Removing the Open to Work banner from your Profile is ideal if you’ve been lucky enough to find a job on Linkedin and are no longer job-hunting.

LinkedIn’s Open to Work feature is a great way to let recruiters know you are open to new job opportunities. Once you do find one, it is best to Turn it off to let your LinkedIn network know. You can also remove the feature from your profile even if you haven’t found a job but wish to keep your job search more private. 

Learn how to turn off Open to Work on LinkedIn in this article and the pros and cons of using this feature. 

How to Turn Off Open to Work on LinkedIn on iPhone/Android?

For iOS and Android users, here’s how to turn off Open to Work on LinkedIn mobile app:

1. Log in to your LinkedIn account.

2. Navigate to the main feed, and tap your profile picture. 

3. Click ‘View profile’ under your name, which will appear on the left side.

4. You will see a small box that says ‘Open to work’ right after your name and bio. 

5. Click on the pencil icon on this box’s right side. 

6. You will see a menu on the screen, scroll to the bottom and click ‘Delete from the profile.’

7. Tap Delete, and you are done!

How to Turn Off Open to Work on LinkedIn on Desktop?

When using LinkedIn on a desktop computer, follow these steps to turn off the Open to Work feature on LinkedIn:

1. Go to Linkedin and log in to your account. 

2. Click the profile icon on the left side of the screen or from the top menu where it says ‘Me.’

3. Locate the box under your main profile that says ‘Open to work.’

4. The screen will open a ‘Job preferences’ menu that says ‘Open to work.’

5. Tap the pencil icon on the right side.

6. Scroll to the bottom of the menu and select ‘Delete from profile.’

7. Click ‘Delete’ again in the confirmation pop-up to remove #OPENTOWORK from your profile photo frame.

LinkedIn Open to Work – How Does It Work?

As mentioned earlier, the LinkedIn Open to Work feature lets you make your profile visible to recruiters and lets them know you are looking for a job. Turning the feature on adds a bright green badge to your profile photo that says #OPENTOWORK.

However, there’s more to this feature than meets the eye. It’s not just about the green badge; the feature lets you edit job preferences with options like job title, location, visibility, etc., to attract the right recruiters. 

Let’s explore this in detail so that you can decide better for yourself.

Job Titles

If you wish to turn on the Open to Work feature on LinkedIn, there are a few essential details you need to fill in to narrow down your job search. The first thing you need to do is choose suitable job titles, such as Content Specialist, Sales Consultant, Project Manager, Creative Writer, etc., depending on your skills and field of work.

You can search and add as many titles as you want, given that they match your field and the type of job you are looking for.

Location Types 

This is the second area of information you need to fill where you can choose from three options: On-site, Hybrid, and Remote. If you wish to work in an office setup, click on-site. If you prefer a fully remote job that you can do from home or elsewhere, click remote.

If you are open to a two-in-one work situation where you work remotely and in the office, choose hybrid. Lastly, if you don’t have a preference and are open to any location type, select all three options.

Location (On-site)

If you choose on-site in the last option, you will be asked to add a location in terms of City and Country here. This will help make your profile visible to recruiters hiring for job positions in your city.

Start Date 

Are you looking to start a new job immediately, or are you flexible? You will see the following options here:

• Immediately, I am actively looking
• Flexible, I am casually looking

Choose the option that best fits your requirement to narrow your job search further.

Employment Types 

Whether you are looking for a full-time, part-time, or contract-based job, this section requires you to specify your desired employment type.

You will find five options to choose from here that include:

• Full-time
• Part-time
• Contract
• Internship
• Temporary 

Depending on your requirements, you can select either of these or all five. 

Visibility 

This is the last and most important section, as it determines who can view that you are open to work. It gives you two options to choose from:

• Recruiters only: this is limited to people using LinkedIn Recruiter. While LinkedIn takes certain steps to hide your shared career interests from those LinkedIn Recruiter users who work at your current company, this comes with a disclaimer that it can’t guarantee complete privacy.
• All LinkedIn members: this is open to recruiters and people at your current company. This selection also adds the #OpenToWork photo frame to your LinkedIn profile picture. 

It is essential to understand how these two options affect the visibility of your LinkedIn profile. If you select Recruiters only, it will show your job-related preferences only to those members with a LinkedIn recruiter account.  

LinkedIn Recruiter is an all-encompassing premium hiring platform for active recruiters and professionals, allowing them to connect with suitable candidates to fulfill the required job positions. If you are already working somewhere, selecting the ‘Recruiters only’ option is best as it shields your profile from all those working at your current company using a LinkedIn Recruiter account. 

The’ All LinkedIn members’ option is ideal if you aren’t working anywhere and actively looking for a job. This will also add the green #OpentoWork badge to your profile and make it visible to everyone on LinkedIn.

Pros and Cons of LinkedIn Open-to-Work Feature

Should one turn off Open to Work on LinkedIn or leave it on when looking for a job? This question has long been a topic of debate among users of this platform, and while it does bring several benefits, it also has a fair share of downsides.

Let’s take a look:

Pros 

• The #OpentoWork badge alerts recruiters and employers on LinkedIn that you can fill a position.
• Your LinkedIn network and connections know that you seek work that will prompt them to share potential job opportunities.
• It allows job seekers to narrow their search by providing the correct information to employers and recruiters. 
• It connects you to the right people, and with the #OpentoWork tag on your profile, you are likely to receive a better response rate from potential recruiters. 

Cons 

• There’s a chance your current employer might find that you are looking for another job which can put you in a bad light.
• Having the #OpentoWork badge on your profile while employed can be seen as a sign of disloyalty by potential recruiters. 
• If you are #OpentoWork for everyone on LinkedIn, it can increase your chances of coming into contact with scammers and spammers. 
• If you select ‘Recruiters only’ in profile visibility, your profile will only be visible to those LinkedIn members with LinkedIn recruiter subscriptions.

FAQs

Conclusion 

Turning off Open to Work on LinkedIn or switching it on is under your control. It offers many benefits but drawbacks, especially if you have the #OpentoWork tag on your profile while employed. 

If you aren’t working anywhere currently, you can switch the feature on, make it visible to all LinkedIn members and choose your desired job preferences. If, however, you are already working somewhere and wish to switch your job, it is best to turn it off. Despite LinkedIn’s privacy protocols in place, you still risk your current employers finding out that you are seeking work.