Candidates who are open to work do not always take ‘any role that comes their way’

Job candidates who state that they are open to work should not be perceived as “desperate” and willing to take “any role that comes their way”, B2B Account Manager Genieve Grech shared on Thursday.

In today’s tight labour market, most companies’ options to fill in particular vacancies have become strikingly limited: either pay extortionate salaries, or settle for less skilled workers. However, some employers are also taking into account whether or not a candidate is currently employed.

This is especially true for users showing LinkedIn’s green #OpenToWork banner on their profile, which informs others that the individual is looking for a job. Through the feature, individuals show up with priority in recruiters’ searches, helping them stand out.

Ms Grech, B2B Account Manager at ELA Games, noted that a number of employers are seemingly disregarding these individuals just because they are saying that they are open to work, thus turning down potential talent without understanding their background and reasons as to why they are searching for a job.

 “With all the mass layoffs many companies have been going through. With the effect the recession has had on some companies, changes in regulations, or whatever reason. Let’s face the reality that the job market is very difficult at the moment and many employees were left to pick up the pieces,” she continued.

She remarked that layoffs tend to happen all at once, with hundreds of people receiving emails saying their position has been “dissolved effective immediately”. Given that this happens to full departments, Ms Grech questioned why this should reflect badly on one employee.

Ms Grech stressed that she’d rather have a candidate tell her they’ve been laid off and be “genuine and honest” rather than lying to her. “Layoffs can happen to anyone at any time,” she continued.

A candidate should ultimately be assessed on their experience, skillset, attitude towards being mentored, and focus on business objectives. She remarked that employers should ask whether a candidate’s skills align with the profile they are looking for and if they fit within the team.

“If hundreds of people are looking for jobs at the minute, and LinkedIn has developed a feature to help hiring managers see who’s open to work, then why should this feature be scorned upon, if all it’s doing is connecting the right people together?” she questioned.

This feature should not be a way to “disqualify” a candidate.

“Having the green banner also doesn’t mean you’ll take any role that comes your way. It certainly doesn’t mean the person is desperate either. It just means they’re looking for their next move,” Ms Grech explained.

“A candidate who’s open to work is simply one that is available to start immediately. That’s all it means and that’s all it should mean. The rest remains unchanged,” she added.

Since finding skilled workers for a reasonable price has become so difficult, employers need to do their utmost to avoid losing the chance to employ them. They need to get to know their candidates and their story, as they “might be surprised”, she said.

Ms Grech has around eight years of experience working in the iGaming industry, primarily as an Account Manager, overseeing large portfolios of players and merchants. She started working at ELA Games earlier this month, having previously spent more than a year as Gaming Account Manager at Trust Payments.