LinkedIn Skills: The 9 Most Important Skills

Which skills to put on LinkedIn?

You’re probably wondering what to highlight on LinkedIn. In reality, it really depends on your industry and your hidden talents 😉 But, there are qualities that appeal and are in vogue, as well as prized skills. Already, you need to know how to identify the difference between.

• “Know-how” = “hard skills”,
• “social behavior” = “soft skills.”

Both are important, but you have to know how to separate them and when to emphasize one or the other.

As you can see, the trends are towards soft skills in 2022. It’s been a little over a year since the balance has shifted. Employers have realized that having 5 years of management experience does not mean that you have good leadership skills. So for some strategic and especially managerial jobs, your hard skills will shine less brightly than others on your resumé. ✨

It’s the same thing for team-based job offers, you absolutely need to know how to communicate, be caring and have empathy. To summarize:

• If you have a managerial or steering position = Highlight your soft skills.
• If you have a very specific or technical job = Put forward your know-how.
• For everything else = Do a mix of both, but only speak about the key skills.

Think about it 🐡 even though recruiters put soft skills on the front burner, they are hard to measure until you are actually known. If you write on LinkedIn that you’re smiley and a good communicator… You need to get recommendations along those lines to back up your words and give you credibility. I’ll explain how a little below. 😉

But first, let’s take a look at the skills employers are looking for which will make your profile more attractive. 😎

Before copying and pasting the top 3 list, still try to keep in mind that lying is not pretty, and it’s better to have real identified and reliable skills than to invent a know-how just because it’s on top of the podiums. 😂

Soft Skills most in demand in 2022

Internationally, soft skills are becoming more and more important in recruitment decisions, especially in marketing fields.

• The sense of efficiency.
• Organizational skills.
• Communication skills.
• Emotional intelligence.
• Social intelligence.
• Versatility.
• Flexibility.
• Team spirit
• Solidarity with others.
• Sense of initiative
• Creativity.

Train in Soft Skills on LinkedIn

Yes, it’s also possible to train in interpersonal skills. In fact, it’s a bit like reading a personal development book quickly. 🔥

I can understand that some people find it hard to imagine that you can work on your sympathy rate or your benevolence, but in fact, it is a very common practice, and you are the first beneficiaries. Since I developed my stress management and listening skills, I can assure you that I have never felt better at work. Whatever you study, make sure you do it for yourself first, and then you will naturally shine to others. 🌞

Sense of Efficiency

• On LinkedIn – How to Work Smarter, Not Harder: Save Time and Money and Increase Productivity.
• On LinkedIn – Efficient Time Management.
• On YouTube –16 minutes productivity guide.

Organization

• On LinkedIn – Free tools to help you manage your time and get organized.
• On YouTube – Free tools for organization

Communication skills

• On LinkedIn – Manage your interpersonal communication better
• YouTube –  Build your confidence by learning communication skills.

Emotional intelligence:

• On LinkedIn – How to develop it in 1 hour.
• YouTube –The Art of beeing yourself. 
• Book – The 4 Toltec Agreements

Initiative

• On LinkedIn – Leading change.

Creativity

• On LinkedIn – Understanding and Improving creativity.
• On LinkedIn – Banish Your Inner Critic to Unleash Creativity.
• Video Tedx – Unleashing your creativity.

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9 most in-demand Hard Skills in 2022

Hard Skills are increasingly turning to digital skills. The IT world is evolving so fast, that every two years these jobs will change, evolve and new jobs will derive from them.

As vulcanpost would say,

The future is tech.

It is also important to know that many schools are not at the forefront of new technologies, so it is quite difficult to train in the latest tools without doing your own work.

• Blockchain.
• Video design.
• Cloud Computing.
• Web analytics.
• AI (Artificial Intelligence).
• UX Design.
• Business development.
• Affiliate marketing.
• Online sales.

