Making the most of social media

In this article, we help you to make the most of social media and to find your ideal role. Here at Suzie Walker Executive Search, our team of specialist headhunters scour LinkedIn on a daily basis, as part of our search for the very best senior leadership talent. 

If you’re looking for a new role, we recommend spending some time reviewing and updating your LinkedIn profile to ensure that you have the best chance of being found and capturing recruiters’ interest. 

Present your personal brand 

There are key elements to optimise on your LinkedIn profile: your profile photo, background photo, headline, description, experience, education and skills.  

• Profile photo

  Your profile photo doesn’t have to be taken by a professional photographer, thanks to the Portrait mode on your smartphone. We recommend standing in a well-lit space with natural light in front of you and with a minimal backdrop. However, most Portrait modes now come with the handy ‘f’ option, providing depth of field/blurring your background if needed. 

• Background photo

  Your background photo is an opportunity to present what you do – in your roles and/or sector – visually. You can find some exceptional royalty-free images on platforms like Unsplash, Getty Images, iStock and Shutterstock, to name but a few. If you’re feeling extra creative, why not use a design platform – Canva for example – to highlight your professional USP. Canva even has some LinkedIn templates to get you started. The dimensions are 1128 x 376 pixels but you can upload any size and LinkedIn will guide you with cropping. 

Pictured: Suzie Walker’s personal LinkedIn profile

• Headline

  Your headline, along with your profile photo, is one of the first thing recruiters see. It’s an opportunity to capture their interest. Mark Ritson, Virtual Marketing Professor and columnist for Marketing Week, uses 'Virtual Marketing Professor - Talks about #marketing, #advertising, and #brandmanagement'. It’s very clear what he does and including relevant hashtags/keywords increases his visibility. 

• Description

  Your description is where you provide a more in-depth overview of your experience, key skills and values. It’s vitally important to use keywords here, too, because recruiters can pick these up in their search. If you’re in the market for a CMO role, for example, include keywords such as: CMO, Chief Marketing Officer, Group Marketing Director. You can write up to 2,600 characters but 2-3 short paragraphs will be plenty to engage busy search teams. 

• Experience and education

  Complete your Experience and Education sections, transferring details from your CV. As with your CV, it’s recommended to only include recent and relevant information here. There is no need to include entry-level or student roles – only roles that support what you’re looking to find and apply for. 

• Skills

  Another key section from an executive recruitment perspective is your Skills section. Not only are skills searchable but they can also be ordered, so your key skills appear at the top of what could be a very long list. What recruiters don’t have is time, especially in such a thriving recruitment market, so make sure to highlight your key competencies at first glance. 

• Ask for a recommendation

  Finally, ‘Ask for a recommendation’ or two/three/more. Testimonials will always add credibility and persuade recruiters that you’re a trustworthy candidate for advertised roles. Simply use the tool to find former colleagues, suppliers or any stakeholders in positions that support an application for your desired role. It’s also an opportunity to reconnect and reciprocate – a nice gift for your close Connections. 

Tell people what you’re up to 

Start sharing your news, whether it’s events you have attended or projects you’re a part of, using videos and/or imagery where possible to engage your Connections/Followers. By engaging them through Shares and Likes, you expand your reach to their LinkedIn network i.e. your posts appear in their news feeds. 

Engage with others 

Share, ‘Like’ and comment on other peoples’ content – especially people you want to notice you. Join relevant groups, networking within your sector and/or specialisms, sharing your knowledge and best practice with others. 

Presenting your personal brand and making the most of social media can feel awkward and take time but it’s worth it. 1.6m ‘engaged talent professionals actively use LinkedIn’ so make sure that your profile shines. 

If you feel ready to move towards the next stage in your career, please get in touch or connect with us/send a message on LinkedIn.

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Suzie Walker Executive Search is a firm of specialist headhunters with an expert team recruiting interim and permanent senior leaders for B2C and B2B marketing, digital and technology roles in FTSE 350 and private equity-backed companies. Find out how we can support you by connecting with a Consultant below.