LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for professionals to build their online presence and networks. With over 740 million members worldwide, LinkedIn dominates the professional social media landscape. As such, it’s important to carefully curate your LinkedIn profile to maximize its impact and effectively convey your personal brand. Two key profile elements that require thoughtful consideration are your Skills and Endorsements sections. These allow you to highlight your expertise and capabilities, as validated by your connections. But what exactly should you include in these sections to accurately and favorably represent yourself? Here are some best practices to follow.
Align with Your Target Roles
The Skills and Endorsements you display on your profile should directly correlate with the types of jobs and career path you want to pursue. Essentially, tailor them to your target audience – typically recruiters and hiring managers. For example, if you’re a marketing professional looking for a brand manager role, your skills should emphasize areas like Marketing Strategy, Brand Positioning, Marketing Communications, etc. On the other hand, if you’re a software engineer targeting backend developer jobs, Skills like Python, Java, SQL, REST APIs, etc. would be more fitting. The key is to zoom in on the critical skills for your domain and highlight ones that would interest potential employers or clients. Avoid listing peripheral, out-of-context skills that don’t support your professional objectives.
Showcase Your Strongest Skills
Be selective and only include Skills where you have high proficiency and can showcase substantive experience. For each Skill added, there should be clear evidence in your work history that supports it. The Endorsements you receive from your connections also validate it. Having a laundry list of Skills with limited backing or endorsements dilutes your profile. It’s better to focus on your top 5-10 skills where you can make the strongest case. This allows you to go into more detail in your profile summary, work history, and recommendations to illustrate your capabilities. Think of which skills definitely need to be highlighted on the first page someone views your profile.
Back it up with Endorsements
Endorsements from your 1st-degree connections provide third-party validation for your Skills. So it’s important to proactively endorse connections for their relevant Skills, triggering them to reciprocate endorsements to you. This social validation indicates that others in your network also recognize your expertise in an area. However, avoid endorsing Skills where you lack deep knowledge of a connection’s capabilities. Endorse thoughtfully and judiciously. And remember endorsements should be reciprocal – so Scratching someone’s back who didn’t scratch yours first generally won’t yield results.
Keep it Updated
As you gain new skills from experiences, certifications, or courses, remember to update your LinkedIn Skills section accordingly. You want it to reflect your current capabilities, not just historical ones. Similarly, edit or remove outdated Skills that are no longer applicable as your career progresses. Treat it as a living profile that requires ongoing curation. Set a reminder every quarter to review and refresh your Skills. Proactively requesting endorsements from new connections for latest Skills can also help keep this section up-to-date.
Use Standardized Skill Names
LinkedIn has a predefined list of standardized Skill names. Where possible, use these standard names which allow your skills to be more easily discovered and understood by others. For example, use Agile Methodology instead of Agile Project Management. You can reference LinkedIn’s Skill taxonomy here: https://skills.linkedin.com/
Show Variety and Range
While focusing on your core target skills, also consider showing some complementary skills that showcase your wider capabilities. For example, an Accountant could include skills like Budgeting, Auditing, Financial Reporting and Communication or Leadership Skills. This conveys a more well-rounded profile beyond just technical skills. Including transferable skills indicates you can apply your capabilities across multiple roles or industries. It also gives recruiters more keywords to match against.
Align with Job Descriptions
When applying for specific job opportunities, carefully tailor your Profile Skills to match the required or desirable skills listed. Recruiters often search profiles using job descriptions. So optimized Skills alignment allows better targeting. You can even prioritize your Skills section in your profile to push the most relevant ones to the top. Customizing your Skills for each application helps get your profile noticed.
Use Numbers to Quantify
Where possible, use numbers, metrics, or specifics to quantify your skill levels or experiences. For example, Social Media Marketing – Executed campaigns for 10+ brands, 500K+ followers, Digital Advertising – $5M+ spend managed. Using quantifiable details conveys higher proficiency vs just generic skills. It also indicates your skill application and impact.
Ensure Accuracy
It can be tempting to overstate or exaggerate your skills to look more impressive. But it’s important that your Skills section remains accurate and ethical. Listing skills where you have limited capability or experience could backfire during interviews or on the job. So while positioning your skills favorably, also ensure they are legitimate areas where you can deliver if tested. Authenticity and transparency are key.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn Skills & Endorsements section is valuable profile real estate to showcase your strengths. Follow these best practices to make it work effectively for you:
– Align with your target roles
– Focus on your strongest skills
– Back up with endorsements
– Keep it updated
– Use standard naming conventions
– Show variety beyond just technical abilities
– Customize it for specific job applications
– Quantify your skill level or experience where possible
– Maintain accuracy and authenticity
A well-optimized Skills section allows you to get your profile in front of the right people and opportunities. So put in the work to properly highlight your capabilities and credentials. This will maximize LinkedIn’s impact for your career advancement.
