and what inspires you. Use relevant keywords and update them as often. You have a 2000-character limit to share your story.
4. Fill in the Experience section with your work experience. Feel free to leave off past positions that aren’t relevant to your current job search.
5. Finally, edit your Profile URL. You can edit it by clicking on ‘View profile’ under your profile picture, and on the upper right corner, you will find the option to select ‘edit public profile & URL). Select the pencil icon and edit the URL as you need.

More ways to use LinkedIn to find a job

Apart from LinkedIn’s ‘Open To Work’ feature, there are a couple of other ways you can use to find work.

Reach out to recruiters directly

If you are interested in the job opportunities, you can reach out to recruiters directly by sending a message on LinkedIn. You don’t have to wait for recruiters to contact you. However, while reaching out to them, make sure to reach out to those who specialize in your desired work area.

Make use of LinkedIn Learning

There are thousands of courses available on LinkedIn Learning where you can beef up your existing skills and learn new ones at the same time. You can add those skills to your resume, which will draw more interest towards you as a potential candidate making you more appealing to recruiters.

How to remove Open To Work on LinkedIn?

Step 1 – Login to your LinkedIn account

Step 2 – Click on your profile picture on the top right corner of the LinkedIn homepage

Step 3 – Tap on ‘View profile’ under the drop-down menu

Step 4 – Click on the pencil icon next to ‘Open to work’

Step 5 – A new pop-up window will appear with an option to ‘Delete from profile’

Step 6 – It will ask for confirmation again; click on the ‘Delete’ button to confirm your action.

Key Takeaways

The ‘Open To Work’ badge can increase your visibility to recruiters on LinkedIn. If you are seeking a job at the moment and are happy to be public about it, #OpenToWork is a definite announcement to the LinkedIn community that you can be approached for job offers. However, some people prefer to be more private and choose to show only to recruiters. If you decide to use any of the options, ensure that your profile is complete and up to date.