Before you use the ‘Open to Work’ badge on LinkedIn, read this

The ‘Open to Work’ badge on LinkedIn gets a bad rap, say some experts. Here’s how you should be using it in your job search.

After social media manager Jensen Rubinstein was let go from her job in January, she put the green “Open to Work” banner up under her LinkedIn profile photo. Along with a short post about the reason for her job loss, the banner almost immediately caught the eye of a director at a small publication looking to fill a contract position—a role she landed and still serves in today.