For decades, the CV has continued to be the most crucial document in any job search.
The right CV both attracts specialist financial recruiters like Rebus Recruitment, but it also helps us to sell your value to potential employers too. However, while CV and cover letters remain just as important as ever, there is another digital document that you can use to supplement your job search.
Today, the LinkedIn profile is growing increasingly valuable for those in search of career opportunities. There’s around 15 million roles listed on the platform, and both recruiters and businesses have started to use LinkedIn to learn more about a candidate’s personality, commitment to the industry and more.
Are you getting the most out of your profile?
Do You Show Up in Searches?
LinkedIn is a social media platform designed to facilitate professional connections. Through tools like the “Talent Hub“, the channel makes it easier for recruiters to skim through candidates in search of new opportunities. If you want a chance of appealing to a recruitment team like Rebus, then you need to make sure you show up in these searches.
The easiest way to optimise your LinkedIn presence is to ensure your profile is complete. A complete profile has more recommendations, endorsements and keywords that will help it to rank on the Talent Hub search. Additionally, completing your profile shows recruitment teams that you’re committed to presenting a professional brand online. Check that you have:
- An engaging photo and headline
- A compelling summary about your financial career
- Details of your current position and work history
- Insights into your skills and expertise
- Educational details
- Connections and endorsements
Is Your Profile Sharing the Right Information?
There are various parts of your LinkedIn profile that are particularly good at capturing recruiter attention. Recruiters spend around a fifth of their time considering the profile photo when looking at a profile according to studies. After all, they need to make sure that you’re going to be a good representative of the company they’re recruiting for. Take a clear, well-lit head and shoulders shot, preferably with a smile.
Alongside your photo, remember to prioritise:
- A headline: This line of text explains who you are and what you do. It can convince recruiters to click on your profile, so make sure it shares details that demonstrate your value. For instance, are you a highly-certified group financial controller with years of experience in the field?
- Appealing Skills: You can include up to 50 skills in your LinkedIn profile. To make the most out of this section, spend some time searching for the talents that are in demand in your space. For example, do you have great leadership skills? Are you trained in finance and technology? Do you know all the latest regulations?
- Accomplishments: Here’s where you can continue to show you’re the right person for the job. Do you have an ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualification that’s crucial to a role? Have you recently completed a new course that might be useful to an employer?
Once you’ve covered all this information, make sure that your contact details are visible. Your email, direct phone number, or Skype handle are all crucial to ensure recruiters can reach you. It’s also a good idea to use a professional-looking URL like LinkedIn.com/in/SarahSmith to ensure you make the right first impression if a recruiter shares your profile with an employer.
Are You Staying Active and Up to Date?
Once you have a recruiter engaged and searching through your LinkedIn profile, you’ll need to prove to them that you’re committed to your career plan. In other words, make sure that you’re active, and frequently updating your information with new evidence of your achievements.
While remaining cautious of financial privacy regulations, consider sharing content that demonstrates your knowledge of your field. For instance, tell a story about how you impressed your employer by going above and beyond for a client or discuss your thoughts on how businesses can prepare for a change in industry guidelines.
The content you share doesn’t have to be exclusively by you either. It’s helpful to curate and share videos, infographics and even eBooks from industry leaders, to show that you’re regularly researching and learning new things.
Another way to remain up-to-date is to regularly ask for endorsements from your clients, employer, and even the people that you work with, as this will communicate your professional brand.
Use the “Open Candidates” Feature
Finally, as mentioned above, LinkedIn is a channel that’s very well-suited to career development and job searching. The platform regularly rolls out new features to help with the recruitment process. For instance, the “Open Candidates” feature allows you to signal recruiters like Rebus and let us know that you’re interested in a new role in finance.
You can specify the kind of companies and positions that you’re keen to explore, and your profile will appear for hundreds of recruiters looking for talent like you. To access this feature, go to the Preferences tab on the LinkedIn Jobs home page and fill out your details.
The great thing about the Open Candidates option is that it allows you to inform recruiters that you’re looking for opportunities, without being too obvious about your job search in front of your current employer. This way, you’re less likely to burn bridges when you decide its time to move on to something new.
About Rebus Financial Recruitment
Rebus Financial Recruitment provides a specialist and focused recruitment service to its customers, which historically range from a wide variety of organisations including SME’s to large PLCs.
We strive to offer both the client and candidate a seamless recruitment experience. Using our expertise, we get to the heart of employer and employee needs; and, in doing so, we match the two perfectly. To get in touch call us on 01282 930930.
