Figuring out which skills to put on LinkedIn can help you optimize your profile to enhance your visibility and improve your career growth. Most recruiters use this platform to find new hires, and one of the primary things they search for is skills. However, many professionals make the mistake of adding too few or too many skills to their LinkedIn profile, or adding the wrong ones.
This article explores the importance of LinkedIn skills and teaches you how to include them. We’ll show you how to choose the right skills for your profile and which abilities are most sought-after in today’s hiring market.
Key Takeaways
You need to know which skills to put on LinkedIn, as this platform is being used more than ever by both job seekers and recruiters.
To add skills to your profile, click on the “Add profile section” button underneath your photo, then “Add skills,” before selecting a skill from a suggested list or adding it manually.
You should include between 20 and 30 relevant skills in your profile, and you should regularly update the list to add new abilities, delete outdated ones, and reorganize existing skills.
Avoid adding too many skills or leaving out industry keywords, since that can damage your profile’s visibility, making it harder for recruiters to find you.
Why LinkedIn Skills Matter More Than Ever
LinkedIn matters more than ever for job seekers and recruiters, making the skills section all the more important. Almost half of recruiters on LinkedIn (48%) state that they use skills when looking for talent.
On the other hand, the platform’s algorithm is more likely to match candidates with relevant opportunities if they have an optimized skills section. Skills that align with the keywords from the job descriptions, as well as endorsed skills, can significantly boost your profile’s visibility and result in plenty of opportunities.
More than that, the general hiring trend is shifting toward being skill-based. Companies and their recruiters are increasingly looking for professionals who can demonstrate job-related skills, and not just mention metrics like years of experience or degrees.
Lastly, it’s projected that 70% of all skills professionals use will change by 2030, mainly due to the development and implementation of AI. As a result, knowing what the best skills to add to LinkedIn are is no longer optional but necessary to remain employable.
How to Add Skills to Your LinkedIn Profile
Adding skills to your LinkedIn profile is simple, but doing it right is critical for your profile’s visibility.
That’s why we prepared a step-by-step guide on how to list skills on LinkedIn:
Sign in to LinkedIn and navigate to your profile.
Click on the “Add profile section” button located below your photo.
Choose “Add skills” from the dropdown menu.
Select the relevant skill from the list that will be suggested based on your profile, or input a skill manually.
Confirm and then choose to add more skills or to finish with the section.
Alternatively, once you’ve added the skills section to your LinkedIn profile, you can navigate to it and add the skills directly to the section, like in this image:
Your colleagues or clients can also endorse your skills, and you can include how you obtained them (e.g., specify which college). This adds credibility to your competence and strengthens your profile.
How to Reorder or Delete Irrelevant Skills
Here’s a brief guide on how to reorder your skills:
Head to the skills section and click on the edit button.
Click on three dots in the top right corner and choose “Reorder.”
Drag skills by pressing the “hamburger buttons” and arranging them in the order that you want.
To delete a skill, head to the skills section, click on the edit button of the skill you want to delete, and choose “Delete skill,” like in the following image:
You can add up to 100 skills to your LinkedIn profile. However, you should typically include between 20 and 30 of the most relevant skills. This will give you sufficient visibility while maximizing your LinkedIn profile optimization and keeping the list concise. Otherwise, the list may appear unfocused, and it could overwhelm recruiters.
How to Choose the Right Skills to Put on LinkedIn?
There are a few steps you can take to ensure you’ve chosen the right skills for your LinkedIn profile, including:
Matching your skills to the target job. If you’re applying for a specific role, the skills you display on your LinkedIn profile should match the ones highlighted in the job description.
Balancing hard and soft skills. Make sure to showcase a healthy mix of hard skills and soft skills to emphasize that you’re a well-rounded professional. While hard skills show your ability to perform technical tasks, soft skills indicate how organized and efficient you are and how well you work with others.
Aligning your LinkedIn skills with your resume. While a LinkedIn profile is typically much more complex and comprehensive than a resume, it should still align with the details in it. All of the skills you include in your resume should be on your LinkedIn profile, especially when you add your resume to your profile.
37 Top Skills to Put on Your LinkedIn
The most in-demand LinkedIn skills will primarily depend on your field and the job you’re after. However, some skills are highly sought-after across many industries, so you can use them as starting points to customize your list.
In-Demand Hard Skills
Hard skills are technical and job-specific. With the rise of AI and automation, the skills that allow professionals to leverage them are becoming increasingly sought-after. As many as 78% of businesses have adopted AI to use in their workflows.
