Show your Stuff by Using your LinkedIn Skill Words/Phrases

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.

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 eight, (yes 8) 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 eight 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?

If you want to learn more Networking Skills read my book Networking for Mutual Benefit.

If you want to learn more Social Media Skills read my book Success using Social Media.

If you need coaching on LinkedIn so that you can manage your networks better, consider my LinkedIn Coaching Program.

* This post was written by Career Confidential LinkedIn Expert Teddy Burriss of Burriss Consulting, Inc.  Follow Teddy Burriss on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook to learn more about his Social Media Coaching and Career Transition services.