Signal recruiters that you are 'open to new opportunities' without altering your employer.

LinkedIn has recently unveiled a range of updates to their platform.  One of the most talked about changes has been the introduction of “Open Candidates”, a feature which allows job seekers to discreetly signal recruiters that they are open to new employment opportunities.

Open Candidates keeps job searching private, solving a huge problem for jobseekers already in employment.  Traditionally, one would need to update their headline to read “Seeking new opportunities” or something similar to attract recruiters and employers.  The only downside, you end up announcing your situation to your whole network, including current colleagues and employer!

Open Candidates is accessible from the “Preferences” tab on the LinkedIn Jobs home page.

To activate the Open Candidates feature, simply turn sharing “On” and fill in some quick information about the types of companies, roles and locations you would be interested in.  This information won’t be visible to your employer and, usefully, it won’t be open to any affiliated companies.

Once Open Candidates has been turned on, you will only be visible to recruiters for three months, ensuring that only users who have recently expressed interest in being conducted by recruiters are seen.

Login here to change your preferences and activate Open Candidates.

Tip 1: Before you turn on Open Candidates, make sure to review and update your LinkedIn profile as that’s the first thing a recruiter will look at.  See our tips for updating your LinkedIn profile here.

Tip 2: Even if you turn on Open Candidates, it is still a great idea to research a couple of recruitment companies and make contact with the recruiter for your industry.  Don’t rely on your LinkedIn profile being found!  See ways to contact Stafffinders here.