Why You Should Always Be #Open To Work

As a Career Coach providing #career, #leadership, and #business coaching to all kinds of professionals from new graduates, to high level executives, one tip I give individuals looking to land their dream job is to keep the #OpenToWork banner up on their LinkedIn profile.

You may be concerned that the OTW banner signals a lack of commitment to your employer but if your company downsized and you were unexpectedly let go, what is the first thing you would do? Okay, maybe you'd shed some tears, drown your sorrows in a tub of Ben and Jerry's and a serious Netflix binge, but eventually you would have to start looking for another job.

Consider this...what if you could have had your next big career move lined up before the layoff, or your dream job was available and someone in your network would have shared it with you, but they they thought you were happy where you were.

Psychological contracts between employers and employees, which outline the unwritten rules and expectations surrounding employment used to be common place but in our ever changing and evolving economy an employee can't naively think that the organization they work for will keep them forever. At the same time, an employer cannot expect their employees to compromise their dreams and career aspirations simply to appease the company.

In fact, promoting your open to work mindset is an excellent way to demonstrate to your current employer, your readiness for new challenges, desire to contribute more, and advance in your career. Of course, if you're between careers the banner could cue recruiters who come across your profile and are looking to fill a vacancy requiring the skills, knowledge, and experience you possess to proactively contact you.

In any case, being open to work gives you the chance to learn about opportunities as they come your way and decide for yourself where your career journey may go next.