Have you noticed when you go to edit your profile on LinkedIn, there is a section just above your summary entitled ‘Personalize your profile’? This gives you the ability to add an additional five new profile sections to your profile:

What are the new sections?

1. Publications – Add any work that you have written that has been published. This really gives your ‘expert’ status some weight.

2. Languages – Indicate your expertise in lanaguage. If you speak Mandarin, German and French like a native, make sure they are listed.

3. Skills – This section allows you to list how many years experience you have in various skills. Choose from a long list of skills from accounting to zoning and everything in between, choose a proficiency from beginner to expert and enter the number of years of experience.

4. Certificates – A list of qualifications you have achieved.  A good way of listing sought after qualifications that are achieved outside University or School.

5. Patents – Any pending or granted patents that you have.

How does this apply to me?

At first glance, it looks like these changes are aimed at people looking for jobs but it is a great way of displaying more detail about you and if you have patents, publication, why not shout about them  on your profile.  It also gives you more opportunity to get keywords into your profile.

For example, I have added ‘ECDL Advanced’ certifications to my profile – not keywords that I had anywhere else in the profile as it wasn’t relevant to other sections.  Now, if you search for ‘ECDL Advanced’ I am included in search results.

I can see recruitment companies in particular using this, though it would be better if you could search specifically by these sections. It may also be relevant for people looking for a very specific skill set.  What do you think?