Sorting Skills in LinkedIn

As mentioned in my previous post (Diving into LinkedIn), we now have the ability to add new sections to our LinkedIn profiles. For a list of new sections, click the "Add Sections" link below the light blue box containing your profile picture, number of connections, public profile link, etc. (see Figure 1)

Figure 1. Add Sections Link

The most useful addition for me is the Skills section. Before LinkedIn added this section, I considered listing my skill information under Specialties. Of course, this wasn't the best fit since I don't specialize in some of the skills I want to list. For example, I want to list my JavaScript experience even though I don't use it very often. The new Skills section works well in this regard (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. New Skills Section

I have one minor gripe with the Skills section though. While posting my skill information, there were several times I needed to rearrange the list. Unfortunately, with the way things are set up, I needed to move everything around manually. Note that there is a text box and two drop-down menus for each skill, so moving things around requires a little work (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Edit Form for the Skills Section

There are several ways LinkedIn could improve the form to allow us to sort the list of skills. For example, Netflix added an extra input field next to each movie in the queue so you can change the list order. Or maybe LinkedIn could utilize the technique they currently use for rearranging the major sections of the profile page. To the left of the section headers (Summary, Experience, Education, etc.) there is a grey icon that can be used to drag the sections around (see Figure 4).

Figure 4. Netflix and LinkedIn Examples for Reorganizing Content

Feedback

Are you using the new LinkedIn sections? If so, which one do you find the most useful?