Should IT contractors use 'Desperate for Work' on LinkedIn?

I’ve spotted a LinkedIn user who has created a cool image that sits around their LinkedIn profile photo, declaring they are “Desperate for Work”. It’s clever, funny and refreshingly honest. In a plethora of boring LinkedIn profiles, this stood out for its wit and creativity.

But it also raises a bigger question, writes Matt Craven, winning work and personal branding expert at The CV & Interview Advisors. And that is – how should independent professionals broadcast their availability in a temporary labour market still not quite where it once was?

And where is that tech jobs temporary market?

According to the latest REC Report on Jobs with KPMG, demand for temporary professionals has started to tick upward but remains subdued. While the sharp declines of last year have softened, demand for contract IT/tech workers is still in negative territory.

In short, hiring conditions are better than they were for IT contractors a bit back, but it’s still tough.

So, reasons to be positive if you’re an optimist; but it probably won’t change your outlook if you’re a pessimist!

Back to ‘Open to Work’

For years, the ‘Open to Work’ banner on LinkedIn has been quietly frowned upon. It’s often viewed as a distress signal. Or worse, a mark of desperation rather than a valuable “come and get me” message from top-performing professionals.

For permanent job seekers, there’s a fear it can sometimes undermine negotiating power or suggest a faltering career.

But for truly freelance IT/tech contractors, I would be inclined to wave the availability flag – after all, contractors are, in theory, consistently looking for work -- if not all the time, somewhat regularly. If the rates are right, I’d go as far as saying they are pretty much always “open” to offers.

At the very least, look at it this way. We’re currently in a tech jobs market where contracts are thin on the ground, competition is high, and LinkedIn is a vital tool to get noticed. If you're a contractor, interim, or any other kind of independent professional, staying INVISIBLE simply isn’t an option.

The recruiter's dilemma

It’s worth mentioning where some of the negativity toward the ‘Open to Work’ LinkedIn badge comes from, to help us unpick its place in a IT contractor's strategy.

While being ‘immediately available’ sounds like a selling point, some recruiters who focus on permanent placements see it as a potential red flag.

These full-time staffing agencies worry that ‘immediately available’ candidates might be less committed to a job offer, potentially taking the first thing that comes along out of necessity, only to scarper when a better offer comes along a week later.

And let’s not pretend that doesn’t happen – it does, and often!

On the other hand, a contract tech recruiter will gravitate towards an immediately available candidate to quickly fill contract roles and service a client's often pressing needs.

IR35 and the client-seeking mindset

If you’re an outside IR35-only-sort-of-contractor, this is where the IR35 framework offers a useful point.

One of the important tests for working outside IR35 is whether you’re “in business on your own account.” That means acting like a business, not an employee. Businesses, by definition, are always open to new clients, right?!

So, if you're working outside IR35, then yes, you should absolutely be marketing yourself, building visibility and being clear about your availability.

It’s not desperation to do any of this – but I’m not sure “Desperate” quite aligns with the profile of a commercial, outside IR35 contractor.

Marketing yourself more generally, such as using “Open to Work” is of course good business sense, with an IR35 compliance tick to boot!

The LinkedIn algorithm

Now, let’s get technical for a moment.

The problem with that viral ‘Desperate for Work’ image is that it won’t help our protagonist get found.

LinkedIn’s recruiter search tools rely on structured, searchable fields.

The ‘Open to Work’ badge isn’t just a visual; it’s a search criterion. Recruiters filter by availability, job type and location – and this new stylish Canva image displaying “Desperate”, no matter how witty, doesn’t trigger any of those filters.

If you’re not using the official ‘Open to Work’ badge or filling out your preferences in LinkedIn’s backend, you’re INVISIBLE right where it counts.

Gimmicks might catch the eye; and even evoke a bit of sympathy if you’re an IT contractor feeling hopeless, but they don’t get you onto the recruiter’s shortlist.

Could LinkedIn up its banner game?

Let’s face it, the current ‘Open to Work’ status is a blunt instrument, especially for contractors.

It lumps everyone together, whether you’re a job-seeker, a portfolio NED, a fractional exec, or a day-rate consultant between gigs.

What we need from LinkedIn is more nuanced banner options.

Three banners LinkedIn should offer

Maybe something like:

• “Seeking new contract opportunities”, or;
• “Available for Work from…[insert month] 2025”
• “Exploring non-executive opportunities from July 2025.”

Given how much uptake there’s been of LinkedIn’s Open to Work banner, and in light of the 430,000-plus shows of support for the “Desperate” banner, perhaps it’s a trick that the business network is missing.

The above three new LinkedIn banners would give both recruiters and clients a clearer picture of who’s available, when, and in what capacity, without everyone defaulting to the same generic label.

Stand out as a professional job-seeker (for the right reasons)

In a saturated professional labour market, standing out is crucial, but stand out for the right reasons. Let your LinkedIn headline, banner, rest of your profile, and posts reflect your brilliance.

So, hats off to the contractor who dared to go public with their ‘desperation.’

But if you want to get noticed by the people holding the purse strings, it might be time to swap the Canva image for the real, VISIBLE ‘Open to Work’ badge -- and back it up with a positioning that loudly signals “I run a business, and I’m currently taking on new clients.”

Next up? It's a Thought Leadership webinar...

Lastly, to expand on the earlier point about letting your headline, banner, profile and LinkedIn posts reflect your brilliance, we’ll be running a webinar on Thursday June 26th 2025 all about Thought Leadership and how contractors, in particular, can get their brilliant knowledge and technical expertise out into the world through our tried and tested Thought Leadership strategy. And yes, without a “Desperate” LinkedIn banner in sight!

You can register for the webinar below. It’s a live session at midday: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7567940079059578459.

A replay at various times later in the day: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/2300683446710332511

Finally, claim your very own free contractor CV critique

If you’re a ContractorUK reader, you can also take advantage of a free and confidential 1-2-1 review of YOUR LinkedIn profile (and contractor CV) via one of our seasoned personal branding experts. This is a detailed and constructive 1-2-1 session to get a handle on where your LinkedIn profile and CV are at for “inside” or “outside” IR35 roles. Find out more here: https://cvandinterviewadvisors.co.uk/partners/contractor-uk