As an accountant, your LinkedIn profile is an important tool for showcasing your skills, experience, and expertise to potential employers and clients. With over 722 million users, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform and a great way to expand your professional network.
When creating your LinkedIn profile, it’s important to tailor your content specifically for the accounting profession. This includes highlighting technical skills, certifications, work experience, accomplishments, and recommendations that are relevant for an accountant.
Here are some tips on what you should write in your LinkedIn profile as an accountant:
Headline
Your headline appears right under your name and is one of the first things people will see on your profile. It’s usually in this format:
Some examples of good headlines for an accountant:
– Senior Accountant at Smith & Co Accounting Firm
– Audit Associate at KPMG
– Accounting Manager at Johnson Manufacturing
Your headline gives people a quick glance at your current role and level of seniority.
Summary
The summary section comes after your headline and is a short paragraph highligh�ing your background, skills, and career goals. Focus on showcasing your accounting expertise here.
Some things you could include:
– Your years of experience as an accountant
– Specific accounting skills like financial reporting, auditing, tax preparation, budget analysis, etc.
– Industries you have experience in such as manufacturing, healthcare, retail, etc.
– Key achievements like “Performed over 100 audits with zero deficiencies”
– Certifications like CPA, CMA, CA, etc. and where you obtained them
– Academic credentials like your accounting degree and university
– Languages you speak
– Career objectives and how you can add value to an employer
Keep it short, engaging, and impactful. The summary is limited to 600 characters but you want to use as much of that space as possible.
Experience
In this section, list your work history starting with your current or most recent position. Focus on highlighting your daily responsibilities, achievements, and skills used that relate to accounting and finance.
For each position include:
– Job title and company
– Employment dates (e.g. June 2020 – Present)
– Location (city and state)
– A brief 2-3 line description of the company
– Your own bullet point list of 4-6 key responsibilities and achievements in the role
Use numbers, metrics, and specific examples when possible to demonstrate your capabilities like “Improved collection rate by 10% through implementation of new AR policies”.
Skills
The skills section lets you list out key abilities, areas of expertise, technical skills, and competencies. These should be relevant to the accounting field.
Some good skills to include:
– Accounting standards (GAAP, IFRS)
– Financial reporting
– Budgeting & forecasting
– Auditing
– Tax preparation & filing
– Accounts payable/receivable
– General ledger
– Accounting software like QuickBooks, Sage, Xero
– ERPs like SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics
– MS Excel and advanced spreadsheet skills
– Financial modeling
– Data analysis
– Attention to detail
– Analytical thinking
– Communication skills
– Leadership
Add as many skills as you can to showcase your well-rounded capabilities.
Certifications
Certifications related to accounting demonstrate your specialized knowledge and can give you a competitive edge. If you have obtained certifications like CPA, CMA, CA, CIA, CFA, etc, list them in this section.
For each certification include:
– Full certification name and acronym
– Issuing authority like AICPA, ICAI, etc.
– Date acquired
Honors & Awards
If you’ve received professional awards or honors, listing them highlights your achievements. Include the name of the award, date received, and short description.
Relevant examples could be:
– AICPA Elijah Watt Sells Award Winner 2018 (for scoring one of the 10 highest scores on the 2018 CPA Exam)
– Employee of the Year 2020 at Smith & Co Accounting Firm
– Dean’s List, University of Michigan Ross School of Business
Courses
Ongoing learning and courses help demonstrate your commitment to staying current in accounting topics and best practices. Relevant courses to include could be related to:
– Accounting certifications like CPA Exam prep courses
– Tax law updates
– Auditing standards
– Accounting research & writing
– Ethics for accountants
– Financial modeling
– Leadership development
For each course, list the name, organization, and the year you took it.
Projects
Any major projects you contributed to or led can highlight your skills in action. Provide plenty of detail around your specific responsibilities and quantifiable outcomes.
Examples could include:
– Oversaw full-scope financial audit for Fortune 500 manufacturing company. Developed risk assessment and planned audit approach for inventory, fixed assets, and revenue cycles leading to clean audit opinion. Identified over $2 million in potential cost savings.
