LinkedIn is a powerful tool for connecting active finance and accounting job seekers with prospective employers. Done correctly, your LinkedIn profile can be a powerful calling card. Here are the 5 best LinkedIn tips to help you get noticed by recruiters and internal placement teams.
1. Get Optimized – Keywords and Groups
Find out which words appear most frequently in the job postings you’re targeting. This will help recruiters and internal placement teams find you since LinkedIn operates on keywords like Google or other search engines. Now use these words in your summary and experience. Use Wordle to find out which words are appearing most frequently in job postings. The tool will create a word cloud out of the most commonly used phrases in whatever text you input.
Join groups that offer the best networking opportunities. Remember that if you’re connected to a recruiter through a group, your name will appear more highly in the search results.
2. Get Vain
Improve your branding by getting a vanity URL instead of the random collection of numbers and letters that LinkedIn assigns you. To change your URL, go to Edit Profile. At the bottom of the box that has your basic information and picture in it, you’ll see your current URL on the left-hand side. Hover your cursor to the right of it and click the settings icon. A screen with the words “Public Profile” will appear. On the right-hand side you’ll see “Your Public Profile URL.” Click the pencil icon and change your URL to whatever you want it to be – ideally your name. It’s much easier to publicize your profile with a customized URL.
3. Quantify Your Success
Highlight past accomplishments with specific numbers. While a list of duties can help prospective employers cross-reference with their own position needs, it’s your specific successes that will speak the loudest. Include accomplishments under each of your roles.
Resource: Read “3 Reasons Finance Recruiters Are Passing Over Your LinkedIn Profile” to learn how to attract Toronto recruiters.
4. Write a Compelling Summary
According to the blog LinkedInsights.com, “Your LinkedIn summary is the most important white space on your entire LinkedIn profile.” Here’s how to craft a great one:
- Write a great title – for specific guidance on how to do this read this blog.
- Understand your target market – what are their pain points and how do you address them?
- Be succinct – the best summaries are less than 250 words and connect your accomplishments to your target market’s needs.
- Include a call to action – make sure your call to action invites readers to connect with you and is positioned at the end of your summary.
- Let your personality shine through – there’s nothing wrong with writing in the first person, but remember to keep your professional brand messaging consistent.
5. Recommendations
There is a strategy behind the recommendations on your LinkedIn profile:
- Try to request recommendations that reflect different skills.
- If you are trumpeting about a specific accomplishment, request a recommendation that reflects that achievement.
- If possible ask the writer of the recommendation to include numbers that support your cause. Example “Patricia identified a key opportunity that resulted in a 5% revenue increase.”
- If you receive a recommendation that you don’t want, or that is poorly written there is something that you can do. Go to Select Profile > Edit Profile. Go to your recommendation and click Manage. Uncheck the box next to the recommendation that you want to hide.
- You can also ask a writer to make changes to a recommendation. Go to the recommendation you want edited. Hover over the recommendation and the words “Ask for changes” will appear at the bottom. Click the link and it will take you to the appropriate screen where you can request that your recommendation be edited or updated.
Key Takeaways
If you’re an active finance and accounting job seeker, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool to get you noticed. Ensure that your profile is optimized with the keywords that recruiters and prospective employers are looking for. Write a compelling summary and request recommendations that will show you in the best possible light. Quantify your accomplishments with specific numbers and claim your vanity URL. With all of the people on LinkedIn competing to get noticed, it’s important to have a well-written profile that ticks all the right boxes.
Your Next Step
No one should walk the job search or hiring road alone. At Clarity Recruitment we help others realize their success through a process that marries proprietary technology with unwavering commitment. Contact us today to take control of your career, or to partner with us to hire well.
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