LinkedIn Basics
Camelia Khadraoui
Your LinkedIn Skills section is a shortcut to making your profile shine. With 50 slots, the real question is: how many skills will truly set you apart on your Linkedin profile?
Let’s look at how many skills you should add and how to pick the ones that help you stand out.
In Short:
Your LinkedIn Skills section is crucial for getting noticed by recruiters and boosting your profile in searches.
Don’t list all 50 slots, aim for 20–30 targeted skills that reflect your expertise.
Start with your core hard skills, add supporting skills, and include relevant soft skills.
Pin the top three skills, update regularly, and collect endorsements.
Avoid clutter, outdated skills, or random filler.
Why Your LinkedIn Skills Are Important
💡 In short, your skills act as SEO keywords for your LinkedIn profile.
More and more, your skills matter just as much as your education, past employers, job titles, and work experience when it comes to landing a new job.
As a talent professional, you know that recruiters now use AI-powered tools to check how closely a candidate’s skills match the requirements for an open position.
Recruiters also look at a candidate’s work history, education, and activities to figure out their skills. They ask targeted questions in interviews and speak with references. Nearly half (48%) of LinkedIn hirers now use skills data directly to fill roles.
A recruiter’s job includes reviewing a candidate’s experience and education, interviewing them, and speaking with references.
However, hirers on LinkedIn today explicitly use skills data automations to filter applications and fill roles.
LinkedIn reads your skills to understand your expertise and connect you with the right opportunities. This helps you climb higher in search results which will eventually help you:
Show your credibility: Endorsed skills signal to others that you are trusted and proven in your field.
Spotlight your strengths: Skills let you showcase your top talents and keep you ahead of the competition.
By listing your skills and ranking them thoughtfully, you make a recruiter’s job easier, but most importantly, you increase your chances of being noticed.
What's The Ideal Number of Skills on LinkedIn
💡 LinkedIn allows up to 50 skills, but you don’t need to use all of them.
The ideal number to add is between 20 and 30 selected skills that you have mastered.
Your LinkedIn Skills section is more than a checklist, it’s a shortcut to what you can actually do. It helps recruiters and collaborators quickly see your strengths and match you with the right opportunities.
Fewer than 10. Your profile may seem incomplete or unserious.
Around 20 to 30. Balanced, focused, and relevant. This is the ideal range for most professionals.
More than 40. Can make your profile look scattered and unfocused.
Remember, most recruiters value clarity and straightforward profiles. So, a smaller list of precise skills beats a long, random one every time.
How to Choose the Right Skills for Your LinkedIn Profile
When choosing which skills to add, be strategic. Go straight to the point and focus on the skills that truly show what you do best:
→ Start with your core expertise. Add the top 5–10 hard skills which are your strenght.
→ Include supporting skills. Add related abilities that complem.ent your strengths.
→ Use industry keywords. Think about what recruiters or clients type when searching for professionals like you.
→ Highlight your top three. Pin your strongest, most relevant skills at the top of your profile.
→ Update regularly. Remove outdated or irrelevant skills as your career changes.
1. List the hard skills that define you
Hard skills are the technical skills you develop through education and experience.
They are usually top of mind when discussing your strenghts or when in a skills-based hiring. They often involve using a machine, software, or tool ranging from:
Technical skills : Microsoft ; Adobe Suites; data analysis ; SQL and digital marketing
Educational skills : Screen writing; film editing; sales;
When filling your skills section, start with the hard skills that are your what your ideal target role requires.
Also, increase your credibility by highlighting relevant trainings, education, and certifications that support your claims.
2. Include your soft skills
“Hard skills get you the interview but soft skills get you the job.”
Soft skills are the abilities that shape your personality and how you work, interact, and communicate with coworkers and teammates. They include talents like communication, collaboration, leadership, listening, and problem-solving etc.
However, most workers struggle to identify their own soft skills because they are more difficult to measure than hard skills.
How to do it?
Take a personality test
Comb through your previous work reviews.
Ask your family and friends about your best traits
What does your senior coworker compliment you on?
What have your teammates usually say about you?
You can also take an assessment
For example, Platforms like Cappfinity and Harver offer gamified behavioral assessments to evaluate soft skills, social, and emotional characteristics.
If that isn’t possible, you could also try an online self-assessment like the Skills Health Check offered by the National Careers Service in the U.K.
Top Overall Skills on LinkedIn You Could Use
If you’re choosing which skills to highlight on your profile or want to know what to work on next, pay attention to the skills that show up most often on LinkedIn.
These popular skills usually match what employers are looking for, so using them as a guide can help you align your profile with industry standards and make it easier for employers to find you.
Communication
Teamwork
Problem-solving
Analytical skills
Leadership
Sales
Management
Data analysis
Team leadership
Organizational skills
Top Soft Skills on LinkedIn
When you highlight your soft skills, choose the qualities that are most valued on LinkedIn. These traits show how well you work with others, communicate, and lead.
Communication
Teamwork
Problem-solving
Analytical skills
Leadership
Management
Team leadership
Organizational skills
Interpersonal skills
Negotiation
Top Hard Skills on LinkedIn
When you list your hard skills, focus on the technical abilities and tools that often show up on LinkedIn. These skills highlight your expertise and match what employers are looking for.
Sales
Data analysis
Marketing
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Python (programming language)
Research skills
SQL
Business development
Training
Social media
Of course, the frequency with which these skills show up isn’t a perfect predictor of what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for. Neither is it an ideal guide to what learning leaders are trying to teach and develop.
Top 4 Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced professionals sometimes make mistakes when updating their LinkedIn Skills. Steering clear of these common errors can help your profile look more polished, focused, and credible:
❌ Adding too many skills: Filling all 50 slots may look impressive at first, but a long list can overwhelm recruiters and make your main strengths less clear. Instead, highlight 20 to 30 skills that best show what you do well.
❌ Keeping outdated or irrelevant skills: Listing old software, beginner tools, or skills that no longer fit your current role can make your profile look outdated. Review your skills often and remove anything that does not support your professional image.
❌ Neglecting skill order: Your top skills should quickly show your strengths. If you do not reorder your skills, your most important abilities might end up at the bottom, where recruiters could miss them. Make sure to pin your three strongest and most relevant skills at the top.
❌ Ignoring endorsements: Endorsements show others that you really have the skills you list. Ask your colleagues, peers, and mentors to endorse your key skills. A skill section with plenty of endorsements helps you look more credible and trustworthy to recruiters and collaborators.
If you avoid these mistakes, your Skills section will better highlight your strengths, support your personal brand, and help you get noticed for the right opportunities.
To Wrap it Up
Your Skills section does more than just look good. It helps LinkedIn recognize your expertise and connect you with the right opportunities.
Focus on 20 to 30 relevant skills,
Include both hard and soft skills,
Highlight the three that fit your next role best.
So take a few minutes today to review your skills and remove any that are not useful, add keywords that match your target role, and ask colleagues to endorse your top skills.
Don't forget to check back each month. These small changes will increase your visibility, credibility, and attract better opportunities.
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