LinkedIn Open to Work: Everything You Need to Know in 2025

If you're job searching, LinkedIn's #OpenToWork feature is one of the most effective signals you can send to recruiters. But there's a lot of confusion about how it works, who can see it, and whether using it could hurt you professionally.

This guide covers everything — the feature itself, the green photo frame, the privacy settings, and how to use it strategically.

What Is LinkedIn's Open to Work Feature?

LinkedIn's Open to Work feature lets you signal to recruiters and your network that you're actively looking for new opportunities. When you enable it, a few things happen:

A green #OpenToWork frame can appear around your profile photo
An "Open to Work" banner appears on your profile
Your profile becomes more visible to recruiters actively sourcing candidates
LinkedIn may surface your profile higher in recruiter searches

It's essentially a broadcasting tool. Instead of silently hoping the right recruiter finds you, you're actively raising your hand.

The Two Privacy Modes

This is the most important thing to understand about the Open to Work feature. There are two distinct privacy settings:

1. Visible to All LinkedIn Members (Public)

When you select this option:

The green #OpenToWork photo frame is visible to everyone on LinkedIn
Your network will see that you're job searching
Anyone who views your profile can see the "Open to Work" banner
This maximises your visibility to recruiters

Best for: People between jobs, recent graduates, freelancers and contractors, and anyone comfortable with their network knowing they're searching.

2. Visible to Recruiters Only (Private)

When you select this option:

The green photo frame is not shown publicly
Only recruiters who pay for LinkedIn Recruiter (LinkedIn's premium sourcing tool) can see that you're open to opportunities
LinkedIn attempts to hide this from people who work at your current company

Best for: People who are currently employed and don't want their employer or colleagues to know they're looking.

Important caveat: LinkedIn itself warns that it "cannot guarantee complete privacy" with the recruiter-only setting. If someone at your company is a LinkedIn Recruiter user, they may be able to see your status. Use this setting with that in mind.

How to Enable Open to Work on LinkedIn

Here's how to turn it on:

Go to your LinkedIn profile
Click the "Open to" button below your name (or find it in your profile settings)
Select "Finding a new job"
Fill in your job preferences: job titles, locations, start date, and job types you're open to
Choose your privacy setting (all members or recruiters only)
Click "Add to profile"

The more specific you are with your job preferences, the better LinkedIn can match you to relevant opportunities.

How to Add the #OpenToWork Photo Frame

The green photo frame is the most visible element of the Open to Work feature. It appears in your circular profile photo across all of LinkedIn — in search results, the feed, connection requests, and messages.

LinkedIn adds a basic green frame when you enable the feature publicly. But if you want a more polished, customised badge, you can use a dedicated tool.

Our Open to Work Generator lets you:

Choose from multiple professional #OpenToWork badge styles
Preview exactly how your photo will look with the frame
Download a high-resolution version ready to upload to LinkedIn
Customise the frame colour and style to suit your professional context

The process takes under two minutes.

Does Open to Work Actually Work?

The short answer: yes, when used correctly.

LinkedIn's own data shows that profiles with the Open to Work frame receive significantly more recruiter messages than those without it. Recruiters who source actively on the platform use it as a filter — when they're looking for candidates who are actively available, the Open to Work signal is one of the first filters they apply.

The key caveats:

Your profile needs to be strong. The frame gets you seen — your profile does the selling. If your headline is vague, your About section is thin, and your experience section is sparse, the frame alone won't help. Get your profile in order before enabling it.

Combine it with active searching. The Open to Work frame is passive. It signals availability but doesn't replace actively applying, networking, and reaching out. Use it as a complement to your active job search, not a replacement.

Be specific with your preferences. LinkedIn uses your stated job preferences to match you with relevant recruiter searches. The more specific you are — with job titles, locations, and industries — the more targeted your visibility becomes.

Open to Work for Other Situations

The Open to Work concept extends beyond just traditional job searching. LinkedIn (and third-party tools like ours) also offer frames and badges for:

#Hiring — For recruiters and hiring managers looking for candidates
#Freelance — For freelancers advertising their availability for projects
#Remote — For professionals specifically seeking remote opportunities
#Consulting — For independent consultants marketing their services

Browse the full range of professional badge templates at ProfilePhoto.Online's Templates section.

Common Questions About Open to Work

Will my current employer see the green frame?

If you use the recruiters only setting, the frame is not displayed publicly — so your employer won't see it on your profile. However, as noted above, LinkedIn cannot fully guarantee this if someone at your company has LinkedIn Recruiter access.

If you use the all members setting, yes, your employer and colleagues can see it.

Should I use Open to Work if I'm currently employed?

This depends on your situation. The recruiter-only setting gives you reasonable privacy while still boosting your recruiter visibility. Many employed professionals use this setting to passively explore opportunities.

If you're comfortable with your network knowing you're open to something new — perhaps you're in an industry where people change jobs frequently — the public setting can work in your favour.

Does the Open to Work frame look unprofessional?

This perception has shifted significantly. In 2025, the Open to Work frame is widely accepted as a professional signal. Recruiters actively look for it. Hiring managers understand it. The stigma that once existed around openly signalling job searching has largely faded.

The important thing is that your underlying profile looks professional. A polished photo with an Open to Work frame reads as confident and direct. A low-quality photo with the same frame still reads as unprofessional.

How long should I keep it on?

Keep it on for as long as you're actively open to opportunities. Once you've accepted a role, remove it promptly — it's good practice and avoids awkward messages from recruiters after you've started a new job.

Maximising Your Open to Work Strategy

Enabling the frame is just step one. To get the most out of the feature:

Complete your job preferences thoroughly. Include all relevant job titles (not just your exact current title), all locations you'd consider (including remote), and be realistic about your start date.

Update your headline. Add something like "Open to [role type] opportunities" to your headline so it's clear even in contexts where the frame isn't shown.

Engage on LinkedIn. The algorithm surfaces active members more frequently. Posting, commenting, and engaging in your professional community while your Open to Work frame is active can meaningfully increase your visibility.

Tell your network directly. Post an update letting your connections know you're looking. Your network is often your fastest route to a new role — and they can't refer you if they don't know you're available.

The #OpenToWork feature is one of the most straightforward, high-impact things you can do on LinkedIn when you're job searching. Set it up correctly, pair it with a strong profile and an active approach, and let it work for you.

Ready to add a professional Open to Work badge to your profile photo? Visit our Open to Work Generator — it takes two minutes and it's completely free.