Yes, it is possible to change the order of certain elements on your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn allows you to customize and rearrange sections in your profile to highlight the most relevant information for your professional goals.
Changing the Order of Jobs
The jobs section of your LinkedIn profile allows you to showcase your work experience in reverse chronological order by default. However, you can change the order of jobs by following these steps:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile
- Click on the “Me” icon at the top of your LinkedIn feed
- Select “View profile”
- Scroll down and click on the “Experience” section
- Hover over the job you want to reorder and click on the three dots icon
- Select “Move up” or “Move down” to change the position
This will allow you to customize the order in which your jobs are displayed. For example, you may want to highlight your current role by moving it to the top position.
Changing the Order of Education
Similar to jobs, you can also customize the order of schools in the education section:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile
- Click the “Education” section
- Hover over the education entry you want to rearrange
- Click on the three dots icon
- Choose “Move up” or “Move down”
This allows you to prioritize your most recent or relevant education at the top of the section.
Changing the Order of Skills
The skills section also appears in a preset order based on endorsements. To change the skill order:
- Go to your profile and click “Skills”
- Click “Show more” to view all skills
- Hover over the skill and click the three dots icon
- Select “Move up” or “Move down”
With this, you can customize which skills are more prominent in your profile. For example, you can move your core competencies to the top.
Changing the Order of Sections
In addition to the order within sections, you can also change the overall order of profile sections in your LinkedIn profile:
- Go to your profile and click “Edit public profile & URL”
- Drag and drop sections to rearrange the order
- Click “Save”
This allows you to prioritize the sections you want viewers to see first when they visit your profile. Typically it’s recommended to have work experience, education, and skills toward the top.
Best Practices for Ordering
Here are some best practices when reordering elements in your LinkedIn profile:
- Place your current job first in the experience section
- Have education ordered from most to least recent
- Highlight your strongest skills and competencies at the top
- Make sure your profile has the core sections near the top like summary, experience, and skills
- Think about your goal – what do you want viewers to see first?
- Keep your profile organized and easy to scan
Reasons to Customize Order
There are several reasons you may want to customize the order of items in your LinkedIn profile:
- Showcase your most relevant or impressive accomplishments
- Emphasize skills or experience related to your career goals
- Make your current role most prominent
- Provide a customized view for different audiences (skills first for tech roles, education first for academic roles, etc)
- Improves scannability for visitors by highlighting key sections
Ordering Tips by Profile Type
The optimal ordering can depend on your goals and audience. Here are tips for different profile types:
Job Seekers
For job seekers, prioritize your most recent and relevant experience at the top. Follow with key skills and education credentials.
Career Changers
If transitioning to a new career, highlight transferable skills first and then list your experience. You can put education before experience in some cases.
Executives/Leaders
Leadership profiles should start with a strong summary statement followed by experience. Select key skills like strategic planning and team management near the top.
Fresh Graduates
New graduates can list education first before experience. Make sure to emphasize relevant coursework, skills and honors.
Entrepreneurs
Profiles for entrepreneurs and founders should start with a business description. Then list relevant startup experience and skills like product development.
Other Sections You Can Reorder
Beyond jobs, education, and skills, here are some other profile sections where you can customize the order:
- Accomplishments
- Certifications
- Volunteer Experience
- Courses
- Projects
- Publications
- Patents
- Test Scores
- Honors & Awards
- Languages
- Organizations
Use the same “Move Up” and “Move Down” controls in these sections to reorder them as needed.
Organizing Featured and Activity Sections
In addition to your core profile sections, you can also customize the order of items that appear in your Featured and Activity feeds on your profile.
For Featured, drag and drop the featured content tiles in the desired order. For your Activity feed, you can select the “Manage activity broadcasts” link in the feed to reorder posts.
This allows viewers to see your highlighted content and most recent activity first when viewing your profile.
Use Recommendations Wisely
LinkedIn may provide recommended or default ordering for profile sections based on your industry and experience. While the recommendations can provide a good starting order, always tailor the profile order based on your specific goals and priorities.
Don’t let the LinkedIn recommendations limit your ability to showcase your profile in the manner most aligned with your professional brand. Take advantage of the reordering and customization options.
Example Profile Order
Here is one example of a customized profile order for a job seeker:
1. Summary
2. Experience
3. Skills
4. Education
5. Volunteer Work & Causes
6. Projects
7. Certifications
8. Test Scores
9. Courses
10. Honors & Awards
11. Languages
12. Organizations
As you can see, the key sections are prioritized at the top, with supporting details in the lower sections.
Make Frequent Changes
Don’t be afraid to frequently change the order of your profile as you develop new skills, take on new roles, and expand your professional brand on LinkedIn.
It’s not a “set it and forget it” exercise. Revisit your profile every few months to make sure the customized order still aligns with your goals. Refine and update the order when needed.
A/B Test Different Orders
You can experiment with different profile orders and see which one drives the most profile views, engagement, and contacts. Try A/B testing two different order variations for a few weeks each. Use LinkedIn’s analytics to compare the results.
This can provide data-driven insights to guide your profile order for maximum impact.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn provides flexibility to customize the order of your profile sections and content:
- Jobs, education, skills, and other sections can be reordered
- Featured and Activity feeds can also be rearranged
- Customize order to match your professional brand and goals
- Frequently update the order as your profile evolves
- Use A/B tests to guide optimal order
- Take advantage of the flexibility to showcase your best assets
So don’t settle for LinkedIn’s default or recommended order. Take control of your profile with customized ordering that maximizes your professional presence.