A while ago, there was a very important post in the
The CFO who posted the comment received an email from one of the top-tier recruiting firms saying that the firm would now be using, exclusively, Linkedin as a pre-qualifier of potential candidates. “Moving forward, we will not retain registrant résumés submitted to us by email.”
Shocked? Surprised? I’m not. I’ve been saying for years that Finance Chiefs can NOT afford to NOT be on Linkedin today. Now, recruiting firms, including national brand recruiting firms, are telling you the same thing. To not be on Linkedin is to not exist on the firm’s radar screen.
Here’s the direct quote he received in an email:
<<In place of the registration process, you will now be able to provide access to information about your
If you’ve been hesitating to jump on Linkedin -or- if your profile is incomplete -or- your settings are not set to public ... you WILL miss opportunities. Linkedin will be (and actually has been for awhile) your online identity and professional presence.
This methodology of using Linkedin as a pre-qualifier also points to the power of the "pull vs. the “push" strategy. A compelling, and complete, profile "pulls" recruiters to you rather than you "pushing" your resume at recruiters. The pull strategy gives you, the CFO candidate, more power, better positioning, and gets you access to the best opportunities that are a fit for your skills and ability. It is ALWAYS a good sign when recruiters are coming to you with opportunities that align with your level of expertise and your capabilities.
But this new normal begs uncomfortable and troubling questions for many CFOs.
- How much information is too much?
- How much information is enough?
- Shouldn’t the details of my performance be kept in my resume and not made public?
- Should I upload my resume to my profile?
Those are great questions - and critically important questions - that I’ll dig into in another blog post. But know this—the days of being anonymous and private are over for those who WANT to be receiving top-tier opportunities. You are either in the game, visible, and accessible ... or you don’t exist.