Industry Knowledge, Tools & Technologies, Interpersonal Skills, Languages, or Other Skills are the categories for Skills and Endorsements on LinkedIn, in addition to your top 3 skills.
The maximum number of skills you can have is 50, so should you have 50?
Well … it depends on your strategy.
If you request that people endorse you for skills and you have fewer than 50 skills, you might reach the 99+ category of endorsements for each skill faster.
However, if you want to include as many of your keywords as possible, then you will want to take advantage of having the 50 that you are allowed, as skills can strengthen your profile.
Just make sure you pin your top three skills at the top by clicking the pin on or off.
Here are Linkedin’s instructions to add and remove skills on your profile.
If you were not aware, you can reorder your skills by simply dragging and dropping. Just make sure you click SAVE before you close the window.
The only way people can endorse you for your skills or you endorse them is to be first level connections. Note that you can manage your settings for receiving or giving endorsements also.
If, for some reason, you wanted to hide (or unhide) a skill endorsement, you can do that too.
Something new to endorsements is the level of how qualified the person is – good, very good, highly skilled and whether you worked directly or indirectly with that individual. Although LinkedIn would like you to get specific, you don’t have to.
Here’s to wishing you many “thumbs up” endorsements from your first level connections, whether it is reciprocating from your endorsing them or them just wanting to give you kudos!
Remember it is better to give than to receive … well maybe not when it’s your own profile! It’s always better to receive!
NEXT STEPS
- Subscribe to my newsletter on LinkedIn™ for bright ideas on how to manage your career.
- If you need a resume or LinkedIn™ profile to get you to your next step, book a call to chat!
- Join as a member at https://greatcareers.org/membership of the #1 business networking association on the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Book of Lists four years in a row!
- To support our charity at KeepOnSharing.com use the referral code Career
- Follow #GreatCareersPHL
AUTHOR BIO
Lynne M. Williams is the Executive Director of the Great Careers Network, a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides career development and networking connections for 1) job seekers in career transition, including veterans, and 2) employed and self-employed for career management.
Aside from writing keyword-focused content for ATS resumes and LinkedIn™ profiles, Lynne is writing her doctoral dissertation on LinkedIn™ for Job Seekers. She is a contributing author on “Applying to Positions” in Find Your Fit: A Practical Guide to Landing the Job You Love, along with the late Dick Bolles, the author of What Color is Your Parachute?, and is also a speaker on career topics.
