What are commitments on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn commitments allow you to publicly pledge your support and participation for causes, organizations, events, and more. When you make a commitment on LinkedIn, it will appear on your profile letting your network know what you’re committed to. Commitments are designed to help bring professionals together around shared passions, interests, and causes.

What types of commitments can you make?

There are a few main types of commitments you can make on LinkedIn:

• Causes – You can commit to support causes and nonprofits like sustainability, education, human rights, etc.
• Organizations – You can commit to organizations you are a member of or support like professional associations, alumni groups, etc.
• Events – You can commit to attend upcoming events like conferences, fundraisers, networking events.
• Learning – You can commit to learning new skills through online courses, certifications, and other educational programs.
• Reading – You can commit to read books and publications relevant to your industry or interests.

When you make a commitment, you’ll select which of these categories it falls into. This helps contextualize the commitment for your network.

How do you make a commitment?

Making a commitment on LinkedIn is easy:

1. Go to your LinkedIn profile
2. Click “Add profile section” and select “Commitments”
3. Click the “+” icon to create a new commitment
4. Select the type of commitment from the drop-down menu
5. Fill in the details:
   • Name of organization, event, cause, etc.
   • Your role, if applicable
   • The date range for your commitment
   • A brief description of the commitment (optional)
6. Click “Save” to publish your commitment

That’s all there is to it! Your commitment will now be visible on your profile.

Why make commitments on LinkedIn?

There are a few key benefits to making commitments on your LinkedIn profile:

• Demonstrate your passions and values – Commitments let people know what causes, organizations and interests you care about.
• Show your participation – They signal that you’re actively involved, not just passively interested.
• Expand your network – Fellow commitment-makers can find and connect with you.
• Gain credibility – Commitments boost your professional image and trustworthiness.
• Further your career – Causes and organizations can open up new job opportunities.
• Inspire others – Your commitment might motivate others to get involved.

How are commitments displayed?

Commitments are prominently displayed on your LinkedIn profile as part of the “Commitments” section, underneath “Experience” and “Education.”

People viewing your profile can see your list of commitments right away – you don’t have to navigate to another page. This gives them maximum visibility.

The commitment type is not explicitly shown, but can be inferred from the context. Your role and date range are also displayed when provided.

Who can see your commitments?

Your LinkedIn commitments are visible to anyone who views your profile. Some key things to know:

• Anyone in your network can see your commitments.
• People outside your network who view your public profile can see them too.
• You can’t limit visibility of commitments to certain connections.
• Your commitments appear in search engine results for your name.
• You can remove commitments at any time if you want them private.

So consider your audience when deciding what commitments to publish on your profile. While you can delete them later, they will be public while active.

How are commitments different from interests?

At first glance, commitments and interests may seem similar – they both relate to your passions and involvement. But there are some important differences:

• Commitments are action-oriented – They show your participation, not just interest.
• Commitments are public – Interests are only visible to your 1st-degree connections.
• You play an active role – Commitments relate directly to your efforts and contributions.
• Greater specificity – Commitments name specific organizations, events, etc.
• Time bounded – Commitments note date ranges; interests are ongoing.

So in summary, commitments are outward-facing pronouncements of dedication, while interests simply note privately-visible preferences.

Should you have both on your profile?

Having both commitments and interests can provide a well-rounded view of who you are and what you care about.

Interests show your ongoing passions, while commitments demonstrate tangible participation and involvement.

So it’s fine – and often ideal – to display both! Just be sure not to duplicate the exact same organizations and causes in both sections.

Can you order or prioritize commitments?

Unlike other LinkedIn profile sections, there is no reordering capability for commitments. They will automatically display in reverse chronological order, with your most recent commitments at the top.

If you want to prioritize a particular commitment, you can:

• Move up the start date so it appears newer.
• Delete and re-add the commitment so it moves to the top.
• Feature it prominently in your description text.
• List it first in your profile summary.

But there is no drag-and-drop or priority ordering tool within the commitments section itself.

Do commitments need to be current?

Active commitments display within the commitments section, while past commitments are summarized in an “Experience” subsection underneath.

So you have the option to keep both current and past commitments on your profile.

Here are a few tips for managing active vs past commitments:

• Edit end dates for any commitments you have completed.
• Remove any you no longer want publicized.
• Keep 3-5 current commitments for optimal visibility.
• You can feature short-term commitments like events.
• For causes, list ongoing commitments without end dates.

Keeping your active commitments current and fresh will make this section most meaningful for your profile viewers.

How to get the most value from commitments

To maximize the impact of commitments on your LinkedIn presence:

• Align commitments with your professional brand and goals.
• Spotlight commitments in your profile summary too.
• Use commitments to find new connections and opportunities.
• Feature visuals like logos and banners for causes.
• Link to organization and event websites when possible.
• Rotate commitments periodically to showcase variety.
• Mention commitments in relevant posts and messaging.
• Connect your commitments across LinkedIn content.

With strategic planning, commitments can become valuable profile assets that strengthen your reputation and relationships.

Conclusion

LinkedIn commitments provide a powerful way to share meaningful causes, organizations, events, learning, and reading with your professional network.

They showcase your values, participation, and passions.

By making thoughtful commitments, you can find new connections, grow your credibility, advance your career, and inspire others.

So don’t be shy – publish some commitments on your profile and watch the benefits unfold!