Former Google and Amazon recruiters believe that the open for work caption on your LinkedIn avatar is the biggest «red flag» for employers.
Many industry experts agree with them, but as they say, there are many nuances. CNBC leads the main arguments in the discussion.
«This is the biggest red flag that a candidate can have», — said former Google recruiter Nolan Chern.
Experts motivate this by the fact that truly in-demand professionals (or those who want to appear so) should not show anyone that they are looking for a job.
«There is a truth in HR that the best people are not looking for work. And that’s why they won’t show that they’re looking for a job either,» says Lindsey Mustaine, a former Amazon recruiter.
When it comes to hiring, the open to work frame can show that you are the one who is looking for a job. And therefore, you are more motivated/interested, and therefore can make concessions: «you need something from me — I have the power in this conversation».
But not all career experts agree with this.
Open to work — 33 million users
LinkedIn created the open to work framework during the pandemic, in June 2020. Back then, millions of people lost their jobs in a matter of weeks.
So, the company simply decided to help people and make sure that recruiters pay attention to them.
The framework remains popular today. According to LinkedIn, it is currently used by more than 33 million people.
LinkedIn claims that people who have used the box are twice as likely to receive a message from a recruiter. They are also 20% more likely to receive messages from the LinkedIn community as a whole, some of which are about job openings in companies.
May come in handy
One of the advantages of using the framework is that small companies that don’t have a budget for recruiters can see who is looking for work.
For example, when C-Suite Coach was actively hiring, the «frame made it much easier for them to find» candidates.
But regardless, the content of your profile is much more important: a list of previous and current positions, your achievements in each role, etc. If you have an open to work box and your profile is empty — it won’t change anything fundamentally.