How do you activate Open to Work?

Open to Work is LinkedIn’s feature for indicating that you welcome new job opportunities. A recruiter is someone who finds candidates for jobs. LinkedIn lets you share this status with recruiters and, if you choose, your wider network. Official feature overview.

On a computer

1. Click Me at the top of LinkedIn.
2. Choose View profile.
3. Click Open to, then Finding a new job.
4. Complete the requested job information.
5. Choose who can see your status.
6. Click Save.

This sequence follows LinkedIn’s desktop setup instructions. Before the final click, check that the roles and locations reflect work you would actually consider.

In the mobile app

Tap your profile picture, then tap it again to open your profile. Select Open to → Finding a new job in the introduction card, enter your information, choose visibility and tap Save. Official mobile steps.

Treat the setup as a short decision exercise. Write down your preferred role, working arrangement and location before opening the form. That gives you something concrete to check against the selections you make.

Who should be able to see your status?

Choose an audience deliberately. LinkedIn documents three visibility settings, including an option that keeps preferences visible only to you for job recommendations. The table below summarizes LinkedIn’s visibility definitions.

Understand the privacy limit

LinkedIn says it takes steps to hide shared career interests from Recruiter users at your current company. It identifies that company from the position marked as your current employment, but explicitly says complete privacy is not guaranteed. LinkedIn’s privacy explanation.

Check that your current employment entry is accurate. If disclosure would cause a serious problem, decide whether you are comfortable with that limitation before enabling recruiter visibility. A hidden photo frame should not be your test of confidentiality.

Hypothetical example: an account manager wants to explore a move without announcing it to clients. Recruiters only may fit the desired audience better than public sharing. The person still needs to decide whether the remaining privacy uncertainty is acceptable.

Which job preferences should you enter?

Enter preferences you can explain in a real hiring conversation. LinkedIn’s Jobs → Preferences → Open to work route includes job titles, location types, locations, start date, employment types and visibility. Available preference fields.

Prepare a small working brief

• Role: write the job you want to do, using language you recognize in relevant vacancies.
• Location: list places where you could realistically work.
• Working arrangement: decide whether you want office work, remote work or a mixture.
• Employment type: distinguish your interest in a permanent position, part-time work or contract work.
• Availability: choose a realistic starting point after considering existing commitments.

Hypothetical example: a freelance designer wants an in-house role at a retail business. A useful preparation note might specify graphic design, a reachable city, full-time employment and an acceptable office schedule. Selecting senior leadership roles simply because they sound attractive would not reflect that brief.

Read your choices beside your experience section. Ask yourself whether you can point to relevant work for each selected role. If you are changing direction, write a short explanation of the move before approaching employers.

For a search focused on location flexibility, use the remote job search guide to plan your next steps. Keep the distinction between your preferred arrangement and the requirements of each vacancy clear when deciding where to apply.

How do you remove or change the photo frame?

Open the photo’s Frames menu and choose the appearance you want. When removing an existing frame, read the follow-up options carefully: LinkedIn distinguishes keeping recruiter-only sharing from removing Open to Work completely. Official frame instructions.

1. On desktop, open Me → View profile.
2. Click your profile photo near the top.
3. Click Frames.
4. Select another frame or choose Original for the unframed photo.
5. Click Apply.
6. Read the removal choices and select the outcome you want.
7. Finish with the displayed Save/Remove control.

On mobile, open your profile, tap the profile photo and choose Frames. Select the frame or Original, tap Apply and follow the prompts; the available choices depend on the existing frame. Mobile frame instructions.

Keep the search active without the frame

Choose Share ‘Open to Work’ with recruiter only when that is your intended outcome. Choosing Remove ‘Open to Work’ from profile removes the feature completely. The two removal outcomes.

After saving, check the photo and the job-search settings separately. Write down the intended result first if necessary: no public frame, recruiter sharing retained. Use that sentence as your final check.

How do you turn Open to Work off completely?

Open your profile, select the edit icon on the Open to Work box and choose Delete. You can enable it again later, but LinkedIn says your previous preferences will not be saved. Official disabling instructions.

If you are pausing the search, keep a private note of useful job titles and locations before deleting. If you have accepted a position, review any other profile wording that describes you as actively searching. Make those edits according to what you are ready to share.

What if the status disappears unexpectedly?

LinkedIn says it may email you to confirm continued interest if you stop responding to recruiter InMails, its direct messaging format. Without confirmation, it may remove Open to Work until you manually enable it again. LinkedIn’s automatic removal note.

Check your email and profile before assuming you changed something accidentally. If you still want to search, reopen the settings and review your preferences. Use the opportunity to remove options you would no longer accept.

What should you do after switching it on?

Give yourself a short list of actions beyond the setup. My recommendation is to connect each selected role with relevant evidence, a suitable vacancy and a clear introduction. Keep a simple record so you know what to follow up.

1. Select a vacancy. Read the responsibilities and identify work you can discuss confidently. Follow the LinkedIn application guide for the application stage.
2. Prepare your introduction. Name the role and one relevant piece of experience. Use the recruiter message templates as a starting point.
3. Contact people thoughtfully. Decide why each conversation would be useful. The professional networking guide can help structure your approach.
4. Gather a relevant recommendation. Ask someone who knows your work and give them context. See how to request a LinkedIn recommendation.

Hypothetical message: Hello, I am interested in your marketing coordinator vacancy. I have managed a small retailer’s content calendar and worked with its sales team on product launches. Would it be useful if I sent a relevant work sample?

Replace every detail with your own experience. Avoid describing work you only observed as something you personally delivered. Prepare to explain your contribution in an ordinary conversation.

Use a weekly review

At the end of the week, review the roles you considered, applications you sent and conversations that need replies. If the opportunities feel unsuitable, revisit your preferences and your own selection criteria. Do not judge the whole search by whether the frame looks right.