Maximising your LinkedIn Profile for Finance Job Opportunities
LinkedIn is an incredible tool for networking; broadening your professional connections, finding amazing opportunities and even finding your dream role! Just last week while I was speaking to a friend, they told me they’d found their dream job by taking the plunge and reaching out to a manager directly. They pitched themselves via LinkedIn messaging, scheduled in for an interview right off the bat and were offered a job almost immediately. What a success! It goes without saying, putting yourself out there can and will get you results. As the saying goes, if you don’t ask, you won’t get.
Other than messaging, there are many ways of using LinkedIn to maximise on the professional networking platform for your profile and career growth, especially for finance professionals.
Profile Basics
Simple but very important regardless is your profile. Making sure that the fundamental elements are clear, concise and professional will set off on the right foot.
Profile picture:
Ideally this would be a professional headshot, or a good quality headshot in smart clothing with a clear and uncluttered background. Avoid using personal pictures e.g., out at dinner or anything that might cause an obstruction e.g. hat or sunglasses.
Although a smile isn’t mandatory, a friendly and warm smile/expression will go a long way and will make you more appealing to potential connections and employers.
Attention-grabbing headline:
Making sure you highlight your finance expertise or interest is the first step. Try implementing key words like ‘Finance Professional’ or ‘Financial Analyst’ in the headline as this will be one of the first things interested connections or employers will see.
This should ideally be followed by a quantifiable achievement or value, crafted with key words, and aimed at a target audience while also showcasing your personal brand. This may seem like a lot, but if you’re keeping it concise and impactful, this is very doable.
Here are some examples:
Finance Professional | ACCA Finalist | Driving Finance Strategies
Financial Analyst | Expert in Data-Driven Decision Making
Finance Graduate | Seeking Opportunities in Transactional Finance
Finance Graduate | Aspiring ACA Finance Professional
CIMA Qualified Commercial Finance Professional
Remember, this is the first thing that potential employers will be looking at so you must ensure that you appear professional, concise, aligned to your career goals and expertise and make the viewer want to explore your profile further.
Crafting a Compelling summary
Having a summary is a great way of making an impactful first impression that will engage your network. Your summary should convey your professional aspirations, your experience and expertise and showcase your finance skills, accomplishments, and personality.
1.Start with a strong opening that will grab the reader's attention. A good idea for this could be a question or a powerful statement.
2.Introduce a brief introduction that includes your current job title (or current status e.g. graduate) and the industry you work in or are looking to work in.
3.Highlight your unique selling point that will set you apart from others in your field. This could be key skills, strengths or areas of expertise and make sure you use keywords relevant to the industry and finance positions to improve discoverability. You could also add in a line about your soft skills that compliment your finance expertise.
4.You could share your professional journey if applicable, highlighting your experiences, milestones and accomplishments.
5.You could also express your passion and interests and what drives you in your career and what you hope to achieve as this can make your summary more engaging.
6.Emphasise your commitment to learning and ongoing development, whether that be qualifications. This will demonstrate your commitment to the finance field and indicate you’re a proactive individual.
In this summary you’re essentially trying to sell yourself so keep this concise and make sure you highlight what's worth noting and what would appeal most to your network and potential employers.
Showcase your experience
Make sure you maximise the experience section of a profile. It’s a good idea to include a few bullet points of key projects or tasks you worked on, highlighting finance-related responsibilities and accomplishments and making sure you quantify them.
Recommendations and endorsements
Both recommendations and endorsement from colleagues, supervisors and employers are very important and useful to vouch for your skills, drive and experience. Having managers or leaders leave a review or vouch for your skills will elevate the credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of your network and potential employers.
This will also allow you to showcase your expertise in specific areas. Recommendations can also help you do this, while highlighting specific achievements, projects or qualities. They offer a more credible and personalised overview of your capabilities and you as a professional.
These are both underrated in terms of not only effectively selling yourself but also supporting you with networking and job opportunities. Having a consolidated profile with positive endorsements and recommendations that vouch for your talent and skill may just catch the eye of a hiring manager or recruiter. It can also be a great way to strengthen connections and build professional relationships.
Overall, these are key to holding a competitive edge making you stand out from a sea of finance professionals. They will contribute to shaping your personal brand, helping you present your professional and personal identity and what you’re known for.
To conclude
Don’t underestimate the impact of a strong LinkedIn profile. It’s a powerful tool for professional and personal growth, helping you make meaningful connections, showcasing your skills and accomplishments and ultimately helping you discover and seize new opportunities.
Keep your eyes peeled for part 2 of our LinkedIn series ‘The Power of LinkedIn’ where we will go through how you build up a strong network.