Should people who are job hunting state in their LinkedIn headline that they are looking for a job?
Answers
I think this could go either way, depending on employment:
1) If you are currently employed, it might not be in your best interest to advertise to your current employer or your customers that you are looking to leave. This leads the customers to wonder why you want to leave, and your employer to consider helping you leave earlier than you planned.
2) If you are not employed, this can work well if you word it correctly. I like candidates who list their last position plus "Open" or "Looking" for opportunities. When someone leaves out their position a casual observer might not open your profile to see what type of work you do. I look at members of local organizations to see who is in
The last thing to keep in mind is who you are allowing to see your profile. If your notices are off then no one is going to see what you are doing and you will find yourself in fewer searches.
Here's my 1.5 cents:
1. Your close circle knows you are in search mode-you don't need to say so on LinkedIn.
2. Recruiters will find you anyway; and they don't care if you are employed. If you are a potential candidate for a search they are running, they will call you. Period. But if you state you are "in search" (whatever way you say it), many recruiters won't contact you because many clients don't want them to bring a slate of unemployed candidates to consider. Harsh, but frequently true. So why
Absolutely not.
Some have recommended that you put open to networking or open to new opportunities in the "headline". I wonder if anyone has had luck with that or an equivalent approach?
No,
Very tough question. Two sides -
1) Telling people you are looking for a job will usually make people back away. It makes them feel uncomfortable if they can not help you. But,
2) "If you don't ask, you don't get." You are a commodity. How will people know they can get you if they do not know you are available?
I know people that have been successful at both strategies...and failed miserably at both strategies. At some point you need to tell people you are looking. So it really is not a question of should I. The real question is "when" do you let them know.
I tend to agree with the majority; it's a bad idea.
Maybe a compromise position: Updated your profile to show no current job, then you've announced it without being obvious.
The irony is that you are less likely to be contacted for a job if it appears you are looking for one. Only let personal contacts know.
1
It's not really ironic, Brian. It's a fact that recruiters want to poach those candidates that seem un-poachable. Once the candidate has moved from that high-value passive position to active job seeker, the "thrill is gone," so to speak.
The reality is, there is more value and power in being passive than in being active.
For the truly marketable candidates, not advertising you're available will not stop the opportunities. If anything, that candidate will probably see them increase.
The consensus is clear not to state in the headline that you are looking. My related question is how to finesse the lack of a current position in your profile, which causes pesky LI messages that your profile is not complete. I am currently negotiating with a prospective employer and have listed current position as "In Negotiations" with "Confidential." This particular prospective employer will not mind, but how does it play with the rest of the LI community?