10 LinkedIn profile optimization tips for both fintech hiring managers and job seekers.

We all know that for a job seeker having a complete and up-to-date LinkedIn profile is absolutely critical in the modern fintech job market. Even with a CV (aka resume) already, both fintech recruiters and employers reviewing LinkedIn profiles is commonplace and first impressions are formed. But having a strong and well-honed LinkedIn profile is not just important for fintech job seekers, it's equally as important for hiring managers and executives involved in hiring processes.

But I've found that some hiring managers underestimate the importance of having a strong LinkedIn profile to help attract and engage potential employees, in my opinion it is however an essential part of any fintech executives' personal branding to attract employees. Hiring is a two-way street and candidates need to 'buy into' the Executives they meet, so will look them up on LinkedIn, and again first impressions are formed. LinkedIn is a great way to showcase executive career success, knowledge and experience, whilst also providing an unprecedented level of transparency and creating a powerful impression as a professional leader in their industry, all of which adds to the personal brand of an executive.

So whether you are a hiring manager or job seeker here are 10 tips for how to optimise your fintech LinkedIn profile.

1. Have a visually appealing cover image.

Visual impressions are powerful and the first thing that catches the eye on a LinkedIn profile is the profile wide cover image at the top of a personal profile. So first and fore-most ensure you add an image, rather than leaving LinkedIn to show the standard grey default image in place. Keep your image simple, ensuring it's not too crowded or overly distracting, because you also need to ensure your profile (face) photo stands out clearly. Also consider that the cover image is resized and presented in different ways across different viewing platforms, so keeping it simple and without words will mean it looks good on all platforms. The current recommended cover image size is 1584 x 396 pixels, and for this image and others, if you need a free and easy to use image creator then check out Canva.

2. Use a good profile photo.

When selecting a profile photo of yourself, choose one that looks professional, friendly, and confident - the right photo can make a huge difference. An ideal photo will be a high resolution image, well-lit, in-focus and professional looking, with a candid smile that captures the attention of viewers. The current recommended profile photo image size is 400 x 400 pixels.

3. Have a headline that truly reflects your fintech personal brand.

Every word counts in your headline, since you only have a limited number of characters and many viewers will only get a brief glimpse of your profile here. Your headline is presented just under your name, keep it short but interesting and use keywords related to your role and industry. It’s a short but powerful personal brand statement.

4. Craft a compelling summary section.

At its core, the summary should concisely explain your professional fintech expertise, notable roles & projects, career achievements, awards and special skillsets that help set you apart from others. It's also a great opportunity to introduce a bit about the personal side to yourself, the non working human part, giving some insight into you as an individual and the things that are important to you in life, be that family, sports, interests or hobbies etc. 

5. Keep your employment experience section up to date and include accomplishments.

Make sure that your experience section is up to date, it includes a description of each role outlining your responsibilities and importantly includes accomplishments in each role you've held. Many people fail to highlight their accomplishments, but whether you are a job seeker or hiring executive, this is what will help set you apart from others in your field. Fintech employers want to hire and are attracted to achievers, and top performing employees are attracted to high performing executives, it works both ways.

6. Ask for recommendations.

Endorsements are an easy way to boost your credibility on LinkedIn, recommendations from past employers, employees, peers and clients will help to strengthen your profile further, providing a 'stamp of approval' from people who know you. Recommending each other can be a particularly powerful tactic for both manager and employee; as a hiring manager, by giving a recommendation you're seen as someone who cares about their employees and will give credit where it's due, whilst receiving a recommendation as a manager only further enhances your brand as a great leader who people want to work for. Recommendations not only serve to provide valuable information about yourself but add another visual element of professionalism.

7. Connect and follow.

Connect and follow companies and professionals in your industry, as well as fintech influencers who offer valuable insights and advice whilst extending your network reach given the large number of followers that influencers tend to have. This will help you remain up to date on industry news, trends and events, and the better your network reach the more of your activity will show up in the newsfeeds of others.

8. Use keywords strategically.

Include keywords (buzzwords and terminology) related to your fintech industry area, position and skills throughout the profile so that as a candidate, employers and recruiters can easily find your profile when searching. But equally, as a hiring manager you may find job seekers taking the initiative to find companies and executives in their area of fintech. Picking the right words can have a major impact on who sees your profile and increases the chances of being found.

9. Ensure skills accurately reflect you.

As a fintech leader ensure you have leadership and management skills listed, and as a job seeker ensure your experience skills required of jobs you're applying for are listed, but don't just think industry and technical keyword skills, ensure there is a good balance of soft skill mentions.

10. Be active.

To maximize the reach of your profile and ensure it is viewed as someone active in the fintech industry, it's important to actively engage in conversations and content related to your fintech industry area. This can include creating posts and commenting on other people's posts with thoughtful, relevant insights, or at a minimum liking posts. Just liking posts, if only a couple a week, will keep your profile looking fresh and active whilst facilitating meaningful industry connections.

Creating a high-quality LinkedIn profile is essential for any job seeker, hiring manager or executive looking to make an impact in the fintech industry and stand out from the crowd. For both employer and employee first impressions count, and a well-honed fintech LinkedIn profile clearly articulating a highly relevant and successful personal brand, can make a huge difference to both parties even before an interview has even taken place. It's a two-way hiring dynamic many don't appreciate the importance of!

P.S. I’m an advocate for the strong personal branding of fintech executives and how it impacts on their career success, and here are a couple more of my articles on the subject:

Executives; don’t under estimate the importance of personal branding for successful hiring.

Help, I’m an obsessive brand assessor and ambassador!

About the author: Shawn Rutter is the founder of Excelsior Search, a market leader in international executive search and recruitment solutions for financial technology (fintech), data and research providers to the capital markets and investment industry across the Americas, EMEA and APAC.

If you are a capital markets fintech professional either looking to hire great people, or find a role working for a successful and respected fintech executive, then please do reach out to Shawn on LinkedIn or email shawn@excelsiorsearch.com.