Add skills on LinkedIn
You add skills on LinkedIn through your profile. Choose Add profile section, open Core, and click Add skills. Type a skill, select the right suggestion, and click Save. You can also link the skill to a job or education.
Skills quickly show what you are good at. Think of project management, sales, search engine optimization, Excel, or presenting. That helps recruiters, clients, and new contacts see your strengths faster.
You can add up to one hundred skills in the main Skills section. You can also connect skills to a specific job. First-degree connections can endorse your skills.
Below, you will read how to add skills on a computer, iPhone, and Android. You will also learn which skills to choose, how to change the order, and how to remove old entries.
How do you quickly add a skill on LinkedIn?
Open your LinkedIn profile. Choose Add profile section, open Core, and click Add skills. Type the name of the skill and pick a suitable suggestion. If needed, add where you used this skill. Then save the change.
Use a name that other people recognize right away. For example, choose Project management instead of a made-up abbreviation. That makes the meaning clear for recruiters, clients, and other visitors.
Before saving, check whether you have already added a similar skill. That helps prevent duplicates and keeps all endorsements with the same skill.
Why are skills important on LinkedIn?
A job title does not say everything. Two people with the same title can have very different knowledge and experience. Skills make that difference visible.
They help in three ways:
- Visitors understand faster what you can do.
- Recruiters get extra context for your work experience.
- Connections can endorse your specific expertise.
A long list is not automatically better. The strongest skills should match the work you do now or want to do next. Choose carefully and put the most important skills at the top.
A relevant network can help more people see your expertise. If you want to grow your professional network, you can for example buy LinkedIn connections. Also make sure your profile stays complete, clear, and credible.
How do you add skills on a computer?
Follow these steps on the LinkedIn website:
- Log in to LinkedIn.
- Click Me at the top.
- Choose View profile.
- Click Add profile section.
- Open Core.
- Choose Add skills.
- Type the name of the skill.
- Select a suitable suggestion.
- If needed, add the job or education where you used the skill.
- Click Save.
Does the Skills section already exist on your profile? Then scroll to that section. Click the plus sign to add a new skill right away.
LinkedIn sometimes changes buttons and menus. If you do not see the exact same text, look for Add profile section, Skills, or Skills.
How do you add skills on iPhone or Android?
In the LinkedIn mobile app, it works almost the same:
- Tap your profile photo.
- Open your profile.
- Tap Add section.
- Open Core.
- Choose Add skills.
- Type and select the correct skill.
- If needed, link the skill to experience or education.
- Tap Save.
The exact button text may vary slightly depending on your language settings or app version. Always look for the Skills section. Update the app if a button is missing or not working properly.
| Device | Path in the app or website | Result | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer | Me, View profile, Add profile section, Core, Skills | Add a new skill | Choosing a skill that is too general |
| iPhone | Profile photo, Profile, Add section, Core, Skills | Save a skill | Not selecting the correct suggestion |
| Android | Profile photo, Profile, Add section, Core, Skills | Save a skill | Adding a duplicate skill |
Which skills should you add to LinkedIn?
Start with your goal. Are you looking for a new job, want to attract clients, or want to make your current expertise clearer? Choose skills that fit that goal and that you can explain with a real example.
Job-specific knowledge
These are skills that directly belong to your profession. Examples include bookkeeping, web development, graphic design, workforce planning, content strategy, and data analysis.
Look at vacancies or assignments that match your goal. Pay attention to terms that appear often, and only add them when you truly have that knowledge.
Tools and technology
List programs and systems you really know how to use. Think of Microsoft Excel, Adobe Photoshop, Salesforce, or a programming language. Do not add every program you opened only once.
Personal skills
Skills like communication, negotiation, and leadership can be useful. Make them credible by linking them to real work experience and concrete results.
Just saying that you communicate well is rather general. It is better to describe in your work experience how you advised clients, led a team, or gave a presentation.
Language skills
You can list languages in the separate Languages section. Add a language as a skill only when that is truly common and relevant in your field.
How many skills can you add?
LinkedIn allows up to one hundred skills in the main Skills section. That is a maximum, not a goal. A focused list of relevant skills is often clearer than one hundred separate terms.
According to LinkedIn, skills linked to a job in Work Experience do not count toward this limit. That means you can add extra context per role without filling the main list unnecessarily.
Start with five to ten important skills. Only expand the list with knowledge that fits your work, education, or future goals.
Check the list a few times a year. Remove outdated terms. Add new knowledge only when you can really use it, show it, or explain it.
How do you link skills to work experience?
On LinkedIn, you can show where you used a skill. That makes the entry stronger than a single word without explanation.
Open a job in the Work Experience section. Edit the role and add relevant skills. You can also do this when you add a new job to your profile.
Only choose skills that really belong to that role. For a content marketer role, that could be content strategy, search engine optimization, and data analysis.
Do you first need to link the right organization to the role? Then read how to add your employer on LinkedIn.
After saving, check whether the role, company name, and skills display correctly. That way, visitors can immediately see where you gained the knowledge mentioned.
How do you change the order of skills?
Put the most important skills at the top. Visitors will then see right away which knowledge matters most to you.
On a computer, go to the Skills section. Click the pencil icon, open the menu with more options, and choose the option to adjust the order. Then drag the skills to the desired place and save the change.
In the app, open the same section. Tap the pencil icon and look for the option to reorder the skills. Drag the items up or down using the handle.
