Skip to main content

LinkedIn will tell you exactly how long your new job’s commute will be

Image used with permission by copyright holder

When it comes to finding a new job, it’s not just the work-life balance, the compensation, or the people that you ultimately have to take into consideration. It’s the location, too. Now, LinkedIn is not only helping you build your resume and your professional network but is also serving as your mapping service. The company’s latest feature lets you see the location and commute time to certain employers, which may just help you decide whether you want to be their next employee.

The feature, aptly named “Your Commute,” has now been made globally available on the mobile version of the site, and provides location data for all businesses where LinkedIn already boasts location information, according to TechCrunch. Soon, the feature will also be available on desktop. As senior product manager Dan Li told TechCrunch, moving forward, Your Commute will be a factor when LinkedIn recommends jobs that you may want to check out.

“When members save their location preferences in Career Interests, we’re able to provide more relevant job recommendations that fit exactly what they’re looking for in their next role,” Li said. “We’re thinking through additional ways members can use location information to improve their job searches in the near future.”

The location services of LinkedIn are being supported by Bing Maps, which comes as no surprise given that both Bing and LinkedIn now live under the overarching Microsoft umbrella. The professional networking service, of course, was acquired by Microsoft in 2016 for $2.6 billion.

“Our members have indicated that the location of a job — and the commute time associated with it — is a big factor in their decision-making process when considering new roles,” Li added. “We know commute times are getting longer across the board according to recent research from Gallup.” While you may not be able to avoid this trend, at least you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into ahead of time with the new feature.

According to LinkedIn’s own survey data, around 85 percent of workers would take a lower salary if it meant a shorter commute. As LinkedIn puts it, “The Your Commute feature is a quick and easy way for members to access insight into their potential commute directly within the job posting on LinkedIn and empower them to make more informed career decisions.”

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Bluesky barrels toward 1 million new sign-ups in a day
Bluesky social media app logo.

Social media app Bluesky has picked nearly a million new users just a day after exiting its invitation-only beta and opening to everyone.

In a post on its main rival -- X (formerly Twitter) -- Bluesky shared a chart showing a sudden boost in usage on the app, which can now be downloaded for free for iPhone and Android devices.

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more