7 Million views in 7 days. The "Open to Work" subject. Analysis of your comments.

"Don't waste your time chasing butterflies. Mend your garden and the butterflies will come." - Mário Quintana

From a simple guy who loves to give.

It's all about giving information and telling your truth.

Last week, I posted about the "#OpentoWork" status and possible psychological biases.

Biases that I've seen, and heard during many observations, discussions, events, and meetings, for almost 10 years of recruitment. From this, I made my conclusions and gave my opinion and pieces of advice.

Just this.

The purpose of my message isn’t to blame, I’m passionate about recruitment and after almost 10 years in it, I’ll continue in this area. The goal is to highlight these unfortunate biases that may happen sometimes. Thanks to all of you for sharing your opinions!

What made this message so impactful?

• Because we are all concerned by the subject.

Who? You all who commented:

Recruiters; Talent Acquisition Specialists; HR Managers; Senior Software Engineers; IT Professionals (e.g., IT Associate, IT Security Engineer); DevOps Engineers; Network Security Engineers; System Administrators; Sales Managers; Marketing Specialists; Digital Marketing Professionals; Business Development Managers; Project Managers; Senior Management (e.g., Directors, Vice Presidents); Program Managers; Customer Service Representatives; Account Managers; Administrative Coordinators; Financial Analysts; Bookkeepers; Accountants; Educators (e.g., teachers, trainers); Learning and Development Specialists; Medical Referral Coordinators; Healthcare Management Professionals; Entrepreneurs and Consultants; Freelancers (e.g., Freelance Writers, Graphic Designers); Engineers (e.g., Civil Engineers, Mechanical Engineers); Professionals in Creative Fields (e.g., Graphic Designers, Content Creators).

No matter our jobs, we are all, one day, open to work.

• Because I'm sharing my truth.

No storytelling, carrousels or I don't know what the LinkedIn influencers will preach to go viral or make views. Views and impressions are not my goal. I just shared what is, from my perspective and expertise, important to know.

I just did something simple: Saying out loud what a lot of people think quietly.

• We all have different opinions.

It's a tough and sensitive subject to debate. I'm passionate about recruitment, and I'm pretty good at it, yet I show also what could be improved. Some of us agreed, others didn't, and it's normal.

Within a week, this post reached more than 7 Million views.

Now here's what the post shows about the status Open To Work, from your 934 different opinions.

Number of Positive Comments:

There is a significant number of positive comments. These comments defend the use of the Open to Work badge as a transparent and useful way to indicate candidates' availability, thereby facilitating the work of recruiters and HR managers.

Number of Negative comments:

Some comments are expressing negative opinions or concerns about using the Open to Work badge. These comments include critiques on how this badge is perceived by recruiters and employers, or concerns about the stigma associated with active job seeking.

Major Positive Opinions:

I counted 3 big categories:

• Transparency and Ease of Communication:

Many find that the badge facilitates communication between candidates and recruiters, clearly indicating candidates' availability for new opportunities.

• Job Search Assistance:

Some of you mentioned that they received more contacts from recruiters after activating the badge, seeing it as a useful tool to draw attention to their profile.

• Normalization of Job Seeking:

Several comments support the idea that everyone is open to new opportunities at some point and that this should not be stigmatized.

Major Negative Opinions:

Same.

Stigmatization and Bias:

Several comments highlight that the badge may be perceived as a sign of desperation or lack of stability, which could prevent some employers from contacting candidates.

Criticism of Recruiter Perception:

Some believe that recruiters may have unconscious biases against those displaying the Open to Work badge, seeing them as less desirable than those who are already employed.

Limited or Negative Effects:

A few comments mention that activating the badge has not always led to positive results, and in some cases, it may have even reduced the number of contacts from recruiters.

Bonus: Some people didn't even click on the "see more...", so they didn't read it, and trashed talked about me, thinking that I targeted the recruiters. For them, I can't help. Anyway, it's impossible to please 100%, and it's not my goal.

Conclusion.

Everything is subject to psychological biases. It's a human trait.

Such as the one where recruiters are badly seen because of ghosting, candidates are open to work because of despair, etc. We can find biases everywhere. No one is to blame, the biases are. Maybe LinkedIn should change the banner, by putting "Open to Discuss" instead of Open to Work.

• If you are Open to Work: Keep it up and make a good Bio and profile so we, recruiters, can understand within 2min who you are.
• If you are a recruiter: I know that you do your best, and I know that our positions are not the easiest but we are the most important image of companies. We need to continue to share our truth and give tips to help more people.

Truth is subjective, share yours, and don't hesitate to say what you think, to show your thoughts linked to your expertise. When you are kind and polite, you can create a safe place for people to give opinions and debate.

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For those who, thanks to this message, are discovering me, I'm Kevin. A simple man passionate about psychology, with an atypical background, ex-HR leader of a consulting agency co-belt from scratch, now helping people and companies to have an impact and create a Momentum.

I'm driving people's enthusiasm in the right direction to make their success exponential through Recruitment, consulting and mentoring.

If you liked this article, feel free to react and share your story, I would be glad to read you.

See you next time,

Cheers.

K.