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Don’t we all want to take advantage of tools that make our lives easier?
Recruiters have long relied on LinkedIn to find candidates, and since 2020, the platform has tried to make it even easier for them by giving those actively looking for work the opportunity to broadcast their openness to the over 67 million companies on the social network. While 28 million people have the #OpentoWork frame on their LinkedIn profile pictures, one former Google recruiter, Nolan Church, recently told CNBC that the frame is “the biggest red flag on LinkedIn,” because it signals to recruiters that these candidates are “desperate.”
His comment has since sparked backlash within the HR function. Here’s what some HR pros had to say on LinkedIn.
Faster, easier. “I’m a recruiter, and this banner has helped me tremendously in fast spotting who’s on the job hunt. It’s also an indicator of the market trends, and it is clear that competition is high at the moment on the job market.”—Roxana Duta, a technical recruiter at Eden Capital Careers
Hypocritical to see it as desperate. “If we are using the logic that people that use the green ‘#OpentoWork’ banner seem desperate...Then, recruiters that use the purple hiring banner seem desperate. If people are deemed unwanted because they have to use the green banner, then recruiters should be deemed unwanted because they have to use the purple banner.”—Aaron H., a senior recruiter at Tesla
Highlights top talent. “As challenging as it is to find top talent, when you see the green banner, these are people who are putting themselves out there, working to find their next awesome gig, and are taking out any ego or barriers to find that job. It shows incentive, it shows desire, and there’s a humbling nature to someone when they ask for help. These are your people. Go find that green banner for your next.”—Erica Burger, a HR Manager at DynPro
People over banners. “Never once have I judged a candidate or member of my network for having a banner on their profile picture, ‘#OpentoWork’ or otherwise. I’m evaluating people on their experience, talent, and potential, not the latest LinkedIn trend.”—Hannah Liberman, a director of people and talent at Equi
Avoid the social illusion. “As a recruiter, I just want to say that the green banner makes my job easier. It helps me connect with potential candidates. I think it’s more about the illusion on social media that everyone is always at their best, and no one ever needs help. This success-of-success thing is kind of boring, to be honest. I’m sorry if it sounds a bit harsh, but nobody believes it. Everyone has their ups and downs, so let’s not act arrogant.”—Mariam Aghamalyan, a HR business partner at Innowise Group