Linkedin open to work hide from employer

Introduction

Linkedin’s Open to work is a great feature for the job seekers helping them to callout that they are interested in new opportunities. However, employees are worried they their current employer will see the tag and it might impact their deliveries.

Fortunately, LinkedIn offers privacy settings that can help you hide your job search from your employer. In this guide, we’ll explain how you can enable “Open to Work” while keeping it hidden from your boss.

“Open to Work” on LinkedIn?

The “Open to Work” feature lets you indicate to recruiters and connections that you’re looking for new job opportunities.

You can choose between two visibility settings:

Recruiters Only – This limits your visibility to LinkedIn’s recruiter users, keeping it hidden from your network.
Public (With Green Badge) – This places a green “Open to Work” frame on your profile photo, making your job search visible to everyone.

Can Your Employer See If You’re “Open to Work”?

If you choose Recruiters Only, LinkedIn tries to prevent your employer from seeing your status by hiding it from recruiters at your company or those associated with it.

However, LinkedIn cannot 100% guarantee that someone from your organization won’t see it, especially if they use a recruiter account from a different company.

If you select Public, anyone—including your boss—can see your job search status. That’s why it’s important to carefully adjust your settings.

linkedin Open to Work hide from employer

To ensure your job search remains private, follow these steps:

Adjusting Visibility Settings

Go to LinkedIn and click on your profile picture.
Select “Open to Work” and click “Finding a new job”.
Fill in job preferences (role, location, etc.).
Under Choose who sees you’re open, select “Recruiters only”.
Click Save.

Removing the Green “Open to Work” Badge

If you accidentally enabled the public green badge, here’s how to remove it:

Go to your profile picture and click on it.
Select View or Edit Frame.
Click Remove Frame.
Save your changes.

Other Ways to Job Hunt Discreetly on LinkedIn

Even with “Recruiters Only”, you may want extra privacy. Here are additional tips:

Update Your Profile Quietly – Avoid sudden, drastic changes to your LinkedIn profile, as this can trigger alerts.
Turn Off Activity Notifications – Go to Settings & Privacy > Visibility > Share Profile Updates and turn off notifications.
Connect with Recruiters Privately – Instead of posting publicly, send direct messages to recruiters.
Engage Wisely – Follow companies and apply for jobs without engaging in public job-seeking discussions.

FAQs

Can my employer find out I’m job hunting on LinkedIn?

If you use “Recruiters Only”, LinkedIn tries to prevent your employer from seeing it. However, there’s no absolute guarantee of complete privacy.

Does LinkedIn guarantee full privacy?

No. While LinkedIn takes steps to protect users, there’s always a small chance that someone from your company could see your activity.

What are alternative ways to find jobs without LinkedIn?

Use job boards like Indeed, Glassdoor, and Naukri.
Network privately through industry groups.
Contact recruiters directly via email instead of LinkedIn.

Conclusion

Using “Open to Work” is a helpful way to attract job opportunities, but it’s important to set it up correctly to maintain privacy. By selecting “Recruiters Only” and taking extra precautions, you can keep your job search discreet.

Need more LinkedIn tips? Keep following our blog for expert career advice!

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