Are you, "Open to Work? I am!"

Following a wave of serious redundancies across the tech sector globally, with a number of CEOs publicly explaining those decisions as a correction after overhiring in previous months, plenty of people understandably began signalling on LinkedIn that they were actively looking for work, often using the platform's green "Open to Work" badge.

What stands out, particularly on LinkedIn, is how much anxiety and second-guessing surrounds using that particular badge and publicly announcing an active job search. It is worth reframing that anxiety entirely. 

Everyone who takes their presence on LinkedIn even half seriously is, in some sense, open to work. Recruiters are open to work in the sense of actively looking for candidates and clients. Business owners are open to talking with potential customers. Suppliers are open to new partnerships. Being open to opportunity in some form is essentially the entire reason the platform exists in the first place.

Once you genuinely accept that framing, there is no real debate, no stigma, and no shame in visibly signalling that you are looking for a role, the same way everyone else on the platform is quietly or openly signalling their own version of the same thing. If you are currently wearing that green badge, that is a genuinely fantastic and proactive thing to be doing, not something to feel self-conscious about.

The one piece of practical advice worth holding onto is this: do not waste time on tire-kickers or curious passersby who have no real intent behind their interest. Quickly and honestly assess the companies, recruiters and internal talent people you engage with, and focus your energy and time on the ones who can genuinely help you move toward the outcome you are actually trying to achieve, rather than spreading yourself thin across every conversation that comes your way.

And if you feel you could use a bit more encouragement or more specific career guidance along the way, reaching out is always worthwhile.