LinkedIn Skill Words/Phrases are important for your success using LinkedIn. However, don’t just leave them in the skills area. You have to get creative and deliberate about the use of these skill words.
Related: 8 Steps To Make The Most Of LinkedIn Skills
I asked LinkedIn to share with us exactly what fields are searched by the LinkedIn search tool. They declined to share this information. That’s OK - my testing answered the question for us.
There are at least nine (yes 9) areas of your LinkedIn Profile where you should put the words and phrases that present your Skills and Expertise. Spreading these words out across your LinkedIn Profile is one way to improve the chance your profile is viewed by the right people, and for you to be perceived as a professional in regards to the skill words you use.
Here are the nine areas of your LinkedIn Profile where these skill words/phrases need to be used to improve being discovered on LinkedIn:
1. Your Headline
Too often LinkedIn members are led to believe this is their title. It is not. It’s called a headline because you can use it for much more than just your job title. Consider using the pipe character “|” (usually shift the “\” key) and putting your top 2 or 3 Skill phrases in your Headline after your normal title words.
2. Summary
Sprinkle your skill words/phrase out in the story you tell in your Summary area. This story needs to be all about who you are today including your skill words/phrases.
3. Job Titles
Your Job Titles should include the primary skill words/phrases that represent what you do in your current and job and what you did in previous jobs.
4. Job Descriptions
This area of your LinkedIn Profile is not for
your resume. Instead, it’s the story of what you do/did in this position. It’s also a great place to strategically sprinkle your primary keywords relevant to who you are.
5. Publication Descriptions
The only publications you should display on your LinkedIn Profile are documents relevant to who you are today. The description area is searched by LinkedIn search. Put relevant skill words/phrases here.
6. Organizations
This area of your LinkedIn Profile is where you present the relevant civic and industry Organizations you are a member of. If these Organizations have the Skill words/phrases in them, use them here.
7. Recommendations
Yes, make sure the people you ask for LinkedIn recommendations know what Skill words/phrases to “talk” up in the recommendation they share about you.
8. Education Descriptions
If you learned or honed your Skill words/phrases in school, list these words in your Education Description(s).
9. Skills
Oh Yeah, select all of your Skill words/phrases in LinkedIn Skills. This is the primary location for your Skill words/phrases, but as you can see, not the only useful place. You get to have 50 Skill words/phrases. Use them all deliberately. Hopefully your network will endorse you for your most important skills.
Your LinkedIn skill words/phrases are important in order to get success using LinkedIn. How have you created success using LinkedIn Skill words/phrase?
