LinkedIn Skills & Expertise: Do’s and Don’ts

Most recruitment agents are on LinkedIn looking for people to fill the jobs that they have on their books.  They find people by using keyword searches, looking for specific skills that the organisation they are recruiting for requires. Now, I know I’ve said this said this before, but LinkedIn is just a computer application.  When someone carries out a search it will only display results where the LinkedIn profile contains the word being searched for. If the skills that someone wants are not in your profile, then you will not show up in the search results. So here are my do’s and don’t in relation to LinkedIn skills & expertise:

1.  Research the core skills in your field of expertiseWhatever job you do, there are always core skills required for that job and you would be expected to include them somewhere in your profile.  Sit down and pretend you’re writing a job description for your job and write down the core skills that someone replacing you should have. If you’re not sure, have a look on the LinkedIn jobs tab and search for jobs in your field.  What skills keep coming up?

If you’re having trouble, break down the skills of your job into sections such as:

• Industry-specific skills e.g. Java. Javascript, HTML, MS Project.
• Specialist skills e.g. Search engine optimisation, MS Visio.
• Management skills e.g. risk, people, talent, project, etc
• Core IT skills e.g. Microsoft office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
• Core business skills e.g. customer service, project management.
• Soft skills e.g. presentation skills, negotiation skills, teamwork.

2. Research the core skills at the companies you want to work for

Take a look at the companies page on LinkedIn. They may have a careers tab, in which case, have a look at some of the jobs being advertised and see what skills they look for. (The companies pages used to have an Insights tab which would tell you the top 5 skills in the organisation, but that appears to have gone!)

3. Check out the skills section of your peers

If you’re short on ideas, do a keyword search for a specific job title and look at the profiles of those who show up top in the search results.  What are their most endorsed skills?

4. Make sure that you have at least 3 skills recorded

Amongst other things, LinkedIn requires 3 skills for a profile to be considered complete. (Complete profiles show up higher in search results.) You can actually have up to 50 different skills recorded, so don’t be afraid to make the most of them.

5. Ask for endorsements.

Unlike recommendations, where people have to write something nice about you and the work that you carried out for them, endorsements for skills are your connections way of saying yes, you can do that. They validate what it is that you can do. Don’t be afraid to ask for an endorsement from colleagues.  LinkedIn will suggest them anyway!

Aim to get your top 10 skills endorsed by at least the number of people to complete the line (in my case, that’s 12 endorsements per skill)

6.  Give endorsements

If you know someone, and they have demonstrated a skill to you e.g. they delivered a training course that you attended, then endorse them for that skill.  What you’ll find is that they’ll probably reciprocate.

7. Display your endorsements

You have listed your skills and people have started to endorse them. But if you have not ticked “Display your endorsements” then no-one will be able to see them. It may be OK to hide your light under a bushel, but if someone takes the time to validate your skills, then you should display them. If you don’t, people assume that you have no endorsements to show!

8. Move your skills section

Did you know that the different sections in LinkedIn can be moved, allowing you to put them in an order that best reflects your resume?  If you have a strong skills section with lots of endorsements, consider moving it, so that the person viewing your profile sees your summary section first, then your skills, then your experience.

9.  Be prepared to answer questions on that skill at interview

If you have applied for a job and get short-listed for interview, be prepared for the interviewer to ask about your skills e.g. when was the last time you did XYZ?

1. Don’t mis-spell your skillYou’d be surprised, but it’s very easy for a typo to get missed, and many people will wonder, if you can’t spell the skill, can you actually do it???

2. Don’t automatically accept skills suggestions

Some people will suggest skills for you that are not included in your profile.  While they may be helpful, and in most cases you will accept them, before you do, check that they reflect the image that you want to project. Adding Microsoft Word as a skill for an admin assistant would be useful, but for the CEO of a large organisation, would be pointless!  You need to manage your skills and endorsements.

3. Don’t endorse people that you don’t know

On LinkedIn, you’ll build up a network of contacts and LinkedIn will helpfully suggest people and skills to be endorsed.  Don’t endorse every skill of everyone you are connected with. Only endorse the skills that you know them for.  It may be that you have noticed, through discussions in a group that they have a specific understanding in a given area, then that’s ok, but validating skills without merit does the person (and yourself) a disservice.

4.  Don’t pay for endorsements
You may, for example, see gigs on Fiverr.com or similar websites, where people are offering paid recommendations and endorsements.  Don’t use them.  They will end up costing you your credibility.

If you found this blog post “LinkedIn Skills & Expertise: Do’s and Don’ts” helpful, then please let me know, and if you feel you would benefit from some help with your LinkedIn profile, then consider getting a full, systematic review of your profile or some one to one training and support.