How To Pick Skills on LinkedIn That Get Employers to Contact You?|Drjobpro.com

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It's our tradition when we create a new account on any platform! To fill out the details quickly with no goals but to discover and engage on the platform, LinkedIn is not an exception.

Professionals' signup and fill out their profile details, including the skills, randomly without thinking about their "target employers," so they find themselves picking the first 10 skills. After some time on the platform, they receive endorsements for not relevant skills to their target jobs, companies, or positions. For example, you can find a highly-professional expert endorsed for "communication skills" as the 1st skill on his profile.

Has it ever happened that an employer contacts a professional for his "communication skills" only?

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The fact is that many of these generic skills don't get the attention of the employers or they are highly used, so you'll not be able to stand out among others.

So, to get employers to contact you, you need to understand LinkedIn's algorithms that filter users based on "keywords" used during search and search with "skills" is an essential feature the platform provides to all recruiters.

Here, we provide you with a very effective strategy that you can adopt when listing your skills on LinkedIn to ensure that you reach more employers and recruiters with your skills and experience.

Tips to List Your Skills Effectively on LinkedIn

Realize Not all Professionals' Skills Are Equally Valued on LinkedIn

Realize Not all Professionals' Skills Are Equally Valued on LinkedIn
Be aware that when a recruiter searches for a candidate to fill a position, they search by keyword, say "software developer," and then browse the accounts of the first five professionals that appear in the search results with the most endorsements.

So, now head over to your LinkedIn account, search for the number one skill needed in your field, check the first result, and see how many endorsements this person has for their skills. You will need to prove that you have more experience than him to secure a higher ranking in the recruiters' search results.

And there are plenty of ways to be more experienced than the highest-ranking person on LinkedIn:

  • You can work with a more prominent company
  • Or work for more than one employer at the same time
  • Or specialize in various other fields besides the main field
  • Or work in many countries
Do as you see fit and put in the effort above! You won't get a job on LinkedIn if you don't prioritize gaining more experience and honing the skills that matter most to employers.

Master the Skill Ranking on Your LinkedIn Profile

Master the Skill Ranking on Your LinkedIn Profile
Start with general skill

It is always best to start with a generic, overarching skill that summarizes your entire professional identity. Type the "keyword" in your field in the skills search bar on LinkedIn, select results similar to your skills, and add them to your profile to ensure you get more exposure to recruiters

Narrow your skill list

This ensures that you make a small list of the essential skills in your field. You can get this list by doing the following:

  1. A Google search to identify the most in-demand skills in your field by defining the keywords mentioned in the search results.
  2. Browse job advertisements and identify skills that are in demand.
  3. Talk to professionals in your target field and see the most common skills.
  4. Talk to a counselor or career coach to help figure out what to focus on.
Expand your skill base

Start by mastering a high-level skill, then add several less relevant and in-demand skills. Visualize your skills in a hierarchy: start with one considerable skill at the top of the pyramid, add several small and medium skills afterward, and fill the lower level of your skill pyramid with lots of small micro-skills.

Be Like Your Skills

Be Like Your Skills
As we are now in the era of "personal branding," you have to select and list the skills that represent you as a professional.

Remember that your eligibility for the position will easily be discovered through the interview with the recruiter first and the Department head or the line manager second.

So, there's no need for hurting your reputation by listing random skills or higher skills just to get noticed by recruiters and appear as a "ninja" of your field.

Scan the Job Postings of the Leading Companies in Your Industry

Scan the Job Postings of the Leading Companies in Your Industry
If you want to find the most valuable skills in your field, you should read job postings of the leading companies in your area and discover how you describe these skills using keywords.

The more you understand the keywords recruiters use in your industry, the more effective your resume is when applying for a new job.

Job Postings make it easy for you to choose the perfect and most-searched-for job title in your field as well. It also provides you with indications about the ease or difficulty of the job, as the required skills indicate the extent of work experience and capabilities needed to fill the position.

Where can you find job postings on LinkedIn?

Go to the "Jobs" page to see the most popular jobs listed at the top of this page. Write down all the keywords mentioned in the job postings relevant to your industry, and include them on your profile to ensure that more employers can connect with you.

Avoid Generic Skills Like Communication, Business Writing, ETC

Avoid Generic Skills Like Communication, Business Writing, ETC
Mentioning these skills takes you off the race track as you are similar to many other professionals. If it is an essential advantage when talking about customer service jobs, having communication skills is not as important when talking about "data entry" jobs, where the job depends on dealing with the computer only.

So, include skills that show employers that you are a "solution" to all their problems. If it's not a straightforward solution, it might provide them with ideas to help them overcome a particular challenge, make a higher profit, or otherwise.

In other words: Show how to use your skills to benefit the employer in all cases and accomplish tasks differently each time while ensuring the best results. That is what gives a price to your skills!

Use the "Experience" Section to Showcase Your Skills

Use the Experience Section to Showcase Your Skills
The "Experience" section is among the most critical sections that catch the attention of business owners when browsing your LinkedIn profile. So, use it to talk about and explain your most essential skills and abilities and show how these skills and experiences helped you shine in your previous job and achieve achievement. Show your actual value by mentioning the results and numbers.

How to Verify Your Skills on LinkedIn?

How to Verify Your Skills on LinkedIn
LinkedIn offers you a feature to check your skills by conducting customized assessments to measure your level of experience.

It always pays to pass these tests, especially if you are looking for a career that requires specific skills.

According to LinkedIn research, job applicants who have passed the platform's short tests have an approximately 30% higher chance of being selected than those who did not take the tests.

Follow these steps for a skills assessment:

  • Scroll down to the "Skill Endorsements" section of your profile.
  • Select the test area, then select the appropriate skill assessments.
  • If you score at least 70%, you will get a "Verified Skill" badge next to the skill on your profile.
  • If you do not want to display the skill badge for any reason, you can change your privacy settings.
You may need to hone your skills before taking a skill assessment. You can achieve this by enrolling in one of the LinkedIn educational courses.

Finally,

A vibrant and diverse professional LinkedIn profile is the way forward. Update your skills regularly, adding new skills each time you acquire a new skill, and write short but specific descriptions of each skill.

Make your "excellence" a goal to easily attract top employers for your skills!