LinkedIn Tip: Looking For a Job? #OpenToWork

July 15, 2020 / in LinkedIn / by Jason Terry

Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen quite a few LinkedIn profiles with the green swoosh around the profile picture. (The first one I noticed was on Chris Arnold’s LinkedIn profile, a friend going all the way back to high school in Wichita.) And the hashtag inside the swoosh is #OpenToWork.

#OpenToWork is a new feature that LinkedIn has added… and it’s great!

Over the years, people have struggled with how they should update their LinkedIn profile when looking for a new job. Do they add a new current job position called Looking for the next great opportunity? Do they update their professional headline to say Seeking Opportunities?

Another question I get asked is should they update their LinkedIn profile at all. The idea behind that question is that a job seeker can bargain for a better salary when they’re gainfully employed. So they would rather not let the prospective employer know they don’t currently have a job. (That’s a personal decision they need to make. I recommend leading with honesty because the prospective employer will verify their employment history and learn when their last job ended.)

LinkedIn’s #OpenToWork Feature

LinkedIn added the ability for people to let recruiters know if they’re open to new job opportunities. If you enable this feature, you can choose whether all LinkedIn members or only recruiters can see that you’re open to job opportunities. If you choose to share with all LinkedIn members, LinkedIn will add an #OpenToWork photo frame to your profile photo.

For a complete guide on using this feature, check out this LinkedIn help article, “Let Recruiters Know You’re Open to Work“.

And if you know someone that is looking for a job, please consider forwarding them this article. It could help them get that next great job… through a trusted referral that hasn’t heard they’re on the market!