If you are job searching, hiring managers will always review your LinkedIn profile to research you, and first impressions are critical. The Skills & Endorsements section of your profile is important for 2 reasons. First, hiring people like to see a high number of endorsements next to each category since that shows that you have a large network that is willing to vouch for you. Second, endorsements in the Skills section help your profile to have more visibility on LinkedIn, and to rank higher on search-results lists (as long as you have the correct keyword categories listed).
LinkedIn allows you to list 50 skills categories on your profile, but listing that many categories means that your list will become unfocused. Ideally, 30 to 35 categories is the perfect number. Most people add actual skills, since that is what the section is called; however, that is not the best way to utilize this section to help your profile to be found by hiring people. Instead, focus on the words that a hiring person would potentially search for on LinkedIn to find your profile, and use those words as your skills categories.
Most important keywords: Job titles
The number one item searched for by hiring people on LinkedIn is the title of the open position that they are trying to fill. For example, if they are looking for a Client Services Manager, then that is the term for which they will search, along with the zip code of wherever the position is located. LinkedIn generates a list of 1,000 profiles that are a good match for the searched-for term, and the hiring person reviews this list for a potential hire for their position. The way LinkedIn selects the profiles for this list is simply based on how many times the searched-for term appears on each profile. For example, if you have Client Services Manager on your profile 4 times, you will appear lower on the search-results list than anyone who has that term more than 4 times on their profile. The more times you have the searched-for term, the better, as you will appear higher in the search-results list (the goal is to appear on page 1 for increased visibility).
An easy method to increase your job title keyword count is to add titles to the Skills & Endorsements section. Every endorsement that you receive next to a skills category makes that category count again for purposes of the LinkedIn algorithm. So, if you add Client Services Manager as a category, and receive 20 endorsements next to it, you have now added that term 20 times more to the backend of your profile. Focusing on job titles will help your profile to rank higher for important keywords so that more hiring people will find and view your profile.
The hard way: How to increase skills endorsements
You may increase your skills endorsements by sending LinkedIn messages to your first-level connections, and asking them to endorse you. Use this technique sparingly because if you are looking for a job and you start messaging connections to endorse you, it may be perceived as desperation, which is the last thing you want to convey when job searching.
Another method is to endorse your connections, and hope that they will endorse you back. This is not a good strategy since hiring people may click on the profiles of the people who endorsed you, and they will be able to see that you endorsed those people. Reciprocal endorsements lower your credibility since they are perceived negatively. You want hiring people to see that you received endorsements because you deserved them, not because you endorsed someone and that person felt obligated to endorse you back.
The easy way: How to increase skills endorsements
A quicker method to guarantee that more than 300 skills endorsements will be added to your profile within a few days is to invest in the LinkedIn Boost Service from Ace Your Interview. This Service adds the correct keywords for your industry and job position to the Skills section of your profile, and then adds 600+ first-level connections and 300+ skills endorsements to your profile. Learn more on the Ace Your Interview website.
Victoria LoCascio, president of Ace Your Interview, is one of the most highly regarded career experts in the industry. As a hiring manager with 10+ years of business experience, she has conducted 1,000s of interviews with potential employees, and has hired 100s of people. Victoria is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer, Certified Employment Interview Professional, Certified Negotiation Expert, Certified SEO Expert, and has master’s degrees in both Leadership and Communication.
