Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile’s New Skills Section

Sharlyn Lauby, SPHR, CPLP, is the HR Bartender, whose blog is a friendly place to discuss workplace issues. When not “bartending,” Sharlyn is president of Internal Talent Management, which specializes in leadership training and human resources consulting.

Keeping your social media profiles updated is a key component to your success. If you want potential opportunities to come your way via social media channels, then your profile has to be current. This is especially true if you are using social media as part of your strategy to get a new job.

Since 2002, LinkedIn has been building the world’s largest professional network on the Internet. It now has more than 90 million users in 200 countries, who conducted nearly two billion people searches last year.

New LinkedIn User Profile Section

LinkedIn recently introduced a new section to user profiles, which helps you organize your skills and assets. In this new section, displayed immediately after your education credentials, you can add a section that highlights skills, languages, patents, certifications and publications. Prior to this, you had to get creative and figure out a good place to place these brag-worthy items, often in the education or summary sections. Now they can stand out on their own and show what a well-rounded job candidate you are.

When LinkedIn introduced this new section, the immediate thought would be that showcasing these areas on your profile would move you up in LinkedIn search queries — and it very well may do that. But it appears that some of the new sections might not be in the search algorithms… yet. That being said, don’t ignore what these new sections can add to your LinkedIn profile and how they might impress the recruiters who might be searching for you.

Source: Mashable

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