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UK graphic designer puts ‘desperate’ banner on her LinkedIn profile. Here’s why
A UK graphic designer’s “desperate” banner on her LinkedIn profile has sparked a conversation among social media users about redundancy in the workplace.
Industry experts have often spoken about the “open to work” banner on LinkedIn, adding that putting it on could turn out to be “biggest red flag” for candidates actively searching for work. A graphic designer shared her opinion about this perception and posted that she came up with a new banner to counter it. It is a “desperate” banner. According to her, people looking for a new opportunity, especially the “victims of redundancy”, should never shy away from letting people know that they are desperately looking for a job. People have appreciated her gesture, and many agreed with her point of view.
“There’s been a lot of discourse about how the hashtag #OpenToWork banner puts off recruiters and hiring managers, because it makes you come across as desperate. Frankly, as a victim of redundancy, I am desperate, and I don’t think that’s anything to be ashamed of,” UK-based Courtney Summer Myers wrote.
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She added that being laid off doesn’t always mean that a person lacks skills or work ethics. Hence, no one should be “embarrassed that they need to pay their rent and bills, support their family, or feed themselves” and should wear the #opentowork banner with pride. She concluded her post with a few lines about her professional expertise.
Here’s the full LinkedIn post:
LinkedIn users were in agreement with Summer Myers, and many praised her for taking the step to talk about an aspect of the professional networking site that is often overlooked.
What did LinkedIn users say?
We need to change the language around redundancy, you didn’t lose your job, you weren’t made redundant, your role was. As you say, you were unfortunate. Wishing you all the luck in the world finding your next position,” wrote a LinkedIn user.
“Well done, brave move, and completely agree, no one should be shy about their need for work. I suspect there is going to be quite a bit of it coming your way very soon. You are now very definitely in my contact list for the next project I need some design help with,” praised another.
A third posted, “Best of luck with the job search. May you land the opportunity you deserve (rather than potentially just a job serving a company that might not respect or value your talents.)”
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In an interview, former Google recruiter Nolan Church mentioned that putting up the “Open To Work” banner on LinkedIn is not a smart move. According to her, it makes recruiters think that “because you need something from me, that means that I have the power in this conversation.”
What are your thoughts on this new banner by a woman on LinkedIn?
