Using LinkedIn to boost your career in tax

LinkedIn is the premier professional networking platform, with over 450 million registered members around the world.

Employers are using LinkedIn more than ever to identify and recruit talent. This means all tax students should have an optimised, up-to-date LinkedIn profile to enhance their career prospects.

Here are some tips for building a LinkedIn profile that can attract the attention of hiring managers in tax firms.

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.

The benefits of on-the-job networking

Most job-networking advice follows the same script: hit the pavement, connect with industry peers on social media, get yourself known. But what can you do to advance your career without jumping ship.
Here are five tips on how to get all the benefits of networking without leaving your current company.

1. Join company clubs and groups

If you work for a mid-sized or larger firm, it’s likely they have clubs and groups that bring people together from different areas to share knowledge, skills and experience. Do they have meet-ups and team sports outside of work? This can be a good way to have fun while getting to know your colleagues better.

2. Polish your skills

One of the best ways to gain a competitive edge within your own company is to join a group or association. Workshops, seminars and conferences can give you a bird’s-eye view of industry trends and best practices. If the extra skills and knowledge you gain can benefit the company, your employer might even be prepared to pay for the cost of membership.

3. Volunteer

This is another good way to broaden your horizons – and career options – without joining the throng of job hunters. Unpaid or pro-bono work can show that you are sensitive to social causes while also raising your profile with colleagues and managers. If you can get them to join in as well, it can be a good way to bond with them.

4. Nurture relationships

Everyone wants to carve out a great career path, but some forget this can only be achieved by doing the right thing by their colleagues and the company. Getting ahead in your career depends very much on the relationships you build along the way. Polish your listening skills, look for opportunities to make other people’s jobs easier and provide a helping hand whenever possible. It will pay dividends later.

5. Be thankful

A quick ‘thank you’ email takes only a few seconds and shows the recipient you appreciate what they did for you. Other small gestures – such as treating a colleague to lunch or bringing a cake to the office – might seem a little cheesy, but they can go a long way towards making you a valued and well-liked person around the office.

Also keep in mind that hiring and training a new employee is expensive, and most companies are willing to invest heavily in retaining their best staff. If you can give them reason to do so, the rewards can be great.


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Five ways to enhance your digital footprint

Your online profile can be a gateway to your career, so how can you use your digital presence to move swiftly into your next role? Here are five things you should know about your digital footprint.

A digital footprint is the trail of data that users leave on digital services. From websites to social media profiles, your digital footprint can be used to showcase your career – so make sure you know how to optimise it.

First ask yourself: how will people find me? Then follow it up with: what impression will they obtain from my digital presence?

1. Make your mark

Potential employers will almost certainly plug your name into a search engine, so make sure you have a digital presence in the first place. If you have a common name, try to distinguish yourself with your middle name or a creative tagline, e.g. ‘aspiring tax specialist’.

2. Leverage your presence

Having a digital presence can help you find networking opportunities as well as push your name into someone’s sights. A career-oriented social network like LinkedIn is excellent for showcasing your skills, education and experience in a professional manner and acts as a searchable résumé for when an employer is looking for someone just like you. Websites are now so accessible and cheap that you may also choose to build your own for this purpose.

3. Eliminate the bad and irrelevant

Growing up online has it benefits, but it also has some drawbacks. You need to be aware of all the not-so-good stuff that can pop up in a search, which may include everything from angst-ridden poetry from when you were 13 to websites where people may have posted rumours or insults about you. If you can’t delete or hide these, at least make sure the good things rank higher.

4. Curb questionable behaviour

Everyone acts differently at work compared to how they act around their friends. Online, this distinction is often blurry, so it’s good practice to behave as if future employers are watching. This is the same rule you should apply whether you are engaging with others on social media or commenting on blogs and news articles. This means no negative behaviour such as posting anything unnecessarily aggressive or defamatory in nature.

5. Be yourself

While you don’t want potential employers to stumble upon something embarrassing and get the wrong idea about you, having an immaculate digital footprint is also a little unnerving. Authenticity wins over ‘too good to be true’, so don’t be afraid to be human.

The web is a great tool used by employers to find and research potential employees. Make sure you’re on their radar and primed to give the right impression when they do.

