Skill: BBQ, revealing something more

I’ve seen a new trend on LinkedIn that I think is pretty subtle yet revealing. LinkedIn added a new feature to let others mark that you have skills in certain things. For instance if you know about Project Management, 4 people could indicate that you know that.

However, I believe I’ve seen a new trend for IT professionals, venture capitalists, etc. I’ve started to see skills that you wouldn’t think would be on a professional resume, but they fit well on a resume style website. The skill that most aligns with this is the BBQ skill. I’ve seen it usually ranked pretty low, but it’s there and it’s a glaringly obvious way to indicate someone is more than meets the eye. Heck two people even endorsed it on my profile this week.

I think anyone I see with the BBQ skill will in fact be someone I’d like to work with. I take it as someone who is outgoing and also isn’t afraid to sit down. BBQ takes time and patience, so they have to have that characteristic as well. It’s a very telling skill to write in, and I think it’s a smart way to indicate a few things without actually coming out and saying it.

So the next time you’re on LinkedIn adding skills to other people’s profiles, think about what they do outside of just their daily work. See if they can do something more, if you think they would fit a broader range. It may even be good to know if they can cook some BBQ.