Do you hate getting up for your morning commute?
Dragging yourself out of bed at 6 AM so you will have the time to haul your tired self to work is one of the worst parts of getting up in the morning. The length of time it takes to get to work can have such a massive impact on our quality of our daily lives. Sure, an hour doesn’t sound like much, about the length of a podcast. But then double it (there and back). And then x5, because you’re going to be doing that every single workday. That’s 10 hours a week!
The good news here is that LinkedIn offers a way to set your job search preferences to find positions that are within range of your home. The problem is that those options are a little hidden away, but don’t worry, I’m here to help! I’ve been using LinkedIn almost since it’s beginning 15 years years ago, so I know exactly where you need to go to find the job (and the morning commute) of your dreams!
The Process
First, log into LinkedIn and go to your dashboard. Scroll down to the section that says “Career Interests.” Click on it. It’s going to ask a series of questions that will be used to filter out jobs you aren’t interested in.
Click on “Where are you in your search,” and pick your preference. This will depend on where you are in your job search. If you’re currently looking for a new job, click on that. If you have a job, but are looking for something that’s a better fit, click on that. Personally, I love my job, but if someone came along with an incredible offer, I’d consider it, so I would click on that.
The next section is where you put in your location. This is the vital part for determining your morning commute, as your address will be used to calculate the distance to potential jobs. If you’re worried about privacy and don’t want to put in your home address, just pick a place in your neighborhood. Next, you choose the method you use for a commute: driving, public transit, or walking. Finally, you want to say how long you are willing to commute and the time you usually start traveling.
This can be different for everyone. For some people, having an hour commute might perfectly fine. However, if you have a child or don’t want to get up quite so early, you might want to choose a shorter amount of time. Traveling back and forth to work every day can wear you down in ways that you might not expect. Alongside that, if you are driving every day, you should also be considering how much you will be spending on gas. If you’re still in an entry-level position, your gas expenses could be a significant drain on your paycheck.
The Search
Now that everything is put in, go to your jobs! You should see a ton of jobs listed based on your profile, career interests, and location. LinkedIn could also give you opportunities that were based on previous searches.
If you live in an urban area within the range of tons of potential employers, you’re likely going to see way too many jobs to reasonably pour through. My advice would be to delete the ones that aren’t interesting to you at a glance to make it into a more manageable list.
Let’s start the search! Click on one of the jobs. You will see the job description, salary, and, most interestingly, your connections that are at that company. That group of people either currently work at the company or they have in the past. They might be able to help you network in. It might also list your college. It will also give you the location of the job, allowing you to see an estimated morning commute time.
Of course, if you are willing to relocate, then you should definitely consider that when you are putting in your profile preferences. A job two hours away might not be viable at your current location, but could you find an apartment, condo, or house a little close? It might be a move worth doing if the job looks to be the right fit!
This is only scratching the surface of what LinkedIn can offer you as a job seeker. A well-written profile and self-summary that tells a story can really catch the eye of recruiters. Trust me, I know that from experience! I was a recruiter for years, so I know exactly what they look for in a resume.
As a resume writer and job search coach, I pull from that experience to make sure that you have the career documents you need to succeed. If you’d like to talk about your first steps finding the career of your dreams, please feel free to contact me today. There is no charge for an initial consultation!
Best of luck in your search!