by: Kay Francoeur
In our series on Corp Dev and M&A this week we’ve explored several facets of how these in-demand roles can serve as exciting opportunities for current management consultants and investment bankers looking to exit to private equity. Corp dev and M&A positions offer thrilling exposure to the earlier and latter stages of the deals process, and are typically well-compensated – often coming with a compelling equity component.
At ECA, it’s our job to help connect you to these roles that will take your career to the next level – but we can only do this if we can find you!
Our core piece of advice if you’re looking for a new job (or would even like to be considered for top opportunities) is to spend some time optimizing your LinkedIn profile. This seems like an obvious step but it’s easy to put it off when you already have too many things on your plate.
Executive search firms like ECA use a tool called LinkedIn Recruiter almost exclusively to source talent. For this reason, the absolute best use of your time when you’re considering changing jobs or careers is to spend an hour making sure your LI profile is up to date, that it highlights experience relevant to the jobs you’re targeting, and is free of errors and potential red flags. Pay special attention to noting any promotions you’ve had. Profiles that demonstrate good career progression within each company and minimize “jumpiness” – hopping from company to company every year or so – are most likely to catch a recruiter’s eye, and win favor with private equity clients.
Keywords are crucial. The most effective LI profiles maximize as many keywords as possible in the “About” and “Experience” sections that clearly reflect core competencies and functional expertise for the types of positions a candidate is targeting. But it’s important that when you apply these keywords, you’re specific and personal enough to show that you actually understand what you’re talking about, rather than just pulling jargon from a quick Google search of “ideal traits for head of M&A roles.” Quantity of keywords means little without substance, and an experienced recruiter will easily suss out the pretenders from the commercial due diligence and PMI whizzes.
In addition to ensuring appropriate keywords are prominently displayed in those sections, staying active on LinkedIn – including liking and sharing content relevant to the kinds of roles you’re targeting – is a productive step you can take toward securing that dream position as Head of Corp Dev for a PE-backed company.
Check out our recent video about optimizing your LI profile for more concrete, actionable steps you can take to stand out as a candidate online, and help us to help you find your ideal next role.
Kay Francoeur is a Project Manager at ECA Partners. She can be reached at [email protected]