Train yourself on the new hard skills on the market on LinkedIn

Because it’s not necessarily easy to keep up with the demands of the market, I’ve put together a little compilation of LinkedIn Learning training materials you can work through so as to improve your skills in one or more of these categories. 🌞

Blockchain:

• Beginner: The basics of Blockchain.
• Beginner: Becoming an IT Leader.
• Beginner (Tedx videos): More about BlockChain. 

Video Design:

• Beginner: Video game design.

Cloud Computing:

• Beginner: The essentials of Cloud Computing.
• Intermediate: Becoming a Cloud Administrator.
• Intermediate: The Most Important Content KPIs.

Web analytics:

• Beginner : Establishing and measuring KPIs.
• Intermediate: Learn about Marketing and communication.
• Advanced: Advance Your Skills in Predictive Analytics (11h).

AI (Artificial Intelligence):

• Beginner: The basics of artificial intelligence.
• Intermediate: Master the Fundamentals of AI and Machine Learning
• Advanced: Become an expert in AI and Machine Learning. 

UX Design:

• Intermediate: Learning Infographic Design.
• Intermediate: Universal principales of Design. 

Business Development:

• Beginner : Basics of Growth Hacking.

Affiliate Marketing:

• Intermediate : Succeed in your strategy.

Online Sale:

• Intermediate:
  • Google Ads essentials.
  • Improving your e-commerce.
  • The essentials of presta Shop.
  • Getting your website online with visibility.

And now, let’s zoom in a little to understand why the demand is so high. 😮

LinkedIn skills related to artificial intelligence and data science

With a 40% increase in recruitment in 2022, this is clearly a job where demand is higher than supply. (In recruitment, the supply is the service provider, so the candidate).

4 key skills sought for this sector:

• Machine learning,
• Computer vision,
• R language,
• Data science.

2 Mainly sought-after positions:

• Engineer in Machine learning,
• Data Science expert,

LinkedIn skills for Sales and Business Development

Business Developer positions were among the most sought after in 2021, and the curve continues to climb in 2022.

5 Sought-after Skills for a BizDev:

• Innovative and digital sales techniques,
• Team player,
• Business development,
• Commercial prospecting
• Very good use of digital (automation, CRM)

5 Most Wanted Positions:

• Commercial negotiator,
• Partnership manager,
• Business manager,
• Business Development Manager,
• Commercial operations manager.

9 Skills sought for the job:

• Social networks and community management,
• Google Analytics,
• WordPress or other CRM, (blog management),
• Good technical and digital knowledge,
• Growth hacking,
• Brand content expertise,
• Digital graphic design (Adobe suite),
• SEO copywriting,
• Google Ads strategy, SEA,

4 Most common positions in 2022:

• Marketing manager
• Growth hacker
• Social network manager (Community manager)
• E-Marketing strategy manager

Source: LinkedIn Study.

How do you add skills on LinkedIn?

• Click on: “View profile”.
• Scroll down to the “Skills” section.
• Click on the Edit icon.

A list appears, just “add skills” in the right category.

• Main skills.
• Industry knowledge.
• Tools and technology.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Language skills.
• Other skills.

The “main skills” tab can only hold 3 main skills. Focus on the Hard Skills you are looking for. Put Soft Skills in “Interpersonal Skills”, like teamwork for example.

Which skills are useless on your LinkedIn profile?

• The office package. Generally, everyone knows how to use it, so it makes your presentation a bit poor. Prefer tools that are more difficult to learn, if you have them.
• Knowledge of a language. We don’t care if you know how to write your name in Japanese, either you speak a language or it’s irrelevant.
• Catch-all words: “serious”, “rigorous”, “perfectionist”. They don’t mean anything anymore.
• Evasive words: choose “analytical skills” over “statistics”, it’s more precise and professional.
• Skills that no longer have anything to do with your business or your target business. If you put “customer service” when you’re applying for a position as a writer, it’s no longer relevant.

What are other places to highlight your skills on your profile?

