LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 850 million members. It has become an indispensable platform for job seekers and employers. Showcasing your skills accurately on your LinkedIn profile is crucial to getting noticed by recruiters and landing your next job.
Adding certifications to your LinkedIn profile validates your expertise and demonstrates your commitment to continually developing new skills. Certifications related to in-demand skills can give your profile a significant boost. This article provides step-by-step guidance on finding the most in-demand skills, earning certifications, and properly displaying them on your LinkedIn profile.
Table of Contents
Identify the Most In-Demand Skills
The first step is researching to find the skills that are currently highest in demand. LinkedIn provides insights into the most sought-after skills based on data from job postings on their platform. As per LinkedIn’s 2023 emerging jobs report, here are the top 10 skills recruiters are urgently looking for:
- Customer service
- Sales
- Business development
- Data analysis
- Digital marketing
- Project management
- Python
- Video creation
- Branding
- Cloud computing
Take note of the skills relevant to your industry and the roles you are targeting. The more your skills align with current market needs, the better positioned you will be to advance your career.
Earn Relevant Certifications
Next, enroll in certification programs to validate specialized skills and gain credentials. LinkedIn Learning offers over 16,000 courses in business, technology, and creative skills leading to industry-recognized certifications.
Here are the main types of certifications you can earn:
- Professional Certificates: Curated learning paths featuring courses and proctored assessments developed with leading brands like Microsoft, IBM, and Hootsuite.
- Certification Preparation: Courses to help you prepare for certification exams offered by external providers such as CompTIA, AWS, and PMI.
- Academic Credentials: Courses eligible for university credits from partner institutions like University of Phoenix.
- LinkedIn Learning Certificates: Awarded when you pass a skills assessment after completing a LinkedIn Learning course.
Carefully evaluate your options and complete certifications demonstrating expertise in your highest priority in-demand skills.
Display Certifications Prominently on Your Profile
Once you’ve earned certifications, prominently showcase them on your LinkedIn profile so recruiters can instantly validate your skills.
Follow these steps:
- Click the Me icon and select View profile
- Scroll down and click Add profile section
- Click Licenses & certifications
- Click the + icon and fill in the details:
- Certification name
- Issuing organization
- Issue date
- Expiration date
- Credential ID
- Click Save
Repeat the process to add all your certifications. They will now be prominently displayed in the Licenses & Certifications section of your profile.
Reinforce Skills Throughout Your Profile
In addition to adding certifications, reinforce your expertise in high-demand skills throughout your profile:
- Headline: Summarize your professional identity and top skills
- About section: Provide an overview highlighting your specialized skills and achievements
- Experience section: Emphasize related skills under each position through accomplishment statements
- Skills section: Ensure your top skills are included and endorsed
This comprehensive approach ensures your entire profile fully conveys your capabilities aligned to current market needs.
Let your connections know about your new certifications by sharing update posts. This raises awareness about your developing expertise.
When adding certifications, check the box to automatically share the news with your network. For broader visibility, you can also manually create posts highlighting your new credentials.
Post updates when you complete substantive certifications to reinforce your proficiency in high-demand skills.
Continually Develop In-Demand Skills
The demand for skills evolves rapidly, so remain vigilant. Continue monitoring LinkedIn’s emerging jobs reports to identify new skill priorities.
Actively learn in-demand skills through LinkedIn Learning paths and use certifications to validate your capabilities. Showcase all credentials prominently across your profile.
This disciplined approach will ensure your LinkedIn profile accurately reflects your expertise aligned to current market needs throughout the ups and downs of your career.
Summary
Prominently displaying certifications related to in-demand skills on your LinkedIn profile is invaluable for advancing your career. This comprehensive guide provided expert advice on identifying high-priority skills, earning credentials, showcasing certifications, reinforcing expertise across your profile, sharing updates, and continually maintaining relevance.
Following these best practices will ensure recruiters can instantly validate your proficiency in the specialized abilities they urgently need. Your LinkedIn profile will stand out for having the right skills at the right time, putting you on the fast track to exciting new job opportunities.
