Is it ‘desperate’ to use LinkedIn’s #OpenToWork button? Here’s what hiring experts really think.

So you lost your job. You might be shocked, scared or disoriented — worrying about the future, anxious about paying your bills or wondering what you should do next.?

How about telling everyone you know??

That’s what some critics argue is the logic behind LinkedIn’s “#OpenToWork” banner. The feature on the professional networking site adds a green ring around the lower corner of a user’s profile picture, advertising to everyone who comes across their profile or posts that they’re looking for a job.?

Microsoft’s LinkedIn says the feature is a proven benefit for jobseekers: Members who use the #OpenToWork photo frame are more likely to receive messages from recruiters and members of their professional network, a spokesperson told MarketWatch.?

And 85% of those who shared that they’re open to work publicly have received support from other LinkedIn users in the form of referrals, job openings or connections, they added.?

But others have argued the banner sends the wrong message to hiring managers and professional contacts: that you’re desperate for work. One jobseeker recently made waves by embracing the label, remaking her own version of the photo frame so it read “#Desperate.”?

“There’s been a lot of discourse about how the hashtag #OpenToWork banner puts off recruiters and hiring managers, because it makes you come across as desperate,” graphic designer Courtney Summer Myers wrote in the post , which garnered more than 400,000 reactions. “Frankly, as a victim of redundancy, I am desperate, and I don’t think that’s anything to be ashamed of.”

Myers didn’t respond to a request for comment from MarketWatch.?

In a job market where white-collar hiring has slowed to a trickle , jobseekers very well might feel desperation creeping into their job search.?

But could the #OpenToWork button actually hurt more than it helps? MarketWatch asked recruiters and other career experts for their take.?

If you’re already employed?

First things first: Workers should really only use the #OpenToWork banner if they’re currently unemployed or know they will be soon, recruiters said.?

There are a couple exceptions to that rule — for example, you might be a freelancer looking for additional clients — but if you have a full-time job, making it public that you’re looking for new opportunities is likely to make things a little awkward between you and your current employer.?

“There’s danger there,” said Roy Cohen, author of “The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide” and a career coach.

LinkedIn does offer a feature that allows users to privately flag themselves as “open to work” — meaning only recruiters will see it.?

‘Proactive and motivated’?

Some recruiters told MarketWatch that an #OpenToWork photo frame piques their interest in potential job candidates, and can be an efficient shorthand to instantly communicate a candidate’s availability to employers.?

“It prompts me to learn more about them,” said Melissa Grabiner, a senior talent-acquisition leader at an HR consulting firm.. Most of the time, when she sees the #OpenToWork banner, she’ll click on a user’s profile and read through their experience, she said.?

Kevin Grunewald, a recruiter with more than a decade of experience working for tech, energy and industrial companies, thinks the benefits of using the green banner outweigh the potential drawbacks.?

“When I come across a profile with the #OpenToWork banner, I see someone who is proactive and motivated to find work,” he wrote in an email.

He’ll often consider that candidate for roles that match their skills, Grunewald said — “but it does depend on their overall qualifications and how effectively they’ve communicated their value in their profile,” he added.?

Cohen, the Wall Street career coach, said he once would have advised clients against using the photo frame. Now, he thinks there isn’t much point to hiding the fact that you’re looking for work.?

“It used to be that I thought it shouted ‘desperate’ and was not a good self-marketing and branding tool… My perspective has changed over time,” he said. ”Maintaining the illusion that you’re still working [when you aren’t] just seems to be a waste of time and energy.”

Is the #OpenToWork banner ‘desperate’??

In some ways, being out of work still carries a stigma — a phenomenon that can make it challenging even for senior-level, highly experienced workers to find employment after an involuntary job separation, research shows .?

That stigma still creeps its way into the current job market, hiring experts said. But it has faded over time, especially as the pandemic made layoffs more common.?

“That’s really the issue here: the belief that being unemployed is shameful,” Cohen said. “[But] it’s a fact of life, and it happens to virtually everyone at some point in their lives.”

Still, those who use the #OpenToWork label might run into some of those lingering negative perceptions from prospective employers or even potential networking connections, Grunewald said.?

“Some professionals might hesitate to connect or engage with an individual they perceive as ‘needy,’” Grunewald said.?

Jennifer Schielke, the CEO of the IT staffing firm Summit Group Solutions, said she wouldn’t use the banner herself. But she also wouldn’t look negatively on anyone who did.?

“Remember the internet doesn’t forget, so sift through your own pros/cons of this banner,” she wrote. “Don’t take it lightly, or do, but be ready for the good, bad, and ugly.”

Schielke also warned against relying too heavily on the banner in conducting your job search.?

“Don’t expect to turn on the banner and sit and wait for the magic to happen,” she said.

Using the button may also leave you more open to job scams , the cybersecurity company Malwarebytes has found. So if you use the feature, beware of spammy messages from fake recruiters.

As for LinkedIn users rebranding the #OpenToWork button as #Desperate? That’s something recruiters were less sure about.?

“I wouldn’t do that,” Grabiner said. “If I hire someone who I know who is desperate, I’m thinking: Are they still going to be looking for a better fit when they join my company?”?

The best way to use the #OpenToWork banner

If you’re looking for work and turn on the banner, it’s a good idea to make a post clarifying that you’re no longer working for your former company, Grabiner said. Keep it “short and sweet,” she said: brief information about your skills and experience, as well as the types of jobs you’re looking for.?

Grabiner also recommends making a new post regularly — every two weeks or so — to remind your network that you’re still looking for those kinds of roles.

Job seekers should also be sure to spiff up their LinkedIn profile before turning the banner on, Grunewald said. Make sure your experience is up to date and that your profile is tailored to the opportunities you’re looking for.?

The #OpenToWork banner only lets people know that you’re looking for a job — it doesn’t tell potential employers anything about your skills, your experience level or whatever else might make you a unique job candidate, Schielke said. She recommended being sure to fill in those gaps yourself.

“Be intentional and control the narrative, or someone else will all too easily do so,” she wrote. “The banner is not a differentiator, so create and share highlights that would make a company want you to be their next hire.”??

Another great article from David Wilson of Easton Pennsylvania and The Ring of Hire Show