Social Net Worth:

Engaging Through Social Networking Key to Raising Profile, say CFOs

LONDON, November 23, 2010 - Social media is a growing method used by UK finance leaders to gain
professional recognition, a new survey by Robert Half reveals. One in four
(25%) CFOs surveyed believe social media to be the best way for accounting
and finance managers to raise their profile, followed by participating in
charitable work (11%) and publishing articles (9%).

Surprisingly, more than four in 10 CFOs (41%) thought there was no need
to consider raising their profile, with this figure going up to more than
half (53%) of respondents from the public sector. In contrast, only one in
five (20%) CFOs from publicly listed companies felt no need to raise their
profile, suggesting that executives find value in managing their reputation
as part of their investor relations strategy.

The survey, developed by Robert Half, a leading provider of specialised
recruitment services, was conducted by an independent research firm and is
based on interviews with more than 200 CFOs at companies throughout the UK.

CFOs were asked, "Which, if any, of the following do you believe is the
most useful way for accounting and finance managers to raise their profile?"
Their responses:

    Engage through social media                           25%
    Volunteer or participate in charitable work           11%
    Publish articles in trade/business journals            9%
    Speak at industry events or webinars                   8%
    Connect through professional/alumni groups or events   5%
    No need to raise profile                              41%
                                                         99%*

* Survey does not add to 100 due to rounding

"Many finance leaders clearly value social media as a way of increasing
their visibility while networking with important professional contacts," said
Phil Sheridan, Managing Director of Robert Half UK. "Executives in
publicly-listed firms, in particular, are taking advantage of social media to
showcase their skills and experience while also profiling their company as an
attractive place to invest, work and conduct business."

Below are some tips for helping managers manage their digital networks:

Join the discussion. Comment on articles of interest, and consider
writing columns for professional organisations to exhibit thought leadership
on your industry. Participating in a variety of platforms, including LinkedIn
groups, Twitter and Facebook allows you to stay current on professional
trends and highlight your expertise.

Be selective. Your network is only as strong as those with whom you're
connected. Be selective about whom you invite into your social community and
give careful consideration before introducing an online connection to a
colleague. Your reputation is on the line if your contact is trying to reach
someone purely for commercial reasons and ends up becoming a nuisance to that
individual.

Be complete and personable. Be sure to fully complete your profile and
include keywords that can help people find you on LinkedIn or Twitter. Avoid
details that are too personal, though, if you plan to use these networks for
professional reasons only.

Pay it forward. Retweeting others' posts on Twitter or answering
questions on LinkedIn groups is a great way to strengthen your network and
enhance your reputation as an industry resource. Engaging with individuals
may also lead to offline networking and business opportunities.

Get endorsed. Recommendations from colleagues, clients or business
partners can further position you as an industry leader and help you grow
your network. Opt for personalised requests to individuals instead of a
generic email. When appropriate, recommend those whom you most know and trust
as they may return the favour.

Conduct a self-audit. Privacy policies on social media sites are subject
to change at any time. Therefore, it's prudent to recheck your settings and
review the policies of individual sites on a periodic basis to ensure your
personal information remains private.

About the Survey

The national study was developed by Robert Half, a leading provider of
highly skilled professionals on a temporary, interim and permanent basis. It
was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on more than 200
online interviews with CFOs from a random sample of UK companies. For the
study to be statistically representative and ensure that companies from all
segments were represented, the sample was stratified by geographic region and
number of employees.

About Robert Half

Robert Half pioneered specialised staffing services and today is the
world's leader in the field. Founded in 1948, the company is traded on the
New York Stock Exchange (symbol: RHI) and operates five separate divisions in
the UK, each serving distinct markets. They include: Robert Half Finance &
Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources, for temporary, full-time and
project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting and finance;
OfficeTeam, for administrative support, Robert Half Financial Services Group,
for finance and banking professionals and Robert Half Technology, for IT
professionals.

There are more than 350 Robert Half locations in North America, South
America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. For more information about
Robert Half please visit: www.roberthalf.co.uk

www.roberthalf.co.uk

www.twitter.com/roberthalfuk

Phil Sheridan, Managing Director of Robert Half, is available for further comment. In order to arrange an interview, please contact Kristie Perrotte on +44(0)20-7331-2222 or email kristie.perrotte at rhi.net.