LinkedIn Now Lets You Look For New Job Without Your Existing Boss Finding Out (venturebeat.com)

A new feature on LinkedIn can come in handy to thousands. An anonymous reader writes: LinkedIn has removed an obstacle preventing some members from using the professional social network from finding their next job: The possibility of their current boss finding out. On Thursday, the company released its Open Candidates feature which now lets members privately notify recruiters that they're open for opportunities without exposing themselves to their current company. Additionally, businesses are also receiving updated career pages that can be used to better market themselves to potential hires. In research conducted in the past year, LinkedIn claimed that 77 percent of professional workers are open to their next opportunity. However, with social media, the fear has been that any signal made on a profile could get back to an employer, which is why the Open Candidates feature lets anyone operate stealthily. It's perfect for those who are open to change, but aren't precisely set on making a move... yet. "This is a signal to recruiters that you want to hear from them," explained Eric Owski, LinkedIn's head of talent brand products.

Comments

WHY ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why wouldn't I want my boss to know that there are other people chomping at the bit to hire me and that if he wants to keep me around he'd better make sure the money's worth it?

Re:WHY ?

[ShanghaiBill]

Is it true that in certain US states ("right to work?") you could be fired without recourse simply for being 'caught' looking at another job?

By default, employment is "at will", which means you can be fired at anytime for any legal reason or for no reason. If you have an employment contract or written employee agreement, that may supersede "at will". Where I work, our employee agreement specifically states that employment is "at will".

When I have fired employees, I never give a reason. I just sit them down in a conference room, with an HR rep present (and if the employee is female I make sure the HR rep is as well), and I tell them their employment is terminated, and I wish them the best of luck. I never go beyond that. If I give a reason, I am opening the door to a lawsuit. Most people know damn well why they are being fired, so there is no reason to list the reasons.

Make Me Move

[ghoul]

It would be great if Linked In had a make me move feature like Zillow where a candidate could post a Salary which would make them leave their current job