How LinkedIn can boost your career opportunities

There are now nearly 400 million LinkedIn users across the world. Today's employers are moving to LinkedIn – instead of job boards – to find and recruit top talent. This means that having an optimised and up-to-date LinkedIn profile can help tax students with career prospects now and in the future.

Social professional networks are now considered an essential tool to reach out to potential employers. According to LinkedIn’s Australia & New Zealand Recruiting Trends 2016 report, 40 per cent of surveyed talent leaders say using social professional networks is an essential and long-lasting trend for employer brands to guarantee quality hires. So if top-tier employers are looking to LinkedIn for their next round of hires, it’s important your profile meets the grade.

While LinkedIn may be the online equivalent of traditional networking, the tactics you employ to guarantee success apply in a different way. Here’s how you can attract the eyes of higher-ups from top-tier tax firms with your LinkedIn profile.

Show off your skill set

As with a traditional CV, the skills portion of your LinkedIn profile is an important area that demonstrates your industry expertise. While on a CV the skills may appear as standalone claims, LinkedIn allows your connections to endorse your attributes, showcasing your top 10 skills based on endorsements on your profile. 38 per cent of employer recruiters consider sourcing highly skilled talent as their top priority as we move into 2016. Having active connections offering real-time accolades for your skill set will prove to be a valuable feature on your profile.

Feature any industry-specific memberships

If you belong to accredited organisations in the tax industry – such as The Tax Institute – use the organisations section to highlight your membership and status. LinkedIn is a keyword-rich site, so any opportunity to optimise your profile with relevant search terms will increase the odds of it being viewed by a recruiter or HR manager.

Include tax-specific coursework

As a recent tax graduate or current student, one of the most attractive traits you possess is your education. While a degree is an achievement in itself, it is also worthwhile to highlight any industry-related coursework that could impress potential employers. This might include any on-the-job training or work offered by organisations while you were studying. This section can prove to be particularly valuable if you see yourself entering a niche area of tax.

Join relevant groups

There are thousands of LinkedIn groups you can join. They range from general interest to industry specific and can be a great place to find out about news and changes in the tax industry. Join The Tax Institute LinkedIn group to build your tax knowledge and engage with industry peers.

Being active in groups can also make you more attractive to potential employers who are members. Keep in mind that if you start a conversation, it's important to follow up on comments and questions.

An active LinkedIn profile can improve the odds of your name being seen by potential employers, creating opportunities that have long-term benefits for your tax career.