LinkedIn may show skills in categories such as job knowledge, tools, and personal skills. You need more than three skills for that. You can move a skill within a category, but you cannot always drag it manually to another category. LinkedIn decides the category itself.
Match the top skills to your current goal. If you want to find different work, the skills from an old role do not need to stay at the top.
How do you remove a skill?
Go to the Skills section and click the pencil icon. Open the skill you want to remove. Choose Remove skill and confirm your choice.
Remove a skill when it no longer fits, appears twice, or is misspelled. Pay close attention before you confirm. If you remove a skill, the related endorsements may disappear permanently.
Do you only want to change the order? Then do not remove the skill. Use the feature to reorder the list instead.
Can you change the language of a skill?
LinkedIn does not let you change the language of an existing skill directly. If you want the same skill to appear in another language, you need to remove the old entry and add the correct version again.
That has a downside. The endorsements for the removed skill are lost. So do not change every name without thinking. First look at which language fits your audience and profile best.
Do you have a profile in multiple languages? LinkedIn does not update every section automatically. So check the different profile versions separately.
Also avoid duplicate translations when they mean the same thing. For example, choose one clear version of project management instead of several variants.
What are skill endorsements?
An endorsement is a confirmation from a connection that you have a certain skill. Only first-degree connections can endorse your skills.
An endorsement is not a diploma and not detailed proof either. It is a social signal. A few relevant endorsements from people who have worked with you are usually more valuable than many random confirmations.
Only ask for honest endorsements. For example, send a personal message to a former colleague who knows your work. Explain which specific skill you mean. Avoid general mass messages to people who cannot judge your work.
You can also endorse relevant skills from people you know. Only do this if you can really assess their knowledge.
Why can no one endorse my skills?
First check whether the skills are public on your profile. Also look at the endorsement settings. LinkedIn offers options to show, hide, or turn off endorsements.
In addition, the other person must be a first-degree connection. A follower or unknown visitor cannot do this in the same way. Did you just add a skill? Refresh the page and check the profile again.
Sometimes an endorsement has been received but is hidden. Open the skill and view which endorsements are visible. You can manage certain entries without removing the entire skill.
Which mistakes do people often make with LinkedIn skills?
The following mistakes make a profile less clear and less credible:
Too many general words
Words like motivated and enthusiastic say very little without context. It is better to choose a concrete skill that someone can recognize and judge.
Putting outdated knowledge at the top
Maybe you used a program ten years ago that is no longer relevant. Put current knowledge at the top and remove outdated entries.
Adding the same skill twice
Check spelling and language. Two nearly identical entries split the endorsements and make the list messy.
Mentioning skills without proof
Link important skills to work experience, projects, or education. That way, a visitor can see where and when you used the knowledge.
Collecting random endorsements
Quality matters more than just the number. Focus on people who really know your work and can honestly assess your skill.
How do you make your skills credible?
A good list matches the rest of your profile. Let the same expertise appear in your headline, profile summary, work experience, and projects. Do this without unnatural repetition.
For example, you can add a skill like project management. Then in a role, describe which project you led, how many people took part, and what the result was. That makes the term concrete.
Also check which parts of your profile are public. Read how to make your LinkedIn profile public or private. If you want to understand who may have viewed your profile, check whether you can see who viewed your LinkedIn profile.
If you use LinkedIn on behalf of an organization, make sure the expertise on personal profiles fits the content of the company page. For greater business reach, you can also buy LinkedIn company page followers.
How do you maintain your skills list?
Plan a quick review every six months. Compare the list with your current work and your future goal.
Use this checklist:
- Are the three most important skills at the top?
- Do all skills still match your work?
- Are there duplicates or misspellings?
- Are important skills linked to roles?
- Can you explain each skill with an example?
- Are the names in a language your audience understands?
Only adjust what is necessary. You do not need to rebuild the whole list every time. Be extra careful with skills that already have many relevant endorsements.
Frequently asked questions about LinkedIn skills
How many skills can you add on LinkedIn?
You can add up to one hundred skills in the main Skills section. Skills linked to separate jobs do not count toward that limit, according to LinkedIn.
Which skills should be at the top?
Put the skills at the top that matter most for your current work or next goal. Choose concrete job-related knowledge that a recruiter, client, or colleague immediately understands.
Can you change a skill on LinkedIn?
You can manage some details, but you cannot directly change the language of an existing skill. To do that, you must remove the skill and add it again.
Do endorsements disappear if you remove a skill?
Yes. LinkedIn warns that linked endorsements may disappear permanently when you remove the skill. So check carefully before you confirm.
Who can endorse my skills?
First-degree connections can endorse your skills. Unknown visitors or people who only follow you cannot do this in the same way.
Can I link skills to a specific job?
Yes. Add relevant skills when you create or edit a role. This shows within which work experience you used that knowledge.
Do I need to use all one hundred available spots?
No. One hundred skills is only the maximum limit. A shorter list with relevant and proven skills is usually clearer and more credible.
How do you create a stronger skills list today?
First add your five to ten most important skills. Link the strongest terms to the right roles. Then put the most important ones at the top and remove duplicates or outdated entries.
Next, check whether you can support each skill with an example from your work, education, or projects. Only ask for relevant endorsements from people who know your work well.
Finally, look at the full profile. Skills work best when your work experience and results support the same expertise. That way, a visitor does not just see a list of words, but a clear and credible picture of what you can do.
