LinkedIn recommendations are a great way to showcase your skills, accomplishments, and work ethic to potential employers and connections. A good recommendation can go a long way in building your professional reputation and opening up new opportunities. Here are some tips on how to get great LinkedIn recommendations.
Who should you ask for a recommendation?
The best recommendations come from people who have worked closely with you and can speak in detail about your strengths. Good options include:
- Former managers or supervisors
- Colleagues you worked closely with on projects
- Clients, vendors, or business contacts
- College professors if you recently graduated
Avoid asking family members or friends for recommendations, as they may be seen as biased. Focus on professionals who have firsthand experience with your skills and work.
How to ask for a recommendation
When reaching out to ask someone for a recommendation, make your request direct but polite. Give them context on why you need the recommendation and highlight key skills or achievements you hope they will mention. Here are some tips for asking:
- Send a personal email or LinkedIn message. Don’t ask as a side note or afterthought.
- Specify that you are looking for a recommendation for your LinkedIn profile.
- Remind them of projects or accomplishments you worked on together.
- Let them know the skills you hope they will highlight, such as leadership, communication, analytical skills, etc.
- Consider offering to write a draft recommendation for them to edit to make it easier.
- Thank them for their time and offer to return the favor with a recommendation for them.
Giving them specific guidance will help you get a better, more detailed recommendation. However, avoid dictating the recommendation word-for-word, as that may come across as inauthentic.
How to write a good recommendation
If you are asked to write a LinkedIn recommendation for someone, you want it to be meaningful, specific, and additive to their professional brand. Here are tips for writing great recommendations:
- Open with how you know the person and your relationship.
- Describe 1-3 specific projects or accomplishments you worked on together.
- Focus on skills, strengths, and qualities that made the person excel in their role.
- Use numbers or metrics that showcase the person’s impact in their job.
- Close with a summary of your positive impression and endorsement.
- Proofread for typos and grammatical errors before submitting.
- Submit a recommendation that is 2-5 paragraphs long.
You want your recommendation to provide value beyond a generic endorsement. Giving detailed examples of their achievements and abilities will make it meaningful.
How to accept a recommendation
Once someone writes you a LinkedIn recommendation, you will get a notification to accept and publish it or politely decline. Before accepting, read the recommendation thoroughly and ensure the content is accurate, positive, and appropriate. Also:
- Make sure names, job titles, company names are correct.
- Watch for unintended errors, typos, or inaccuracies.
- Confirm it follows LinkedIn’s community guidelines.
- Look for weak areas you can ask the writer to expand on.
- Personally thank the person for taking the time to recommend you.
You want to publish recommendations that strengthen your profile, so don’t hesitate to give feedback to improve unclear or generic endorsements. Most people are happy to tweak recommendations if needed.
How to improve existing recommendations
For older recommendations that no longer reflect your skills or experience, consider reaching back out to the recommenders with a request to revise or expand their endorsement. You can say something like:
“I wanted to update my LinkedIn recommendations to better represent my most recent accomplishments and skills. Since you previously wrote me such a nice recommendation, I was hoping you would be open to revising or adding to it based on my work over the last [time period]. Please let me know if you would be open to this.”
Provide bullet points on key achievements or capabilities you want highlighted. Most people will agree to update stale recommendations if approached tactfully.
Number of recommendations to have
Quality matters more than quantity when it comes to LinkedIn recommendations. Here are guidelines on the ideal number to have based on where you are in your career:
Career Stage | Ideal Number of Recommendations |
---|---|
Student | 2-3 recommendations |
Recent graduate | 3-5 recommendations |
Early career | 5-8 recommendations |
Mid-career | 8-15 recommendations |
Executive | 10-20 recommendations |
As you move up the career ladder into more senior roles, recommendations from leaders and executives will carry more weight than entry-level co-workers. Focus on quality over quantity.
Who to recommend in return
Recommending others is a key part of LinkedIn etiquette. Prioritize returning the favor for anyone who gives you a recommendation. Also consider proactively recommending:
- Your current and former managers
- Mentors who have helped you succeed and grow
- Hard-working colleagues you respect
- Former employees or direct reports who performed well
- Business partners who are valuable connections
Take the time to write thoughtful recommendations in return, highlighting their unique skills and strengths.
Pitfalls to avoid
While most LinkedIn recommendations are genuine endorsements, there are a few pitfalls to watch out for:
- Don’t exagerate someone’s skills or inflate their job title
- Decline generic recommendations that simply say “John was great to work with.”
- Be wary of offers to exchange recommendations solely to boost profile numbers.
- Don’t recommend connections you haven’t actually worked with.
Prioritize quality over quantity when giving and receiving recommendations. Authenticity is key.
Why recommendations matter
Here are some key reasons why LinkedIn recommendations should be part of your profile strategy:
- Reinforce skills – Recommendations serve as credible examples of your abilities.
- Shape personal brand – The skills highlighted help define your professional identity.
- Increase discoverability – LinkedIn recommendations increase your visibility in search.
- Career opportunities – Recommendations can help you land jobs and projects.
- Expand network – Writing and getting recommendations strengthens connections.
In today’s competitive job market, most hiring managers and recruiters will look for LinkedIn recommendations as validation of the skills and experience listed on your profile.
Key takeaways
Here are the key tips to keep in mind when requesting, writing, and managing LinkedIn recommendations:
- Ask former managers, colleagues, or clients for recommendations.
- Give them guidance on which skills to highlight.
- Write detailed, multi-paragraph recommendations citing specific examples.
- Graciously accept positive recommendations after reviewing for errors.
- Aim for 5-15 quality recommendations relevant to your career stage.
- Return the favor by recommending connections who have endorsed you.
Putting effort into your LinkedIn recommendations can pay dividends in building your reputation and advancing your career. They are a key element of a strong professional profile.