• Your headline – You can note your expertise and/or skills.
• The info tab – noting your background and anecdotes that define your hard and soft skills.
• The selection tab – Highlight your successes or achievements.
• Experience – Here you can spread out everything you’ve learned or achieved during your professional journey.

How do I delete skills on LinkedIn?

• Click on: “View Profile.”
• Scroll down to the “Skills” section.
• Click on the Edit icon.
• In the window, scroll to the skill you wish to delete and click on the trash can button next to it.
• Don’t forget to click save to confirm your edits. 😁

How to recommend skills on LinkedIn?

Read this explanation if you want to recommend skills from one of your connections on LinkedIn. What’s the point of recommending skills?

The more skills a person has that have been “validated” by other network members, the more credible that skill becomes to recruiters, managers, targets or clients.

If we take the example below, having 46 recommendations from Experts, clients and colleagues on SEO and 18 on project management shows a certain “reputation”. It is easier then to prove your skills. 😁

So, if you want to give a colleague a boost or highlight a provider’s expertise, this is where it happens. 🤩

• Go to the profile of your relationship – the one you want to compliment.
• Scroll down to the “Skills and Recommendations” section. You can simply recommend one of the skills this person wanted to highlight. You can’t add skills that they didn’t pre-determine.
• Click on the (+).
• LinkedIn asks you for two little pieces of information: the level of expertise and how you were able to evaluate it – that is, how you know yourself.

.

How do I get skill recommendations on LinkedIn?

First, make sure you are accepting recommendations. In the same place on your profile, (in edit skills), you have access to a “adjust skills” button. If you click on it, you have three options.

Turn them all green and continue reading. 🟢

On the other hand, you can’t ask for recommendations on your skills. You can’t go up to someone and say:

“hey-hey, you can say I know how to do that.”

However, it is possible to ask for a written recommendation on your profile. In this case, your interlocutor chooses carefully, gets a pop-up in his email, saying that you want compliments. 😂

No idea why LinkedIn didn’t do the same thing with skills, but my little finger tells me it’s to avoid spamming people too much. All you have to do is:

• Go to your profile,
• Under expertise, click on “Request a recommendation”
• Write down the name of the person you want to ask and what your connection is.

You can also go to the relevant person’s profile and you’ll find in the same place “Request a recommendation.”

This is even better, as it can really make a difference on your profile. This is especially the case if you receive recommendations from influential people. Tip: get a variety of references from clients, managers, employees, contractors… People you feel comfortable enough with to ask for some well-deserved compliments. If you’re not comfortable with asking, you might as well wait for it to come to you. 🌞

How do I edit my skills on LinkedIn?

• Click on: “View Profile”.
• Scroll down to the “Skills” section.
• Click on the Edit icon.
• There you can pin a skill to highlight it: you can only select 3 main ones!

If you want to add some, here’s how:

• Go to your profile picture > View profile.
• Scroll down to the Skills and Recommendations section.
• Press the Edit icon.
• Press and hold the icon and drag it to the desired position.
• Save.

FAQs: How do you organize your skills on LinkedIn?

How to post your resume on LinkedIn?

To create a resumé on LinkedIn

• Go to your profile.
• Click on “add section to profile.”
• Click on “summary” under the “info” bar
• Start your resume.

Follow the link to learn the 5 mistakes not to make on your LinkedIn resume. To post a resume on LinkedIn:

• Create a post.
• Click on the image icon or attach a document. (depending on the format).
• Upload your resume.
• Write a brief description of what you have to offer.
• Confirm the changes

Want some sample messages for when you’re contacting a recruiter on LinkedIn? Follow this enviar uma mensagem ao recrutador.

What are interpersonal skills on LinkedIn?

You’ve probably heard of interpersonal skills on LinkedIn or elsewhere. To be clear, these are what we now call soft skills. That is, social skills. Interpersonal = between people. As we said, they have been really popular since 2021 and are more and more sought after by recruiters, directors and managers of teams.

Why? Because working with jerks is complicated.

