LinkedIn allows you to showcase your skills, expertise, and endorsements from your connections. This gives viewers of your profile a sense of your capabilities and knowledge. Having an up-to-date and robust Skills & Endorsements section can make your profile stand out during networking, job searching, and establishing yourself as an authority in your field.
You may find over time that you need to make changes to your Skills & Endorsements section. Perhaps you’ve gained proficiency in new areas or want to highlight different skills. Or maybe some of the endorsements no longer represent your expertise or are outdated.
Luckily, LinkedIn provides simple options for editing your Skills & Endorsements section. In this article, we’ll walk through step-by-step how to make changes so your profile accurately reflects your current abilities.
Add a New Skill
Adding new skills is a great way to update your profile when you expand your expertise. Follow these steps:
1. Access your profile page and click on the “Skills & Endorsements” section. This appears under your introduction and experience sections.
2. Click the pencil icon that says “Add a new skill”.
3. In the search bar that appears, type in the skill you want to add. As you type, a dropdown will appear with suggestions to select from.
4. Choose the appropriate skill from the dropdown. Make sure you pick the skill that most closely matches your expertise.
5. Once selected, the new skill will appear in your Skills & Endorsements section.
6. You can reorder your skills by clicking the three dots next to each skill and dragging them to the desired position. Put your most important or relevant skills on top.
7. Click “Save” to finalize the additions.
It’s that quick to add new skills! Be sure not to go overboard and add too many niche skills. Aim for 5-10 skills that represent your top abilities or areas of specialization.
Remove a Skill
If you want to delete a skill that no longer applies, follow these simple steps:
1. Go to your profile and open the Skills & Endorsements section.
2. Find the skill you want to remove. Hover over the skill.
3. Click on the three dots that appear to the right of the skill.
4. Select “Remove” from the dropdown menu.
5. Confirm you want to remove the skill by clicking “Yes” when prompted.
The skill will instantly disappear from your profile. Use this process to get rid of any outdated, irrelevant, or duplicative skills. Having a tight and focused skillset makes more of an impression.
Add an Endorsement
Endorsements from your connections help verify and reinforce your listed skills. Here is how to endorse a connection for their skills:
1. Go to their LinkedIn profile page and click into the Skills & Expertise section.
2. Hover over a skill and click the “Endorse” button that appears.
3. A pop-up will appear where you can add a note and send the endorsement.
4. Click “Send” to complete the endorsement.
The person will receive a notification that you have endorsed their skill. Consider strategically endorsing connections for skills where you have firsthand experience with their capabilities. The endorsements hold more weight when they come from someone who has directly worked with the person.
Remove an Endorsement
To remove an endorsement you’ve previously given:
1. Go to your profile and click into your Skills & Expertise section.
2. Locate the skill that has the endorsement you want to remove. Click on the people icons below the skill to expand the list of endorsements.
3. Hover over the name of the person you want to remove the endorsement from. Click the three dots that appear.
4. Select “Remove Endorsement”.
5. Confirm you want to remove the endorsement by clicking “Yes” when prompted.
The endorsement will instantly be eliminated. Use this if you endorsed a connection for a skill that you didn’t directly work with them on or if the endorsement relationship no longer applies.
Turn Off Skill Endorsements
If you don’t want to receive endorsements at all anymore, you can disable the feature:
1. Go to your Skills & Expertise section. Click the pencil icon to edit the section.
2. Toggle the switch next to “Let connections endorse you for skills” to the off position.
3. Click “Save” at the bottom to apply the change.
Endorsements will no longer appear for your skills. You can toggle it back on at any time to reactivate endorsements. Use this to limit unqualified endorsements or if you’re changing careers.
Rearrange the Order of Skills
You can customize the order your skills are displayed in:
1. In your Skills & Expertise section, hover over a skill.
2. Click the three dots that appear to the right.
3. Select “Reorder skills”.
4. Click and drag skills into your desired order.
5. Click “Done” when finished.
Arrange your most impressive or relevant skills to the top. You can also group similar skills together. The order you set will be displayed to profile visitors.
