Which Skills Should You Put on a Profile So Recruiters Find You?

LiveRec EditorialUpdated

Recruiters and employers find candidates by searching for specific skills, titles and locations, so the skills you put on a profile only help if they use the same words. Name the exact tools and skills you have used, put the strongest first, keep the list current, and be able to back each one with an example.

At a glance

  • On LiveRec, when an employer finds candidates for a job, skills count for 40 percent of the match score, years of experience against the job's level for 25 percent, and location for 20 percent.
  • Pay, visa and employment status are never used or shown in that score.
  • Use the exact name of each tool or skill, as job postings write it.
  • Add skills you can prove. Remove skills you no longer want to be found for.

How candidates are found on LiveRec

When an employer uses Live sourcing, they choose one of their live jobs and LiveRec ranks candidates against it. Each person is scored from what their profile shows before it is unlocked: skills (40 percent), years of experience against the level the job asks for (25 percent) and where they are based (20 percent). Pay, visa and employment status are never used or shown. Each candidate card then highlights up to five of the person's skills, with the ones that match the job first.

That tells you what to optimise: your skills list, an honest account of your experience, and an accurate location. Recruiters reading profiles against a role work from the same material, so the closer your words are to the posting's words, the easier it is to see the match.

Use the exact words

Searches and filters generally match literal terms. A few rules:

  • Name tools and methods, not categories. "Google Ads, Meta Ads, SEO" is findable; "online marketing" is vague.
  • Use the job-title wording from postings. If postings say "Data Analyst", a profile that says only "numbers person" will not match.
  • Spell out certifications by name, such as PMP, along with common abbreviations.
  • Match the way your market writes it. The same skill may be written differently in US and Indian postings, so read a few postings for the roles you want.
  • Do not stuff. Adding skills you cannot discuss in an interview will cost you more than it gains.

How to add skills on LiveRec

Open Account settings, choose the Skills & aptitude test tab, then Edit, type a skill and press enter, and choose Save. Put your strongest skills first. Skills also feed your match scores for jobs, so accurate skills improve the jobs suggested to you. Details are in how to add skills.

Keep it current

Once a month, compare your profile against two or three current postings for the roles you want. Add any skill they mention that you really have, and remove skills you no longer want to be found for. Make sure the Experience entries mention the tools you used, and that your resume says the same thing. See which resume sections recruiters read first.

Choosing skills that grow your career

Not every skill helps you get found, and not every skill builds a career. The skills that travel best between jobs are the ones employers keep asking for in different roles: communication, problem solving, working with others, organisation and managing your own time, alongside the technical skills of your field. A practical way to choose:

  1. List what you do well. Pick ten skills from your work and for each write one example and its result.
  2. Look one level up. Read postings for the role above yours and note the requirements that repeat. That list is your development map.
  3. Ask for candid feedback from a manager or a peer you trust: where are you strong, and what would help you most?
  4. Build deliberately. Take on a stretch task, mentor someone, take a course or earn a certification that your field recognises.
  5. Keep the evidence. Save the project, the result and any feedback, and update your profile and resume as you go.

Frequently asked questions

How many skills should I list? Enough to cover the work you want, not everything you have ever touched. A focused list of your strongest skills reads better and matches better.

Do soft skills belong in the skills list? List specific, searchable skills there, and show soft skills through examples in your experience bullets and interviews.

Will listing a skill I am learning help? Only if you can discuss real work with it. Otherwise leave it off until you can.

For guides to individual skills, see our job skills guides.

By LiveRec Editorial. Read our editorial standards.