LinkedIn Profile Tips 1.5 – List your Skills and Accomplishments
Many people neglect the LinkedIn Skills and Endorsements section in their profile. And the same goes for Accomplishments. But what you should know is that a LinkedIn profile, when populated with relevant skills and worthy accomplishments, stands out in searches.
LinkedIn says that –
“Profiles which have 5 or more skills listed are contacted up to 33x more by recruiters and other LinkedIn members, and receive up to 17x more profile views.”
So, it’s time to find out how to add good skills to your profile and also revamp the Accomplishments section.
This is Part 1.5 of “How to use LinkedIn to get jobs?” series.
Find relevant skills for your profile
Your LinkedIn profile has space to add 50 skills. And while you might not like to fill up the entire list, it will be beneficial if you do it the right way.
LinkedIn profile skills are searchable and when recruiters need a skill which you have, your profile will be there in the search results. So, list out the job roles you would like to have and brainstorm the skills you would need for them.
The list can include hard skills like Cloud Computing and UX Designing, as well as soft skills like creativity and adaptability.
With the set of right skills and keywords, your profile will have a better chance of coming up in searches. I touched the topic of keywords in the article about LinkedIn profile headlines, in brief.
Pick up the three most relevant skills
Once you have your list of skills, choose three of them to showcase. Yes, you can add 50, but LinkedIn shows only the top three unless someone clicks on “Show More”.
So, pick the skills in which you are an expert, and list them on the top. Yes, you guessed it right, Iced Coffee Expert, GTA Dominator and FRIENDS Fanatic need to go down the list. Replace them with skills which are more relevant professionally.
The top three skills which I have on my profile are Content Development, Creative Writing and Content Marketing.
Also, check this list of the most in-demand Hard and Soft skills, which LinkedIn shared in their blog.
Take care of endorsements
Listing suitable skills on your LinkedIn profile is only part of the work. You need endorsements for the skills you’ve listed. Only then the recruiters and the passers-by will consider you credible against those skills.
Let’s say you come across a profile of a Website Developer. You see a bunch of skills listed and noticed that 10+ people endorsed the guy for his Shopify skills. However, he has no endorsements for WordPress and Magento.
In such a case, you can safely assume that he can set up a website on Shopify, but his credibility for WordPress or Magento-based website would be doubtful.
But that doesn’t mean you should go on an Endorsement Request Drive to strangers.
List the skills you have. And then ask your friends, colleagues and employers, who can vouch for those skills, to endorse you.
Sprinkle your profile with accomplishments
Now that you’ve LinkedIn profile skills and endorsements in place, update the section for accomplishments too.
Quoting a few words from my previous article about work experience and education –
“Languages you speak, awards you won, projects you took part in and any professional activity you undertook, add them all. Those might be optional, but having a complete LinkedIn profile will impress the visitors.”
The Accomplishments section of LinkedIn allows you to showcase your publications, patents and projects. You can also add the languages you speak and the honours or awards you’ve received.
But don’t overdo.
Because you know how to speak Klingon, doesn’t mean you should add it there, unless you’re going to use it. Also, the punishment of cleaning the dormitory for a week doesn’t have to be listed as a project. It can get you some brownie points though, if you’re going to interview for babysitters.
Certificates which are no longer valid, publications which don’t add any value or awards which aren’t any impressive can be dropped from your profile too.
Have only those accomplishments in your profile which can strengthen your chances of getting the job you want.
A Few Final Words…
A well-curated list of accomplishments and a detailed list of skills can bring you many wonderful opportunities. While putting relevant skills increases searchability, adding important accomplishments will improve credibility. So, highlight your profile by showing more of yourself to the world.
Stand out!