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If you are a tertiary education student, The Tax Institute can help you progress in your career journey.

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Five networking tips to help your tax career

In an effective network, a good connection serves two purposes: as a source of job leads and as an implied recommendation for said role. Being able to name a person in common is a good way to warm an interviewer and puts you front of mind.

How do you build an effective network? Don’t wait until graduation; you can start while you’re studying. Here are five tips.

1. Network as a student

Get friendly with your fellow undergraduates; you never know when they will have the chance to recommend you for a role or vice versa. Also be aware that professors, lecturers and tutors are professionals too and may be able to put you in touch with industry contacts.

2. Do work experience

We’ve already mentioned the value of work experience, which includes the ability to network within your host organisation. Don’t forget they also have connections in the industry, so take every opportunity to meet new people in the sector through people you already know.

3. Attend industry events

Whether it’s for the tax industry or a related sector such as business, attending conferences and networking events is a good way to make connections. Your alumni association and organisations such as The Tax Institute are easy places start.

4. Find connections via social media 

Social networking platforms, such as LinkedIn and industry forums are a great way to make initial contact with people who may turn into professional connections. Make sure your profile is professional and up-to-date, then join relevant groups. Be active by asking questions and participating in discussions.

5. Apply for a formal graduate program

A number of organisations in the public and private sector offer formal graduate programs that include networking components. You will network with other program participants and industry professionals, and may even have a mentor.

The best way to network is through people you already know, but if you don’t know anyone, the key is to have confidence to introduce yourself. If you find yourself alone at a function, approach people in groups of three or more (so you’re not interrupting a deep discussion). Introduce yourself and show interest in the people who are in the sector you want to get into.

It’s a good idea to have some kind of professional contact card to swap for a business card as well. Don’t forget to follow up with a polite, personal email: “It was nice to meet you at [event]…” Good luck!

Give yourself the edge with free Student Membership

If you are a tertiary education student, The Tax Institute can help you progress in your career journey.

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Your must-read guide to finding a job in tax

With the end of the academic year approaching, it’s time to plan your future in tax! To help kick-start your career, here’s a rundown of where jobs are advertised, as well as how to uncover hidden opportunities through networking and keeping up with industry job trends.

Job-listing sites

A great place to start looking for a job in tax is with the general job sites and career portals:

• SEEK
• MyCareer
• Australian Public Service

Search the “Accounting” industry category and use key terms like “tax” and “graduate” to find entry-level positions. You can set up regular email feeds for jobs that are custom fit to your preferences for location, experience level, salary and sector.

Recruitment agencies

Agencies such as Hays, Talent2 and Randstad post advertisements on their websites. In addition to searching the advertised jobs, you can create an account, submit your résumé and register for employment. The agencies have teams of recruiters to help tailor your approach and recommend you for placements.

Industry-specific recruitment agencies and portals

There are a number of industry-specific recruitment agencies and job portals to service the local and global taxation industry. These vary in the degree to which they can offer individually tailored placement assistance, but all allow you to search the listings and submit your résumé. Some of these include:

• Accountancy Options
• Brewer Morris
• Tax Jobs

Industry Organisations

Industry associations support their members’ careers by providing job listings. The Tax Institute’s Job Seeker Section offers a direct link to opportunities within the tax profession Australia-wide. Submit your résumé for the attention of prospective employers, search the listings and register as a jobseeker to receive alerts.

Professional social networking sites

Social platforms are another great source for finding jobs. With a raft of positions posted to social media giant LinkedIn, it’s the preferred medium for recruiters and employers.

LinkedIn enables you to search for jobs and offers an additional valuable dimension – an opportunity to establish a professional network through which to grow your personal industry presence and attract the attention of your dream employers. This requires setting up a well-considered student profile to help you shine in a competitive job market. For more on setting up your profile, check out how to build a great student profile on LinkedIn.

Networking – tap into the world of unadvertised opportunities

Many jobs are not advertised. To access this ‘hidden’ market, become an active online and offline networker.

• Networking online: Networking sites and industry associations are excellent platforms for connecting with other professionals in your industry, prospective employers and agents. They are also essential to keeping up with industry developments and job market trends, best done through ‘following’ companies, joining online groups, participating in industry forums and learning about industry events.
• Networking offline: Follow up your online connections and continue to build your networks in the real world by attending industry events. Keep up to date with these through the Tax Institute’s Professional Development page.

