Dear Sam: I just noticed that LinkedIn allows me to assign specific skills to select pieces of my experience, education and other pertinent sections. Given that I have utilized the same skills in every position, would it be prudent to add the same skills to each role? I am a little confused because LinkedIn suggests adding just five skills to each position, yet there is considerable overlap in my background. I want to show that I have utilized all those skills in every job. How should I handle this? – Connie

Dear Connie: Ah yes, the LinkedIn skills section. This section makes me crazy as I often see profiles with each of the 50 skills assigned to every single position someone has held. The goal of the skill section is to highlight the unique aspects of each role. Even though you may have performed the same skills in every position you have held, I would hope that there is growth and progression throughout your journey, hence the ability to highlight different types and levels of strengths within each of your positions.

I urge you to prioritize the skills assigned to each section of your LinkedIn profile, sticking with the LinkedIn guideline of about five skills attached to each position. Hiring managers and recruiters understand that you have likely performed similar skills in each position if you have navigated a progressive journey in the same field. So there is no need to duplicate skills in each section and create an inordinately long skills list under each professional experience. Once you have added a handful of skills to each position, go back into your main skill section on LinkedIn and re-prioritize them according to what is most important to your journey moving forward, pinning the top three skills so that those are seen first when someone views your profile.

Samantha Nolan is an Advanced Personal Branding Strategist and Career Expert, founder and CEO of Nolan Branding. Do you have a resume, career, or job search question for Dear Sam? Reach Samantha at [email protected]. For information on Nolan Branding’s services, visit www.nolanbranding.com or call 888-9-MY-BRAND or 614-570-3442.