"open to work" The green banner debate

I wanted to talk about the misconceptions around the green banner on LinkedIn, I recently saw a post on Linkedin suggesting that the green banner alludes to 'desperation' or that the candidates are less desirable and I even saw someone say that it gave them the 'ick', which did make me laugh, but then made me realise that there is such a bias when it comes to the open to work banner.

The whole point of the 'open to work' option is to show that you are actively looking for a new role, and for a recruiter, or hiring manager, it's a way of showing us that you're happy to be approached.

let's go through some of these misconceptions and try and rid some of the bias that comes along with them.

Desperation

There's a suggestion that displaying the "Open to Work" banner appears desperate for employment and, as a result, less desirable to employers. However, as I said above the banner is there so that employers can easily identify who is active on the market. The reality at the beginning of the year was that there were a lot of layoffs and a lot of IT professionals looking for work immediately, who do you think got a job quicker, those with the banner or those without?

I think perhaps now we're seeing move people use the open-to-work option, as the market hasn't been as great as it once was, there's been slow hiring and not as many open roles in other areas.

I personally spoke to so many candidates this year that were in tier one organisations that couldn't find a new role and were out in the market for months, which I know if they had been looking last year it would have been a different story for them, so I do think how the market is performing will have a part to play.

Your employer might see

I have seen more candidates use the "Open to Work" banner and I think the stigma is dissipating, allowing for a more positive perception, however, I do still see the occasional post or poll that would suggest there's still some bias towards it. It calls for a shift in mentality, urging recruiters to discard biases and embrace the diverse pool of talented individuals actively seeking new opportunities. The conclusion is clear – it's about the candidate's skill set, their LinkedIn presence, and their potential fit for the role.

Recruiter Spam

One argument I have seen is that this opens you up to the 'recruiter spam' and whilst I understand you'll receive a lot more activity, you can always turn it off again and if you are actively looking for work then I'm sure the more opportunities coming your way, the better! you're always able to respond to the ones you're interested in, and politely decline the others which will hush the noise for a bit.

let's leave the ick in 2023.

The green "Open to Work" banner serves as a valuable tool for both job seekers and recruiters. We need to discard outdated stigmas and biases and look at it the same as any candidate.

Let's leave the topic in 2023 and commend those that are proactive in their approach, and displaying the green banner. Let's recognise the potential that lies within this seemingly simple LinkedIn feature.