Here are some of the most in-demand hard skills to put on LinkedIn:
Hard Skills
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Machine learning (ML)
Deep learning
Cybersecurity
Cloud computing
Software development
Digital marketing
Search engine optimization
Project management
Business analysis
Financial analysis
Data analysis
Data mining
UI/UX design
Graphic design
Video editing
Sales development
Business development
Regulatory compliance
Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy
In-Demand Soft Skills
In a professional world increasingly dominated by automation and artificial intelligence, soft skills remain in high demand. Research showed that 85% of business success depends on strong soft skills.
Here are in-demand soft skills to put on LinkedIn:
Soft Skills
Leadership
Management
Adaptability
Flexibility
Creativity
Emotional intelligence
Collaboration
Critical thinking
Decision-making
Conflict resolution
Negotiation
Active listening
Resilience
Public speaking
How to Get Endorsements That Strengthen Your LinkedIn Profile
To get endorsements that strengthen your LinkedIn profile, you should ask your colleagues, clients, or supervisors. People who have witnessed your work first-hand can validate your claims of competence.
LinkedIn endorsements add credibility to your qualifications and enhance your profile’s visibility. Plus, recruiters are more likely to believe that you truly have the skills that you claim if they have been endorsed.
However, instead of only asking for endorsements, you should give them in return. As a matter of fact, giving endorsements first is a great way to strengthen the professional relationship with another individual and a strong strategy for networking on LinkedIn. Plus, it maximizes the chances you get their endorsement.
For a final LinkedIn profile tip, you should reorganize your skill list to put the abilities that have been endorsed the most at the top. That way, they’ll appear higher in search results and be the first thing someone sees when they review your profile.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Listing Skills on LinkedIn
Here are some of the biggest and most common mistakes you should avoid when listing skills on your LinkedIn profile:
LinkedIn Skill Listing Mistakes
Adding too many unrelated skills. While LinkedIn allows you to list up to 100 skills, you shouldn’t list so many. An extensive list can be confusing and overwhelming to recruiters. Plus, unrelated skills take the attention away from the important abilities.
Leaving out industry keywords. Not using industry-specific language will make it difficult for recruiters to find you. That’s why your wording should be relevant to your industry and the role you’re after.
Forgetting to update or reorder the list. Your skill list should evolve with your career. You should regularly update the list and reorder it to put the most important and prominent abilities on top.
Copy-pasting resume skills without tailoring. Your LinkedIn profile should represent a more comprehensive representation of your career, and not just a repeat of a short resume.
Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile and Resume with Resume.co
Resume.co is your one-stop shop for all your job hunting needs.
Our LinkedIn hub comes with extensive tutorials and handy tools you’ll need to create an outstanding profile, maximize your visibility, and impress any recruiter.
Then, there’s our resume builder designed to allow you effortless creation of impressive ATS-compatible resumes. It comes with pre-made resume templates that you can customize to your liking using an intuitive interface, or use as is by filling them out with your details. Plus, we offer an extensive collection of resume examples you can use for further learning or inspiration.
Ready to make a job-winning resume in minutes?
Create my resumeClosing Thoughts
Once you understand which skills to put on LinkedIn and how, you’ll be one step closer to fully optimizing your profile. This is critical in improving its visibility and making it more appealing to recruiters who review it.
Don’t forget to regularly review your list of skills if you plan to use LinkedIn to find jobs. To achieve this, don’t be afraid to delete outdated or obsolete skills and put more relevant abilities at the top. This will help you keep your list concise and impactful, which is good for both the algorithm and recruiters visiting your profile.
Skills to Put on LinkedIn FAQ
#1. How many skills should I list on LinkedIn?
You should list between 20 and 30 skills on LinkedIn. While you can include up to 100 skills in this section, that is likely too much and can be distracting to recruiters; a concise list of relevant skills is more optimized and impactful.
#2. Should my LinkedIn skills match my resume?
Yes, your LinkedIn skills should match your resume; the same abilities you add to your resume should also be present on your profile. Recruiters often compare the two, and demonstrating consistency helps you build credibility.
#3. How do endorsements impact job search visibility?
Endorsements positively impact job search visibility as they act as social proof, validate your skills, and boost your credibility. This typically results in profiles being more discoverable and ranking higher in LinkedIn search results if they have more endorsements.
#4. How to get endorsed on LinkedIn?
The simplest and most effective way to get endorsed on LinkedIn is to ask your colleagues and clients to endorse you. Professionals who have first-hand knowledge of your work or experience collaborating with you are the best choice for corroborating your competence.
