LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 800 million users worldwide. On LinkedIn, users can build their professional profiles, connect with other professionals, join groups, follow companies, and search for jobs. One unique feature of LinkedIn is the ability for users to endorse each other’s skills.
What is Skill Endorsement?
Skill endorsement allows LinkedIn users to endorse the skills of other users that they are connected with. For example, if you are connected with someone who lists “Social Media Marketing” as one of their skills, you can endorse them for that skill. This sends a notification to the user that you have endorsed them. Their profile will then show that you have endorsed them for that particular skill.
When endorsing a connection for a skill, you are effectively recommending them and validating that skill based on your relationship with them. The endorsement displays on their profile allowing other viewers to see that someone has endorsed their skills.
How to Endorse Skills on LinkedIn
Endorsing someone’s skills on LinkedIn is easy to do:
- Go to their LinkedIn profile
- Scroll down to the Skills & Endorsements section
- Click the + icon next to a skill to endorse them for it
You’ll then see a confirmation that you’ve endorsed them. The user will also receive a notification that you’ve endorsed their skill.
Why Endorse Skills on LinkedIn?
There are several benefits to endorsing connections for their skills on LinkedIn:
- It helps validate skills for your connections
- It makes their profiles more impressive by showcasing endorsements
- It can help them rank better in LinkedIn searches
- It strengthens your connection by engaging with their profile
- It only takes a few seconds to do!
Who Should You Endorse?
When deciding who to endorse on LinkedIn, consider the following:
- Current or former co-workers who you’ve witnessed demonstrate a skill
- Professional contacts you’ve worked closely with
- Connections who have endorsed you for your skills
- Anyone that you feel comfortable genuinely recommending
Try to avoid randomly endorsing people you don’t know well just to boost your own numbers. LinkedIn encourages thoughtful endorsements based on real experience with a person.
How Many Endorsements Should You Give?
There is no specific number of endorsements you should give. A good rule of thumb is to endorse any skills you feel comfortable validating based on your professional experience with that person. Focus on quality over quantity.
You don’t need to endorse everyone in your network. Be selective and strategic with endorsements. 10 well-thought-out endorsements are more meaningful than 100 random ones.
Can You Remove Skill Endorsements?
Yes, it is possible to remove skill endorsements you’ve previously given to a LinkedIn connection. To remove an endorsement:
- Go to their profile
- Click on the skill you want to remove your endorsement for
- Click on the check mark next to your name and click Remove
The endorsement will be removed from their profile. You can also remove endorsements that you’ve received from others in the same way.
Should You Endorse Skills for Someone You Don’t Know?
It’s best to avoid endorsing skills for someone you don’t know or haven’t worked with. LinkedIn is intended for endorsements to be based on real-life professional experience you have with the person. Endorsing strangers you don’t know well dilutes the value of skill endorsements.
What Happens When You Endorse a Skill?
Here’s what happens when you endorse a skill on LinkedIn:
- The user receives a notification of your endorsement
- The endorsement appears under that skill on their profile
- Their profile shows an increased skill endorsement count
- Their skill gets a small ranking boost in LinkedIn searches
- It strengthens your connection by engaging with their profile
Should You Ask for Endorsements?
It’s best to avoid directly asking your network for endorsements. Let endorsements happen organically. If someone wants to endorse you, they will. Asking for endorsements can come across as inauthentic.
That said, you can proactively remind your network of your skills in subtle ways, like sharing an article about a skill you have. You can also endorse connections for their skills as a way to reciprocate. But avoid outright soliciting endorsements.
Can You Endorse Yourself?
No, you cannot endorse yourself for skills on LinkedIn. All skill endorsements must come from other users in your network. LinkedIn specifically prohibits self-endorsements to maintain the legitimacy of the endorsements.
Should You Endorse Old Colleagues?
Endorsing old colleagues you haven’t worked with in a while can be questionable. If it’s been years since you’ve worked together, you may not be able to accurately validate their current skills.
However, for recent past colleagues, endorsements can be a great way to maintain your professional relationship. And coworkers you had a close working relationship are likely still good candidates for endorsements.
Use your best judgment when endorsing old colleagues. Consider if you can still reasonably vouch for their skills based on your experience working together.
Do Endorsements Expire?
No, endorsements on LinkedIn do not expire. Once you endorse someone for a skill, it will remain on their profile unless the endorsement is actively removed. There is no time limit or expiration date for endorsements.
Even if you disconnect from that person, the endorsement will still show. Removing it requires proactively going to their profile to withdraw it.
Some users choose to do “endorsement maintenance” by periodically removing outdated endorsements as skills and roles change over time.
Should You Endorse Competition?
Endorsing competitors or others in your field on LinkedIn can be a smart networking strategy. It helps build your professional relationship and shows confidence in your own abilities.
However, be selective about which skills you endorse for competitors. Do not endorse them for skills that you feel could give them a competitive advantage over you during a job search or bidding process.
Focus on broader, foundational skills rather than niche skills directly related to your field. For example, endorse them for “Project Management” rather than “Search Engine Optimization”.
Do Endorsements Increase LinkedIn Ranking?
Yes, receiving skill endorsements can slightly increase your LinkedIn profile’s ranking in search results. Along with boosting your credibility, endorsements help signal to LinkedIn’s algorithm that you have expertise worth surfacing in searches.
However, endorsements have a relatively minor influence on search ranking compared to other profile factors like connections, engagement, groups, content sharing, and job history.
So endorsements can give your LinkedIn SEO a small boost, but likely won’t drastically increase your reach on the platform on their own.
Should You Endorse Connections You Don’t Know Well?
It’s best to avoid endorsing LinkedIn connections you don’t know well or have limited professional experience with. LinkedIn encourages endorsements to be based on real-world knowledge of a person’s skills.
Before endorsing someone:
- Consider if you’ve worked with them closely enough to assess their skills
- Think about whether you can provide context on why they deserve the endorsement
- Ask yourself if you’d feel comfortable recommending them professionally
If the answer is no, hold off on endorsing them for now. Seek opportunities to collaborate so you can gain better insight into their skills and abilities first.
Should You Endorse Connections Immediately?
There is no need to rush to endorse a new connection on LinkedIn immediately after connecting. Take time to learn more about their skills and experience before endorsing.
Immediate, knee-jerk endorsements come across as inauthentic. Wait until you’ve had a chance to work with them, read their articles, or have substantive conversations where you can truly get to know their capabilities.
The exception is if you have previous professional experience outside of LinkedIn that gives you credible insight into their skills already.
Be patient and deliberate when giving endorsements. Thoughtful endorsements go much further than rapid-fire, generic ones.
What is the Max Number of Endorsements You Can Give?
There is no official limit to how many endorsements you can give on LinkedIn. You are able to endorse the skills of as many connections as you want.
However, LinkedIn does track the number of endorsements given relative to your network size and type of relationship. Endorsing indiscriminately or excessively can be flagged as unusual activity.
The best policy is to endorse organically and sincerely based on real working knowledge of a person’s skills. Quality is more valuable than quantity when it comes to skill endorsements.
Conclusion
Skill endorsements on LinkedIn provide a way to validate the capabilities of your professional connections. When done thoughtfully, endorsements can strengthen relationships and enhance profiles. Consider endorsements as part of networking toolbox, but avoid endorsing indiscriminately. Focus on quality over quantity, and on people you can authentically vouch for based on experience.