Over the past 12 years, I’ve regularly assisted people needing to enhance their LinkedIn profiles, and one question I frequently encounter is: “How many skills should I have in the skills section on my LinkedIn profile?”

For an experienced professional, this is one of the less critical aspects of your LinkedIn profile. However, if you’re a perfectionist like me and want to ensure you’re doing things right, read on…

First and foremost, I always advise people not to stress over this section. While it can help shape the narrative you wish to convey on your LinkedIn profile, it’s not among the most crucial sections.

If you want the skills section to be meaningful, it’s best to limit the number of skills to ten, and I’ll explain why.

Firstly, having more than ten skills can appear disorganized. Listing fifty different skills, ranging from Microsoft Word to C++ to Public Speaking and Storytelling, can leave anyone viewing your LinkedIn profile unsure about your genuine talents and interests. When making decisions about what to include on your LinkedIn profile, always consider how you can effectively communicate your personal professional journey through each section.

That being said, you should focus on the skills relevant to the job you’re pursuing. If you aim to advance your career as a developer, featuring your coding languages in the skills section is more important than highlighting your public speaking abilities or brief foray into content marketing. Your LinkedIn profile is about the narrative you choose to share. While visitors may not spend most of their time in the skills section, it can be used as a tool to reinforce and enhance your profile.

If there’s a specific skill set you want to be found for when recruiters search on LinkedIn, the keyword should already be present on your profile. The best places for this are your About section or possibly the Experience section under the companies you’ve previously worked for. Some wonder why not include keywords in the Skills section? Regardless of the pros and cons, anyone on LinkedIn can endorse you for a skill, whether or not you’re genuinely qualified for it. Recruiters are aware of this, so less is more here to create a deliberate impression. A recruiter might not even scroll all the way down to your Skills section (located at the bottom), so if you want keywords to be prominent on your profile, it’s better to list them higher up.

If you’re concerned about not having a specific keyword in your skills section, don’t be – the About section is where keywords truly shine. As long as it’s mentioned somewhere on your profile, it doesn’t have to be in your skills section. To maintain a clean and organized profile, it’s advisable to stick to ten or fewer skills.

Ultimately, the skills section of your LinkedIn profile is not something to stress over, but a little effort can go a long way in presenting yourself effectively. Whether you aim to expand your network or seize an exciting new opportunity, going the extra mile to showcase your true strengths can only benefit you.