How to Find Your First Work from Home Job on LinkedIn

There’s no denying just how powerful LinkedIn is for professional networking. To date, there are more than 465 million LinkedIn users, and that number is expected to keep growing. It’s no wonder then that, from connecting with coworkers to checking out companies you’d love to work with, there are no shortages of ways to strengthen your career on this powerful site.

And in recent years, LinkedIn has become a valuable tool for anyone looking to leave the corporate world in favor of remote work. You just have to know where to look and how to set up your profile for maximum visibility. When done right, you can find your first real work from home job on LinkedIn with minimal effort!

Audit Your Existing LinkedIn Profile

If it’s been a while since you’ve logged in to LinkedIn, now’s the time to do it. And, if you’re not currently signed up here, head on over to their sign up page and create an account. You can’t get found if you’re not active!

An effective LinkedIn profile is one that captures both your professional accomplishments and one-of-a-kind personality. Needless to say, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to completing your profile. But when starting from scratch or taking stock of your existing account, remember these tips:

• Write a succinct summary
• Capture attention with a well-worded headline
• Use a professional headshot
• Fill out every section with as much detail as possible
• Never, ever stretch the truth about your professional achievements

Of course, these are just quick tips to help you spruce up or start your profile from scratch. For a more detailed guide to the ins and outs of putting together a powerful LinkedIn profile, be sure to visit the LinkedIn Help Page for tons of guides and insider’s tips. And if you’re ever unsure how strong your profile is, simply check out the Profile Strength Meter to find out!

Start Networking

The whole point of being on LinkedIn is to network! If you haven’t already, be sure to invite your co-workers, both past and present, to connect with you. From there, start to expand your circles.

Now, this doesn’t mean you should spam everyone and anyone with a connection request. Instead, make meaningful connections with professionals in your field. An excellent way to find them is by joining LinkedIn Groups.

What Is a LinkedIn Group?

A LinkedIn Group is very much like a Facebook Group, but for work. Groups are often created around a particular industry, profession, or interest. For example, there are grammar groups for freelance writers and social media groups for professional marketers.

To connect with like-minded professionals you can use to expand your network, browse existing LinkedIn Groups and get social! This means post questions, offer advice, and comment on others’ posts.

Online networking is not a spectators’ sport. You need to get in there to get your name out there. Once you’ve been a part of a group for a little bit and have interacted with the members, then you can start sending out connection requests – you never know where your next connection will take you.

Searching for Work-From-Home Jobs on LinkedIn

Once you’ve shined your profile to a professional polish and have begun to develop your network, go ahead and start searching for work-from-home jobs.

To do this, navigate over to the LinkedIn Jobs Page. From there, you can search all LinkedIn jobs from one spot. But to find the best remote-friendly leads, you’ll need to search by keyword.

In the search bar at the top of the page, you have an opportunity to explore jobs by keyword. This is where you can filter out location-dependent jobs from remote-friendly ones. To do that, use keywords like:

• Telecommute
• Remote
• Virtual

You can also try searching for “work from home” or “work at home,” but these don’t always yield the most reliable search results. The most common keywords used to describe work-at-home jobs on LinkedIn include telecommute, remote, and virtual.

Apply with Confidence

When you find a job that sounds perfect, it’s time to apply. On LinkedIn, you’ll either be redirected to an external job application or be able to apply directly from the job posting, which means you can use the information from your LinkedIn profile to complete the application in a matter of minutes!

But before you apply, check to see if any of your current connections work at the company of interest. You can see this by scrolling down to the end of the job description. If so, you can send the connection a message to inquire about the opening or ask for a friendly recommendation, which can help you stand out from other applicants!

Create a Job Alert

After you search for “telecommute,” “virtual,” and “remote” jobs on LinkedIn, make sure you create a job alert for each of the search terms. Doing so, allows LinkedIn to send you a message every time a new job is posted that matches your search terms. That way you’ll never miss out on the latest work-from-home jobs.

Enable Open Candidates

When you’re seriously ready to leave the corporate world in favor of remote work, consider enabling Open Candidates.

The Open Candidates feature is free and totally anonymous. It allows you to ‘signal’ to recruiters and employers that you’re actively interested in new job opportunities. While recruiters can see you’re ready for a change, your connections and current employers can’t, giving you an opportunity to explore new opportunities in private.

Through the Open Candidates settings page, you can also specify which kind of opportunities you’re interested in. This is the perfect place to let recruiters know you’re open to jobs with a telecommute option.

Keep It Consistent

They say it takes an average of 12 weeks to find a new job. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find leads within your first week. This is totally normal and to be expected.

Don’t give up! Instead, stay active in your groups. Share your industry expertise by posting regularly to your profile. And be sure to browse job listings and follow companies with remote jobs that you’d love to work for!

A whopping 87% of recruiters currently browse LinkedIn to fill roles, including remote ones. So, make sure you don’t overlook this mega-networking site for the potential to find (and land) your first work-from-home job!