Recently LinkedIn has come up with a new feature called “#OpenToWork”. As you would probably guess from the name, this feature can be used to notify potential employers and others in your network that you are currently on the lookout for a job.
Of course, you can tweak this #OpenToWork feature to share it only with recruiters or with all members of Linkedin.
In this LinkedIn beginner article, we will discuss how the LinkedIn #OpenToWork feature works, and how to add and remove LinkedIn #OpenToWork from your LinkedIn profile.
If you prefer to watch a video tutorial how to add #OpenToWork To Your LinkedIn profile, check out this one:
How does the #OpenToWork feature work on LinkedIn?
As you probably know, the #OpentoWork is a newly added feature that informs professionals (in your networks) and potential clients that you are currently looking for a job. While this feature has been a boon to many, others find it rather disturbing because they do not want everyone in their network to know about the ongoing job hunt.
As with other features from Linkedin, you can tweak this feature to make it visible only to recruiters instead of any random person on your network or Linkedin. However, we will get to that later. Before that, we will learn to add #OpenToWork to your profile.
How to add #OpenToWork to your LinkedIn profile?
The Open to Work option from LinkedIn enables you to control the kind of content people consume from your profile. To add this to your profile, follow the below steps:
- Navigate to your LinkedIn profile and click ‘View Profile’ and then the ‘Find a New Job’ options.
- At this point, you will find a couple of options that enable you to customize the job search. Typically, you need to enter your preferred domains, job location, type, and availability among others.
- Once you’re done filling out the previous information, you will get an option to control who gets to know that you are open to new opportunities.
- Here, you can select ‘All LinkedIn Members’ it will include recruiters along with your existing network including the employees of your current organization. When you select this option, you also get the #OpentoWork frame.
- Alternatively, you can click ‘Recruiters only’ which will only notify individuals who are using the LinkedIn recruiter profiles. The company takes your privacy seriously and that is why your network isn’t notified about your availability. It doesn’t come with a photo frame and is quite discreet.
How To Remove Linkedin OpenToWork from my profile?
If you have accidentally added the #OpentoWork option on your profile and now want to remove it/turn it off, follow the below steps:
- Navigate to your LinkedIn homepage and click the ‘Me’ option/icon.
- Now click the ‘View Profile’ option and then select ‘Edit’.
- At this point, you can select the ‘Delete from my profile’ option to remove the tag from your profile.
Note: Even though you can always add or re-enable this option in the long run, the preferences that you had initially saved won’t come up as the default options. If you want to turn it back on, you need to key in your preferences manually.
Can’t add #OpenToWork to my profile
If you cannot add the LinkedIn OpenTowork option to your profile, it might be because of a couple of reasons. In this section, we will take a closer look at them:
- Not enabling the option: At times, employees fill out the entire form including their preferred start dates and job domains. The issue? They forget to enable the #OpentoWork tag from the bottom of the page. Once you select ‘Looking for a New Job’, you will automatically be redirected to a new page with the required fields and you will find the #OpentoWork at the bottom of the form.
- Not filling the information: If you do not fill out the information required to set up #OpentoWork, it may not show up on your profile. That is why, it is crucial to add all the key details including your expected start date, preferred job location, and common industries among others.
- Not setting it up for the right audience: In case you want your network along with everyone on Linkedin to know that you are open to new opportunities, make sure to enable the ‘All LinkedIn Members’ option while selecting your preferences. Once you do this, the tag will be available to the entire audience in LinkedIn and your network.