Networking is an important part of sharing tax knowledge and understanding your industry. For more on how to secure a graduate job, see our tips to help you land a graduate job in tax.

Graduate programs

Many advertised positions require a minimum of one to two years’ experience. Graduate programs, offered by both the government and private sectors, provide an excellent base on which to build your experience. Find out who offers programs by checking the careers sections on the websites of the major accounting firms, banks and government departments.

Whether you are ready to enter the job market or simply planning your career path, the sources here will help you stay one step ahead in the job hunt.

Give yourself the edge with free Student Membership

If you are a tertiary education student, The Tax Institute can help you progress in your career journey.

Find out about Student Membership.



[Sources]
http://socialmediatoday.com/leaderswest/1440796/infographic-77-all-jobs-are-posted-linkedin
http://www.npr.org/2011/02/08/133474431/a-successful-job-search-its-all-about-networking

Building a great student profile on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a powerful resource for building relationships, expanding your industry profile and getting ahead. For students and young professionals, it’s an indispensable tool for tapping into the increasingly competitive job market.

The social network for professionals is growing exponentially. With 238 million members globally, LinkedIn has become a talent pool for savvy employers looking to fill a spectrum of roles.

Here are three ways you can use LinkedIn to supercharge your job-seeking efforts:

1. Setting up your LinkedIn profile

Your LinkedIn profile is like an online resume where you’re marketing yourself to prospective employers and associates. So think carefully about how you want to appear and keep that in mind when writing your profile.

One of the great things about LinkedIn is that it’s totally customisable, so if you don’t have extensive work experience, don’t worry. You can display your education, skills and expertise prominently by bringing those sections to the top.

Get started by writing an informative profile headline including suitable keywords so that it’s easy for prospective employers to find you. For example, “student at National University seeking taxation role” or “Tax, accounting and law honours student”. Next, write a concise professional summary including your relevant experience to date, skills and career aspirations. Include any awards, honours and professional memberships, but keep it under 200 words for easy reading.

If you’re already working or have completed internships, ask your supervisors for recommendations and endorsements of your skills and experience. These can go a long way to making you stand out from the crowd.

Don’t forget to upload a professional profile photo – usually a headshot against a blank background. If you don’t have a suitable image, ask a friend to take a fresh one. Profiles with a photo are viewed more often than those without.

2. Research your industry

Once you have a professional profile in place, you can start networking. LinkedIn industry groups function as communities where you can network with potential colleagues and peers, get valuable advice and stay up to date with industry news and developments. These groups are a powerful source of information and insight into your industry. You can also follow company pages of organisations you’d like to work for. For example, check out The Tax Institute’s LinkedIn group and company page.

To get started, identify a few groups that line up with your career interests and apply to join them. Follow the conversation, comment on discussions and share interesting content that you come across online. LinkedIn pushes a highly relevant stream of articles and job advertisements to your news feed based on your interests and connections, so don’t be afraid to share content within LinkedIn or from outside the network.

3. Connect with your dream employers

Research shows that around 44 per cent of jobs are found and filled by networking, creating a huge hidden job market. In fact it’s estimated that over half (58 per cent) of candidates actively seeking new roles found them this way, and that was even higher for passive candidates (81%). Employers count LinkedIn as a serious recruitment channel and use it to headhunt emerging talent.

Take advantage of this by creating a list of your ideal employers and following them on LinkedIn. Sign up for job alerts (under the Jobs tab) so you are notified about roles as they come up.

Remember that LinkedIn isn’t Facebook or Twitter, so don’t bombard your connections with constant updates. That said, try to update your status with something of interest or value regularly, at least once a week, and take part in conversations more often.

Do be selective about who you connect with on LinkedIn. You’re cultivating your future professional network, so think about quality not quantity. LinkedIn is a powerful ally for jobseekers willing to invest some time and effort – and a must for young professionals.

Give yourself the edge with free Student Membership

If you are a tertiary education student, The Tax Institute can help you progress in your career journey.

Find out about Student Membership.