– Headed initiative to implement new ERP system (SAP) to integrate purchasing, accounting, HR, and inventory. Documented business requirements, designed reports, trained over 50 end users, and completed implementation 3 weeks ahead of schedule.
Recommendations
Recommendations from past managers, clients, professors, or colleagues you’ve worked closely with can give extra credibility. They also demonstrate your positive impact and abilities seen from other perspectives.
Aim for 2-3 recommendations that are:
– Written by people who can objectively assess your work quality and professionalism
– Specific in detailing projects and skills like “Sidney did an outstanding job leading the 2018 fiscal year-end audit…” rather than generic praise
– Recent within the past 5 years if possible
Associations
Joining relevant professional associations like AICPA, IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), state CPA societies or industry groups demonstrates your commitment to networking and developing your skills.
In this section you can list the name of the group, your membership start date, any leadership roles you hold like “Vice Chair of Technology Committee”, and a quick description of the association.
Building Your Network
In addition to a strong profile, an important benefit of LinkedIn is connecting with other professionals in accounting and finance. This includes potential mentors, clients, influencers in your specialty area, recruiters, colleagues at current/past employers, and more.
Here are some tips for networking and growing your connections on LinkedIn:
Connect with Colleagues
Reach out to past and present co-workers like managers, teammates, clients, and vendors you’ve worked closely with. Send personalized connection requests mentioning the specific projects or time period you worked together.
Follow Companies
Follow companies you want to learn about or work for. This allows you to stay up-to-date with their news and job postings. You can also connect with their employees.
Join Groups
Groups based on topics like accounting, finance, taxation, auditing, and industry-specific groups are a great way to meet like-minded professionals, share knowledge, and potentially find job opportunities.
Connect with Former Classmates
Search for alumni from your college, university, or accounting/finance programs. Fellow graduates make natural connections.
Follow Leaders & Influencers
Follow thought leaders, authors, conference speakers, and innovators who shape the accounting field. Engage with their content to stay on the pulse of what’s new.
Attend Events
If you’re attending conferences, seminars, networking events or trade shows, connect with professionals you meet there. Mention how you met and continue the conversation.
Interact & Engage
Comment on posts, share content, and engage in meaningful interactions. Be helpful and build rapport. Establish yourself as a subject matter expert.
Getting Found by Recruiters
With LinkedIn’s powerful search and filtering capabilities, professional recruiters frequently use it to search for candidates. Here are some tips to get noticed:
Optimize Profile SEO
Include relevant keywords and phrases that recruiters search for like “CPA”, “financial reporting”, “budget analyst”, and your location. Repeat these naturally throughout your profile.
Highlight Relevant Skills
Thoroughly complete the skills section with as many accounting-related abilities that you possess. Recruiters often search based on skills.
Show You’re Open to Opportunities
Use the LinkedIn settings to indicate you are “open to new opportunities” so recruiters know you are actively looking.
Engage with Company Pages
Follow, comment on, share, and react to content from companies you’re interested in. Stay on their radar.
Join Industry Groups
By joining relevant groups based on location, skills, employer, school, etc. you’re more likely to show up in searches.
Interview Preparation
After connecting with potential employers through LinkedIn, you may be invited for job interviews. Here are some ways to leverage LinkedIn for interview prep:
Research the Company
Review the LinkedIn company page thoroughly – the about section, employee photos and profiles, and recent news and posts. This gives you insights to prepare.
Connect with Employees
Messaging employees who work at the company can help discover information about team structure, projects, challenges, work environment, and leadership style.
Review Executive Profiles
Research executives and managers you will potentially meet during interviews like the CEO, CFO, Controller, and HR Director. Understand their backgrounds.
Find Common Connections
See if you share any 1st-degree connections with the company through networking and groups. This gives you conversation starters and references.
Practice Interviewing
Use LinkedIn’s mock interview feature to practice and record responses based on likely accounting and behavioral interview questions.