Quite simply. It’s very expensive to hire someone with a permanent contract who will end up working poorly because he or she doesn’t know how to integrate or question him or herself. So now you’re convinced that you’re one of the good guys who know how to question themselves and work for a better world? Put it forward!

Showcase your interpersonal skills on LinkedIn

• Mention them in your resumé on the network, especially if you are looking for a job.
• Associate your most significant soft skills directly under your name, in the headline (Related article: the best headline for your profile), examples :
  • Expert in recruitment and caring at work. 🌞
  • CEO – Positive energy leader at @X. 🤗
• Pair them with an anecdote in the “Info” tab. Your soft skills should echo your previous personal and professional experiences. Storytelling helps confirm your words by adding meaning. Touch your interlocutor so that he/she can identify with you, like when you read a novel.
• Make the connection to your job. Explain how your interpersonal skills help you perform better at your job.
• Post on LinkedIn! Showing your value takes time and creativity, but more importantly, it takes connection. How are people going to know you are caring or creative if you don’t show them? It’s not enough to read it on your profile. LinkedIn is a community, learn to be a part of it.

How to do a skills assessment on LinkedIn?

To complete a skills assessment on LinkedIn, you have 3 main options!

• You can take a skills quiz.
• You can take a certified LinkedIn Learning course.
• Find a consultant or firm that specializes in skills assessment.

The LinkedIn Skills Quiz

To find it, just go to where your skills are (scroll to the bottom of the page) and select the Quiz. For an easier way to find the quiz that fits you, go directly to the search tab. 🔍

For example, I wanted to showcase my web writing skills. I type in SEO and find a Quiz: “Search Engine Optimization Assessment.” All I have to do is take the quiz and answer the questions.

Once you’ve answered you get a skill badge that you can proudly display on your LinkedIn profile as a testament to your awesome talents.

LinkedIn Competency Quiz Answers

❗💥I have the answer to every LinkedIn Quiz. 😮❗

The Skills Quiz isn’t necessarily super fun to take. It’s time consuming and “risky.”

In fact, you have to be in the top 30% to get the badge.

Plus, if you don’t get the badge on the first try, LinkedIn offers you a small amount of training to help you improve.

It’s too good, clearly, sometimes it’s better not to get it and win free courses. But you can’t take a quiz again for 6 months! (To give you time to learn…) But 6 months is a long time! On the other hand, if like me, you like to save time and always had a cheat sheet in school, you can make your life a little easier and access the answers to all the Quizzes 🤫!

HERE are the answers to the LinkedIn Quizzes!❗

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn has a whole “Learning” area with thousands of training courses.

They don’t give you access to a qualified degree or certification. However, you get a digital diploma from LinkedIn.

It’s more to show off than for the substance. But it makes sense on LinkedIn as it’s an ultra-recognized professional social network and it lets others know that you are proactive in developing your skills. In short, it can’t hurt you!

On the other hand, the downside is that access to LinkedIn Learning is not free (see the different plans), however the quizzes are.

Consultant or a firm specialized in skills assessment on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great place to find a maximum of information and contacts. If you want to complete a “real” skills assessment, specialized and detailed, you can find a consultant. Here is a non-exhaustive list.

• Sabine Clement – Consultant in the accompaniment of professional transitions.

• Laure Bennahmias – Consultant in Career and Work Psychology.

• Stéphanie Couffin– Consultant in VAE., career management, skills assessment.

I just typed “skills assessment LinkedIn” on Google, you can do the same thing, or do a direct LinkedIn search > people > skills assessment. 🥳

Conclusion

You now know how to:

• Write, request, edit your LinkedIn skills.
• Do’s and Don’ts about your skills.
• How to improve soft skills easily.
• Which courses you can take to improve soft and hard skills.
• Why you should have people write about you and confirm your skill set.

And last but not least, you know what skills are most in demand in 2022 and how to train for them. It’s time to make your LinkedIn skills shine 💜

Elodie 31/05/2024