Choosing Your ‘Open to Work’ Visibility Settings on LinkedIn

The following post takes a closer look at Choosing Your ‘Open to Work’ Visibility Settings on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn’s ‘Open to Work’ feature allows users to signal their job search status. Users may choose whether their status is visible only to recruiters or to all LinkedIn members.

Read: Pros and Cons of LinkedIn Verification

Related: Choosing Your LinkedIn Profile Location

Choosing your visibility settings comes with both advantages and potential drawbacks. Understanding these can help you make an informed decision about how to use the feature effectively.

Here’s what you need to know.

Overview

LinkedIn’s ‘Open to Work’ feature offers two visibility settings: ‘Recruiters Only’ and ‘All LinkedIn Members’.

The ‘Recruiters Only’ option limits visibility to only recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiter. Whereas, the ‘All LinkedIn Members’ option makes your job search status visible to everyone (for broader exposure).

Here are the options users are given for selecting visibility.

Pictured: Screenshot of ‘Open to Network’ visibility settings

Recruiters Only

If you’re worried your boss might find out you’re looking – this is the option for you. Choosing ‘Recruiters Only’ ensures your preferences are only visible to those with LinkedIn Recruiter (a premium tool for recruiters).

A word of caution – even if you select ‘Recruiters Only’, it’s still technically possible someone you don’t want to may find out. LinkedIn is well aware of this common concern. They take steps not to show recruiters at your current company, however they can’t guarantee it 100%.

Pros:

• Privacy: Keeps your job search mostly discreet from your current employer.
• Targeted Outreach: Only visible to recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiter (limited number of users).

Cons:

• Privacy: LinkedIn can’t guarantee recruiters at your current company won’t see.
• Limited Exposure: Reduces the number of people who can see your job search status.

All LinkedIn Members

Choosing this option makes your ‘Open to Work’ status visible to all LinkedIn members (including those at your current company). It also adds a prominent #OpenToWork photo frame to your profile picture.

The trade-off here is a potential lack of confidentiality – your current employer and colleagues will be aware of your job search, which could lead to potential ramifications at your current job.

Pros:

• Increased Exposure: Makes it easier for recruiters and connections to find you.
• Networking Opportunities: The #OpenToWork photo frame theoretically attracts attention.

Cons:

• Lack of Confidentiality: Your current employer and colleagues will be aware of your job search.
• Potential Overexposure: May lead to unsolicited messages or irrelevant job offers.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, I hope this article helps you better select your desired visibility settings. Whether you choose to limit your visibility to recruiters only or open it up to all LinkedIn members, hopefully now you can make an informed decision that aligns with your job search goals and privacy needs.