“I’ve recently been made redundant and actively looking for a new role. Should I use the new “Open to Work” photo frame feature on LinkedIn? Alternatively, could I say “actively looking for new opportunities” in the heading box next to my job title? I’m worried that this might make me look desperate and put some recruiters off.”
I think you’re right to be cautious but much will depend on your sector and seniority. In some industries, I can see how this may help your endeavours by indicating to recruiters and indeed everyone else in your LinkedIn community that you’re actively looking for a new role. But as you say, it could make recruiters turn away because is some sectors such as law employers still have a bias towards passive candidates. This is even more so in the context of experienced candidates.
As such, you may prefer to privately signal to recruiters that you’re open to work, specify the types of jobs you’re interested in, and indicate your preferred start date and location. You can do this by clicking into the Job Search Preferences, which can be found under Privacy & Settings situated along the top menu.
Also, there are much more effective ways to use LinkedIn for job search techniques, including regularly posting content and commenting on stuff published by others and most importantly by engaging actively with your contacts and emailing them individually. Granted, this is more labour intensive but sending tailored messages to a select group of people in your network is much more impactful. Or, failing that, you could save time and send a group message to everyone already in your network. But rather than begging for a job you’re more likely to get replies if you simply ask contacts for help / advice. To this end, I’d also advise against attaching your CV.
For more tips on how to use LinkedIn check out: How to use LinkedIn for your job search.
Husnara Begum, contributing editor and associate careers coach
