For Accountants and other professionals, their LinkedIn profiles are one of the top sites used to research their services, so it’s important to have the top 10 Linkedin profile aspects in tip-top shape.

In this article, you will learn:

• Why LinkedIn is important for accountants
• 1. Use a professional profile picture
• 2. Create a custom headline
• 3. Use your summary
• 4. Highlight your experience
• 5. Showcase your skills
• 6. Highlight your education and qualifications
• 7. Ask for recommendations
• 8. Use a premium account
• 9. Grow your connections to 500+
• 10. Include a call to action
• 11. Grow your accounting practice with QuickBooks

Why LinkedIn is important for accountants

LinkedIn is the home of your personal brand online, and potential employers are paying attention. In fact, many recruiters believe LinkedIn is the most effective tool in vetting potential candidates. Whether you’re using it to attract recruiters and potential employers, to stay in touch with former colleagues, or to build your professional network online, LinkedIn is a valuable resource that you’ll use throughout your career.

LinkedIn helps accountants in 3 key ways:

• Client acquisition/referral: It’s worth noting that people are increasingly using Linkedin to search for Accountants, so make sure you use relevant keywords throughout your profile, as nearly every text field will allow your profile to come up in search results
• Employee acquisition: Employers use LinkedIns builtin recruiting software to prospect new accounting employees. Creating a quality LinkedIn profile for accountants is a great way to get noticed by a potential employer in the accounting field.
• Social proof and credibility: Potential clients and employers alike may visit your LinkedIn profile to check your skills, education and experience, and ensure they are hiring a credible professional.

1. Use a professional profile picture

Don’t underestimate the importance of a good headshot on your LinkedIn profile. It’s a great way to personalize your profile and it helps new contacts recognize you.

When choosing a photo, opt for a professional, high-quality headshot that would look at home on a company’s ‘About Us’ page on their website.

Here are some do’s and don’ts for LinkedInk profile pictures and headshots for accountants:

Do’s:

• Use a recent professional headshot
• Wear professional smart business attire
• Smile and make a good first impression

Dont’s:

• Use a low quality grainy picture
• Wear casual clothing or something you wouldn’t wear to an interview or to see a client
• Have no photo at all

2. Create a custom headline

If you don’t select your own headline, LinkedIn will automatically use your current job title. A custom headline will stand out and make your profile visible to prospective customers, clients, or recruiters looking for someone with your special skills on LinkedIn.

Use it to clearly state what you do and the industry you work in. For example, ‘rising accounting and aspiring financial advisor with a strong client focus’ might work for you, but keep it real and stay away from made-up job titles.

You can also customize your LinkedIn headline to attract clients or employees if you run an accounting firm by stating one of your goals to align your values and show your services. 

Example of a goal to attract employees: Grow your accounting firm team by hiring a remote accountant.

Potential headline: Want to do accounting remotely from home? Work for [Your accounting firm’s name].

3. Use your summary

Your summary section is an overview of your career to date and your first opportunity to make an impression. In saying that, keep the bulk of the detail for the ‘experience’ section of your profile. 

Your LinkedIn profile summary should:

• introduce you to your network of accountants
• touch on your skills
• showcase your career highlights
• state your goals and motivations

Tell people what you’re passionate about, what makes you tick and what gets you up in the morning. While it can be tempting to include everything you know here, keep it short and sweet – no longer than a few sentences.

Read our article on how to create an amazing accountant LinkedIn profile summary for more tips and examples on nailing your summary.

4. Highlight your experience

Just like your resume, your experience should provide a complete overview of your career to date. For each position you’ve held, include the organization and its location, your role, how long you worked there, and a description of what the role entailed.

Make sure you highlight any notable achievements or projects you’ve worked on. Recruiters don’t need to read another job description, they need to see how you’ve excelled in each of your roles.

Your LinkedIn experience section is the perfect place to show potential clients and employees key details about your work ethic and explain your personality.

Include the following details:

• What’s it like to work with you
• How you work in teams
• Showcase any awards you have won and been nominated for
• How long you have been in the accounting field

5. Showcase your skills

The skills section of your LinkedIn profile is where clients and employers will look to see what you can offer them. Showcase your accounting skills and make sure to include proficiency with accounting software, like QuickBooks, to help you attract clients and employers who use our accounting software.

Don’t forget to include soft skills like communication, organization, time management and decision-making. Tap into your accounting network to get endorsed by colleagues and other professionals who can vouch for your skills.

6. Highlight your education and qualifications

Build credibility by highlighting your education and qualifications in your LinkedIn profile. Be sure to include your QuickBooks certification to let potential customers and employers know you are a QuickBooks expert. If you aren’t certified yet, access our 24/7 self-paced training to become certified and add this accounting qualification to your LinkedIn profile.

7. Ask for recommendations

Don’t be afraid to ask previous employers, colleagues, internship supervisors, university lecturers, and any other relevant professional contacts you have to write you a recommendation on LinkedIn. Letting other respected industry professionals sing your praises will be particularly impressive to recruiters when you’re looking for a job.

Think of your LinkedIn profile like an extended CV, it should provide details of your professional experience, but in a way that gives the reader a better sense of your personality and career ambitions.

Try to accumulate as many recommendations as possible by reaching out to 1-2 people each month in your network to slowly build your social proof. Start building your referral network by reaching out to your existing clients and colleagues. 

Once your LinkedIn profile is polished, check out our list of accounting websites every Pro should be reading, where we discuss how you can gain valuable knowledge from participating in LinkedIn groups.

8. Use a premium account

While a premium LinkedIn account is not necessary, it can help your accounting practice gain exposure and generate new leads who may turn into customers. 

LinkedIn Premium allows you to see who is looking at your profile, which can help you identify potential customers and recruiters who you can connect with to grow your network of customers and accounting professionals.

9. Grow your connections to 500+

Connect with accountants and other professionals in your network to grow your connections to at least 500. Give your colleagues and former university alumni a follow and start building your connections.

LinkedIn is a great social media tool to build your network of connections. Not only will this build your credibility but it will expose you to industry updates and events that professionals in your network are attending.

10. Include a call to action

Add a call to action such as a calendar booking link to allow prospects to schedule a consultation right from your LinkedIn profile. It’s important to craft your LinkedIn profile for your audience. If you’re looking to hire small business clients make sure to include a call to action such as a consultation call to let them know they can book a call and learn more about the services you offer.

Grow your accounting practice with QuickBooks

Adding your QuickBooks certification and accounting software skills to your LinkedIn profile is a great way to attract small business clients who already use QuickBooks or switch them to using our cloud-based accounting software.

QuickBooks Online Accountant allows you to manage multiple clients in one platform without the need to switch between accounts. Sign up to use QuickBooks Online Accountant free for your accounting firm today.