Ex-Google, Amazon recruiters advise against LinkedIn's 'Open to Work' badge
Two former recruitment professionals from Google and Amazon have advised job seekers against using LinkedIn's "Open to Work" badge. Sharing his thoughts with CNBC Make It, Nolan Church, ex-recruiter at Google and current CEO of FairComp said that he perceives the badge as a potential red flag for recruiters. Church suggests that top-tier candidates are usually not actively job hunting and thus wouldn't publicize their employment-seeking status.
It's a misinterpreted signal
The green "Open to Work" badge, visible beneath a user's profile picture on LinkedIn, signifies that the user is open to job offers. However, Church warns that this could be misinterpreted as desperation by hiring managers. He compares recruitment to dating, emphasizing the need for candidates to make potential employers feel they are the only ones being considered. Church even labeled this LinkedIn feature as "the worst social media feature ever pushed to production."
Recruitment power dynamics v/s 'Open to Work' badge
Lindsay Mustain, a former Amazon recruiter, agrees with Church's perspective. She stated that recruitment is about power dynamics and recruiters favor candidates who show interest in their company rather than appearing desperate for work. Mustain suggests that using the "Open to Work" banner could imply that "because you need something from me, that means that I have the power in this conversation."
Zomato CEO expressed similar sentiments last year
Deepinder Goyal, founder and CEO of Zomato, echoed similar sentiments in a podcast last November. He disclosed that his company tends not to hire individuals who are actively job searching as they believe such individuals don't meet their hiring criteria. Goyal further explained Zomato's hiring process as being lengthy and focused on finding quality individuals who aren't necessarily on a job hunt.
The badge was launched in response to pandemic unemployment
LinkedIn introduced the "Open to Work" feature in June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to a sudden surge in unemployment. The platform had previously offered a feature for users to discreetly indicate their job-seeking status to recruiters. However, the pandemic necessitated a more public feature, according to a LinkedIn spokesperson. Despite cautionary advice from recruiters, over 33 million LinkedIn profiles currently have the "Open to Work" badge activated.
