How to Turn Off Open to Work on LinkedIn in 2025
Learn how to manage LinkedIn's "Open To Work" feature to maintain privacy during your job search while still attracting the right recruiters to your profile.
Photo by Nathana Rebouças / Unsplash
While job searching, making your availability known to potential employers can significantly increase your opportunities. LinkedIn's "Open To Work" feature was created for exactly this purpose, enhancing your visibility to hiring managers.
This feature works in two key ways:
But what about when your circumstances change? Maybe you've secured that dream job or simply prefer to approach your job search more discreetly. This guide provides easy and straightforward instructions for deactivating the "Open To Work" status on your LinkedIn profile. We'll cover both removing the visible green frame as well as changing your settings to maintain visibility to recruiters while keeping your job search private from your broader connections.
Whether you're celebrating a new role or strategically adjusting your professional presence, these simple steps will help you manage how your career intentions appear on LinkedIn!
How to Remove Open To Work From Your LinkedIn Profile
If you’ve ever looked for a new job on LinkedIn, it’s common to have activated the “Open to Work” feature on your profile. However, circumstances change—perhaps you've landed a position or need to temporarily pause your search efforts. Here's the straightforward process to deactivate this feature:
To disable the "Open To Work" setting on LinkedIn, start by navigating to your personal profile page. When this feature is currently active, you'll notice it appears as a distinctive blue text block within your profile description area, as shown in the image below.
To make changes, click the pencil icon. It’ll take you to this page:
Once here, you’ll see all the job titles you’ve indicated interest in, as well as your job preferences for work location, type, and start date.
This is where you can completely delete the “Open To Work” feature by clicking the gray text that says “Delete.”
How to Remove the #OpenToWork Photo Frame Attached to LinkedIn Profile Photo
Chances are, if you turned on the “Open to Work” feature on your LinkedIn, you may have also activated the #OpenToWork green photo frame in the process. The banner looks like this:
To keep the “Open To Work” function enabled (so recruiters can find you), but remove the green #OpenToWork photo frame by your profile picture, here’s how to do it! ⬇️
After clicking the pencil icon to go to the job preferences page, you'll see "Visibility" if you scroll down. This is the same spot you navigated to when you disabled the "Open To Work" feature.
Below "Visibility," you have two options: recruiters only, and all LinkedIn members.
Taking off the green profile border offers some discretion during your career exploration, though LinkedIn's own policies acknowledge they cannot provide an absolute guarantee that your current employer won't discover your availability status.
Important: After making these changes, you might need to reload your browser page to view your updated profile image without the green #OpenToWork banner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my employer see LinkedIn "Open To Work"?
Your employer might see your "Open to Work" status if you've chosen to display it publicly with the green frame. However, if you select the "Recruiters only" option, your current company's recruiters shouldn't see it, although LinkedIn can't guarantee complete privacy.
Why does my LinkedIn say "Open To Work"?
Your LinkedIn shows "Open to Work" because you previously (at some point in time) activated this feature to signal to recruiters and your network that you're seeking new job opportunities.
Should I turn "Open To Work" on and off on LinkedIn?
You should turn "Open to Work" on when actively job hunting and off once you've secured a position or if you want to be more discreet about your job search, especially if you're currently employed.
If you're #OpenToWork, let Simplify maximize your job search
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