Many LinkedIn users that I’ve seen have great profiles. The exceptions? Profiles that are weak in endorsements, recommendations, or skills. Often all three.

It’s like these three are the stepchildren of the various fields that make up a complete LinkedIn profile. Here’s why you don’t want to ignore these all-important parts of your LinkedIn profile.

Look at it this way. When’s the last time you bought something that cost more than a few dollars? Being an Internet-savvy person, what did you do? If you’re like most folks, you Googled whatever you bought first and read about what other people thought, right? Well, people do essentially the same thing on LinkedIn. We call this “social proof” in the marketing business. People are highly influenced by what other people think. Being endorsed is one of the ways of providing this social proof to people who visit your profile on LinkedIn.

Recommendations work much the same way. Have you ever asked a colleague about the car they just bought, the new restaurant they tried, or their dentist or doctor? For important purchases, finding the right product or the right service provider is often done through recommendations. Recommendations carry a huge amount of influence, and you should be asking the people you’re connected with, at least the ones you know well, to recommend you.

Finally, listing your skills matters a lot! Seeing a large list of skills along with the number of people who’ve endorsed you for them is a great way to position yourself as a professional. Not only that, but the selection of skills helps viewers get to know you. Both recruiters and people who are potential clients are going to scan these skills to help them understand who you are and what you bring to the party!

So don’t ignore these three important areas of your profile. Get the ball rolling by making sure you have your skills up there, then contact just one LinkedIn connection today about giving an endorsement or referral. Get your profile shining!