How To Add Your Skills to LinkedIn

According to post-hire research undertaken by LinkedIn, job seekers hired through the platform are less likely to leave their new position within six months, and top recruiters are 60% more engaged with LinkedIn recruiting tools. This means that your LinkedIn skills could be crucial in attracting recruiters and securing you a new job. This is partly because top skills and endorsements can drive targeted traffic and increase your profile views. Of course, the amount of attention you get is dependent on the key skills you have. LinkedIn has found that some skills, like artificial intelligence, cloud computing and blockchain, generate more interest than others.

So yes, LinkedIn skills are important in a number of ways, and the endorsements section is a crucial part of how the algorithm treats your profile. In this article, we will discuss:

• Which skills to add to your LinkedIn profile
• How to add skills to LinkedIn
• How to edit and delete skills from LinkedIn
• How to verify your LinkedIn skills
• The importance of endorsements

If you want to level up your career prospects, it’s important to use LinkedIn correctly. There’s no point in adding every skill you can through LinkedIn Learning; you need to specialize. Here’s how you can determine which skills and certifications to add to your LinkedIn profile:

1.Hard skills for your industry

The hard skills that are essential to your industry should be among the first things that you add to your profile section, especially if you have certifications from prestigious companies like Microsoft or Google.

2.Soft skills you’ve developed

Next, you should think about the soft skills you have developed over your professional career. Consider soft skills such as good communication abilities, emotional intelligence, leadership or management skills, and adaptability, all of which can pique a hiring manager’s interest.

3.Anything you’ve been praised for at previous jobs

If you have been awarded or recognized for specific knowledge, skills or traits by previous employers, be sure to add them to your LinkedIn skill set.

In short, when adding specific skills to your LinkedIn profile, prioritize relevant skills that are connected to your industry. While it can be tempting to focus on hard skills, adding soft skills to your profile can be beneficial, especially if they are among some of the top searched skills on the platform. Skills like creativity and time management generate more interest than you might imagine.

Adding technical skills or soft skills to your LinkedIn profile is as simple as using the edit function. Simply scroll to the “Skills & Endorsements” section and click the pencil icon to add or delete skills. This is a very simple process but verifying your skills can be a little trickier. Here’s how you can do it:

Get an endorsement

When the LinkedIn skill endorsement system first aired, there were concerns about the fact that anyone could endorse the skills on a profile. The system has been refined since then, and highly endorsed skills are likely to increase the attention your profile gets.

Take a skill assessment

If you are proficient in using common software such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word or in skills like JavaScript, you can take a brief skills assessment to earn a verifying badge.

Get a LinkedIn Learning certificate

If you want to add new skills or verify non-formal skills, you can invest time in LinkedIn Learning. This feature is updated regularly to reflect sought-after skills and provides the opportunity to upskill or develop your professional capabilities. Once you finish a LinkedIn learning course, it will show on your profile.

Once you have added your skills, and included training, skill assessments or endorsements from people in your network, you will be more likely to see growth in the traffic reaching your LinkedIn profile. You might even begin to hear from recruiters.