Job Searching on LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s massive jobs board and advanced search features make it a versatile platform for accounting job seekers. Here are tips to use LinkedIn for your job search:
Turn on “Career Interests”
Set your career interests like “Tax Accountant” or “Financial Auditor” in account settings. You’ll get matched with relevant opportunities.
Follow Target Companies
Follow companies you want to work for so you’re notified when they post jobs. Engage with their content and employees.
Use Advanced Search Filters
Use filters like location, job title, company, industry, skills, and date posted to narrow your search for the perfect accounting position.
Apply for Jobs with Resume
Upload your updated resume to apply for jobs directly through LinkedIn in just a few clicks.
Set Job Search Alerts
Get email alerts about new jobs matching your search criteria so you never miss a good opportunity.
Watch for Easy Apply
Look for jobs where you can do a quick 1-click “Easy Apply”. This allows applying without re-uploading your full profile and resume repeatedly.
Follow Staffing Agencies
Many staffing and recruiting firms post roles on LinkedIn. Follow relevant ones and check their job boards.
Social Selling as an Accountant
While LinkedIn is great for job hunting, it can also help accountants and finance professionals generate leads and win new business through social selling. Here are some tips:
Establish Your Credibility
With a completed, optimized profile highlighting your experience, clients, skills, and expertise – you can demonstrate credibility as a specialist.
Publish Insightful Content
Share articles, advice, case studies, and thought-leadership content focused on your niche target audience interests. Aim for helpful, not promotional.
Join Targeted Groups
Participate in niche interest groups related to the types of businesses you want to attract as clients. Provide value by answering questions.
Connect with Potential Clients
Research prospects on LinkedIn based on criteria like company, industry, location, job title. Send personalized invitations mentioning common interests.
Build Relationships & Trust
Nurture connections by engaging regularly through content likes, shares, and comments. Move communication offline to learn about pain points you can address.
Make Your Offer
Once rapport and trust are established, make your offer to schedule an intro call to explore working together in more depth and map to needs.
Tips for Accounting Students
For accounting students and recent graduates, LinkedIn provides great opportunities to network, learn about different career paths, and land your first accounting job.
Here are some profile tips:
Highlight Relevant Coursework
List key courses like Financial Accounting, Auditing, Tax, Excel, Accounting Information Systems, etc. This showcases your academic preparation even without full-time experience yet.
Include Leadership Roles
List extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and campus leadership positions like Accounting Club President. These demonstrate well-roundedness.
Showcase Relevant Skills
Include classroom concepts you’ve applied like financial statements, journal entries, general ledger, along with technical abilities like Excel, QuickBooks, CaseWare, etc.
Get Recommendations
Ask professors, internship managers, or student organization advisors who can vouch for your abilities to write recommendations.
List Your Graduation Date
To let employers know when you’ll be entering the job market, include your expected graduation date and degree such as “BS in Accounting, May 2025”
Here are tips to maximize LinkedIn as a student:
Follow Target Employers
Research and follow companies you’re interested in working for. Engage with their content and employees to get on their radar.
Connect with Alumni
Join alumni groups and connect with graduates working at companies or in roles you aspire to. Ask for career advice.
Attend Campus Events
Attend career fairs, company info sessions, professional workshops and connect after with recruiters and professionals you meet.
Join Relevant Groups
Groups for accounting, finance, career advice, and more let you demonstrate interest, gain insights from working professionals, and expand your network.
Complete LinkedIn Learning Courses
Take free LinkedIn Learning courses relevant to accounting and professional development to build your skills and resume.
Conclusion
LinkedIn offers immense opportunities for accountants to showcase expertise, build connections, further careers, and attract new business. With a optimized, accounting-focused profile and active networking approach, accountants can derive immense value. Regularly sharing content and engaging with the large accounting communities also establishes thought leadership. By tailoring your profile for recruiters, LinkedIn becomes a versatile job search engine. Accounting students can leverage campus resources and alumni networks on LinkedIn to gain insights and land first roles. Follow these tips as an accountant or accounting student to maximize the professional platform that is LinkedIn.