Showcase or Hide Individual Endorsements
For each skill, you can choose which endorsements are visible:
1. Expand the endorsements for a skill by clicking the people icons.
2. Hover over an endorser’s name and click the three dots.
3. Choose either “Show endorsement” or “Hide endorsement”.
4. The endorsement will now show or hide on your profile accordingly.
Use this to only showcase endorsements from influential or relevant connections for each skill. Or hide endorsements that you don’t want public or aren’t relevant.
Remove Specific Endorsements
To permanently delete an endorsement:
1. Expand the endorsement section for a skill.
2. Hover over the endorsement you want to remove. Click the three dots.
3. Select “Remove Endorsement”.
4. Confirm you want to remove the endorsement.
The endorsement will be eliminated and the person will be notified the endorsement was rescinded. This completely deletes the endorsement from your profile.
Thank Endorsers
It’s good etiquette to thank those who endorse you:
1. Click into the endorsements for a skill.
2. Click the name of the person who endorsed you.
3. This will take you to their profile page. Click “More” and then “Send message”.
4. Write them a message thanking them for endorsing your skill on LinkedIn.
Sending an appreciation note maintains your professional network and shows gratitude. The endorser will be pleased you acknowledged their endorsement.
Endorse a Connection for Multiple Skills
Rather than individually endorsing each skill, you can endorse a connection for several skills at once:
1. Navigate to their Skills & Endorsements section on their profile.
2. Click the “Endorse” button at the top of the section.
3. Check the skills you want to endorse. Add a note (optional).
4. Click “Send” to submit the selected endorsements.
The person will be notified and the endorsements will appear under each respective skill. Use this to efficiently endorse someone for several relevant skills at once.
Close Endorsement Notifications
If you want to stop receiving email notifications when someone endorses you:
1. Go to your Settings page by clicking the “Me” icon at the top.
2. Click “Notifications” in the left sidebar.
3. Under the “Email notifications” section, turn off “Endorsements”.
4. Click “Save changes”.
This will stop emails being sent every time you receive a new endorsement. The notifications can become excessive if you receive a lot of endorsements.
Import Endorsements From Your Resume
You can easily convert skills and endorsements from your resume into your LinkedIn profile:
1. Click “Import from resume” at the top of your Skills & Endorsements section.
2. Upload your resume or copy and paste the text.
3. LinkedIn will extract skills and ask if you want to add them. Click “Add” for the relevant ones.
4. For endorsements, LinkedIn will recommend connections. Select those you want to endorse you.
5. Click “Finish” once complete.
This neat feature can save you time populating your Skills & Endorsements section from your resume content.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn Skills & Endorsements section is a live representation of your capabilities that shifts over time. Stay on top of it by making the necessary adjustments as your career progresses. Regularly update your skills, remove outdated ones, and get endorsements from new connections. With the right tweaks, this section can be a true showcase of your strongest abilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many skills should you list on LinkedIn?
Aim for around 5-10 key skills that demonstrate your top abilities. Avoid listing too many niche skills as that will dilute and overwhelm your profile.
What types of skills should you include?
Include a mix of both hard and soft skills. Hard skills are technical abilities like programming languages, tools, or methodologies. Soft skills are interpersonal strengths like communication, teamwork, or leadership.
How do you choose which skills to add to LinkedIn?
Pick skills that align with your target career path and industry. Focus on skills that would impress recruiters or get you hired. Think of words that would optimally come up if someone was searching for a candidate like you.
Should you include skills you’re not an expert in?
Only add skills you legitimately have capability in. Don’t embellish skills that overstate your actual competence. You don’t have to be an expert but ensure you have at least intermediate ability.
How many endorsements should you get for each skill?
3-5 endorsements per skill is a good benchmark. Too many endorsements can look suspicious. Aim for endorsements from respected connections or those you’ve directly worked with. Quality over quantity.
Should you remove outdated skills?
Absolutely. Skills that are no longer relevant to your career trajectory should be removed promptly. This keeps your profile focused and current. Don’t let old skills detract from your recent experience.
Can you change the order endorsements appear?
Yes, you can reorder endorsements and selectively show or hide specific ones. Control which endorsements visitors see by showcasing your most impressive connections.
Should you thank someone for endorsing your skill?
It’s encouraged to thank endorsers. A quick message shows appreciation and maintains positive relations with your network. People like to know their endorsement was valued.