Key Things to Remember About Managing LinkedIn Endorsements
Smart Ways to Handle Endorsements
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Change Your Viewpoint Don't think of endorsements as nice gifts; see them as signals that help people find you. Your profile should show what you want to do next, not just what you've already done. Focus on what matters for your career, not just being polite.
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How to Take Action Use the "Edit" option to hide skills that are old or not important, and put your most useful skills at the top. By removing endorsements that don't matter, you make sure that people looking to hire and the LinkedIn system only see what is best about you for the job you want.
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Keep Your Information Correct Get rid of endorsements for tasks you don't want to do anymore so your profile ranks better in searches. Making sure the LinkedIn system doesn't see praise for jobs you've moved past helps it correctly sort you for better job chances.
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Value Over Time A clear profile attracts better job offers instead of spam from hiring managers. Focusing your visible skills makes you look like an expert in a specific area, which can lead to higher pay and only getting offers for the jobs you actually want.
Checking Your LinkedIn Endorsements
Most people treat their LinkedIn endorsements like little awards they got just for showing up. They collect huge numbers for everything they've ever done—from simple computer work to leading big teams—thinking that having a profile full of praise makes them look great to everyone. They worry that hiding praise from a co-worker makes them seem rude or, even worse, like they don't know much. So, they let the numbers grow, believing that looking good at many things makes them the best choice for any job.
But here is the hard truth: those things you're proud of are actually stopping you from getting ahead.
LinkedIn is not a photo album; it's a search tool. Those endorsements are like data points that decide how computers group you based on your skills. If you have a lot of praise for "Data Entry" when you are trying to get a job in "Working with Big Partners," you aren't showing you can do many things—you are telling the system to only look at your old job. This is called the "Be Good at Everything Trap." If you don't clean up your profile, you become invisible to the important, well-paying jobs you really want. Your inbox will keep filling up with offers for the career you've already left behind. If you want to move forward, you need to stop collecting praise and start controlling your information.
What Really Happens: How the System Reads Your Skills Like Code
LinkedIn uses a smart computer system called Natural Language Processing (NLP). As someone who built these kinds of systems, I can tell you that the computer doesn't see your endorsements as compliments; it sees them as important pieces of information used for Grouping by Meaning.
Keyword Searching Rules
Matching WordsWhen a recruiter searches using specific words and rules (like looking for someone with \"Strategic Partnerships\" AND \"Software Company\"), the system uses Semantic Search to guess your main purpose and importance. It uses how strong your endorsements are to confirm that the words you list actually match what you know.
Messy Information
Confusing SignsIf you have lots of praise for skills that are unrelated or from a long time ago (like 99+ for "Data Entry" when you are now a "VP of Strategy"), it creates Messy Information, which weakens the actual message you want to send to the computer.
Signal vs. Noise
Sorting Out What MattersProfiles that are too crowded create "noise" that hides what you really want to achieve. This low Signal-to-Noise Ratio can cause you to be automatically removed by search filters or get a low search rank because your important skills aren't dense enough.
The industry cares more about Relevance to the Connection than the total "number" of endorsements. Hiding old endorsements is necessary data cleaning so the computer correctly connects your profile to the important, current job areas you are aiming for.
Common Beliefs About Endorsements That Are Wrong
You should say yes to every endorsement because having lots of "votes" on any skill makes you look better to people hiring.
Having high numbers on skills that don't matter actually harms you because LinkedIn uses those tags to sort your profile. If you have 99+ endorsements for "Microsoft Word" but you are applying for Data Science jobs, you are telling the system to show you to the wrong recruiters.
Use the LinkedIn Profile Generator to find the exact high-value skills needed for your next career. This helps you focus only on the most important expertise to show.
If someone praised you for a skill in the past, you must keep it on your profile so you don't look like you are forgetting them.
Your profile is for selling your current value, not keeping a history book. If people see praises for skills you did five years ago, it makes your current expertise look mixed up. Seeing "Starting-level Data Entry" on a Senior Manager's profile confuses people about what you actually do now.
Use the Job Analysis Tool to compare your profile to real job postings. It will show you which skills are needed and which old ones you should hide or delete.
You just have to wait and hope that the people who endorse you click on the skills you actually want to be known for.
You can take charge by moving the skills you want to promote to the top of your list. This encourages people who visit your profile to also praise those specific skills, essentially teaching the network how you want to be viewed.
The Career Exploration guide helps you figure out which skills are most valuable for your future, giving you a clear list of what to highlight (and get endorsements for).
The 30-Second “Skill Drift” Audit
Don't collect endorsements like trophies. Use this quick test to see if your profile helps or hurts your career goals.
Go straight to your “Skills” section.
Note the skills with the most endorsements or those you pinned.
If a recruiter called now and offered a job doing only those three things for five years, would you be excited or exhausted?
Do those top 3 skills appear in the job description for the role you want next?
What Your Results Mean
If your top skills are things you hate or no longer do: You are being defined by the Mainstream Myth. High numbers on old or irrelevant skills bury your current talent. You are signaling to the market that you want the type of work you are trying to escape. Prune aggressively.
If your top skills match your future goals: Your endorsements are building social proof for where you are headed. Keep going. If you see drift, remember: high numbers on the wrong skills don't signal expertise; they signal being stuck.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I hide endorsements for skills that are no longer good for my career?
Go to your LinkedIn profile, find the "Skills" part, and click the edit button (the pencil). Then, choose "Manage endorsements." From there, you can uncheck the endorsements you don't want people to see. This doesn't delete what the person wrote; it just hides it from recruiters who are looking for your current skills.
Should I remove a skill completely if it has many endorsements but doesn't fit what I want to do now?
Yes, if that skill distracts from the job you want. If you have 99+ endorsements for "Administrative Assistance" but you are now a "Marketing Manager," that old skill actually works against you. It tells LinkedIn's search tool to show your profile to the wrong companies. It is much better to have fewer endorsements for the right skill than many for the wrong one.
Will hiding my old endorsements make me seem inexperienced or rude?
No, it actually makes you look smarter and more focused. Recruiters look at your profile for just a few seconds; they need to see a clear message about what you do today. Hiding old information isn't rude—it's smart career planning. It keeps your profile focused on your future, not stuck in your past.
Moving From Trying to Trick the System to Being Truly Relevant
For a long time, the COMMON BELIEF was that having lots of endorsements was the most important thing. The change from trying to "win" the number game to focusing on what matters is how top professionals stay ahead. By cleaning up your skills list, you escape the "Be Good at Everything Trap" and start getting the specific, good jobs you actually want. Don't let what you did before stop you from reaching your future goals.
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