By Reico Wong

Financial controller Sean Lim had been at his job for more than eight years when an unexpected opportunity came knocking earlier this year.

Mr Lim, 37, was headhunted by a recruiter - and he was not even looking to move to another company.

His profile on professional networking site LinkedIn had caught the attention of human-resource (HR) consultancy The GMP Group.

Mr Lim was offered the position of chief financial controller at an international market-research firm.

Since he took up the new job in March, he has enjoyed a more rewarding career - it allows him to pick up new skills in the field of corporate finance.

"Social-media platforms such as LinkedIn have helped individuals like me, who are simply keeping their options open for interesting job opportunities, gain visibility on the job market," he said.

"But you've got to know what it is about your experience that is marketable and make sure that you're capable of delivering it," Mr Lim added.

Indeed, HR and branding experts say that such online channels not only help job seekers gain the notice of headhunters and top company management, but also give them control over the specific professional image they want to portray.

However, people are still not capitalising on social media enough to build up their professional net worth, despite the advantages, the experts say.

"Job seekers need to realise that they are a brand, and to leverage on the various social-media channels to build their personal-brand net worth," said Mr Josh Goh, assistant director of corporate services at GMP.