A LinkedIn recommendation can be a great way to endorse someone’s skills, accomplishments, and work ethic. When writing a LinkedIn recommendation, it’s important to make it detailed, sincere, and specific to the person you are recommending. The best recommendations provide concrete examples of the person’s positive attributes and impact on their team or company.
How to Write an Effective LinkedIn Recommendation
Here are some tips for writing a compelling and persuasive LinkedIn recommendation:
Focus on results and impact
Don’t just describe the person’s responsibilities, focus on their actual contributions and quantifiable achievements. Mention specific projects they spearheaded and the outcomes generated. Numbers and metrics can help illustrate the scale of their impact.
Give specific examples
Back up your praise with stories, anecdotes, and details that offer proof of the person’s abilities. Describe particular situations that show the person excelling in their role and demonstrating their strengths. The more details, the better.
Mention meaningful skills
Beyond general positives like “hard-working” and “team player,” point out their most valued and applicable skills for their industry and role. What abilities make them stand out? Emphasize qualities that would make them attractive to future employers.
Describe their work style
To give insight into what it’s like to work with them, describe their work ethic, style, and attitude. Are they passionate? Innovative? Meticulous? Talk about their professionalism and approach to challenges.
Speak to character
While skills are critical, recommendations also provide an opportunity to highlight the person’s values, integrity, and humanity. Is the person generous, patient, empathetic? Any detail that captures their essence will personalize the recommendation.
Offer to connect
State that you’d be happy to elaborate on your recommendation and field any follow up questions the reader may have. Offer your contact information so they can reach out directly.
LinkedIn Recommendation Example
Here is an example of a detailed, glowing LinkedIn recommendation that checks all the boxes:
It is my honor to recommend Janet Smith for any communications, public relations, or social media manager role. Janet served as Communications Director at our tech company for over 5 years, where she spearheaded PR and social media campaigns that transformed our brand awareness and engagement.
Some highlights of Janet’s achievements:
– Grew Instagram following from 10k to over 500k users in just 2 years
– Secured features in major media outlets like Wired, TechCrunch, and Mashable
– Managed partnership campaigns with brands like Apple, Google, and Spotify
– Led product launch strategy for our new wearable device, generating $2 million in first week salesJanet has an innate ability to craft creative, viral content that authentically connects with audiences. She also has a keen eye for identifying impactful partnership and PR opportunities. Janet excels at relationship-building, forming strategic collaborations with influencers and media contacts.
On top of her marketing talents, Janet is an empathetic, thoughtful leader. She encourages her team to take risks and empowers them with ownership over projects. Janet also maintains grace under pressure – in crises and high-stakes situations, she is a calming force who leads with poise.
I unequivocally recommend Janet for senior marketing roles. She would bring visionary strategy, innovative content creation, and inspirational team leadership. I would be happy to expand on my recommendation – please feel free to contact me directly.
Key Elements to Include
Based on this example, here are some key elements to incorporate in a stellar LinkedIn recommendation:
Title/Role
Indicate the official title and role the person held at your company. This establishes their level of responsibility and authority.
Length of Time Worked Together
Including how long you worked with the person (e.g. 3 years, over a decade) demonstrates the depth of your exposure to their abilities. Longer overlaps carry more weight.
Standout Accomplishments
Specifying major achievements, awards, metrics and other successes demonstrates in concrete terms the impact the person had. Back up qualitative praise with quantitative results.
In-Demand Skills
Tie your praise directly to skills that would be extremely valuable in their desired field. Align with the types of achievements hiring managers want to see.
Work Style and Values
Illustrate intangibles like work ethic, problem-solving approach, integrity, vision, leadership style, collaboration abilities and other personality strengths.
Vivid Examples
Share engaging anecdotes and stories that illustrate the person’s talents to make your recommendation more memorable and convincing. Details are key.
Formatting Tips
In addition to the content itself, proper formatting can make your LinkedIn recommendation really stand out:
Use a Descriptive Title
Summarize your relationship and recommendation in a short, attention-grabbing title like “Visionary Marketing Leader” or “Brilliant Software Architect to Drive Innovation.”
Open Strong
Start with a powerful first sentence that hooks the reader and encourages them to continue. Share an impressive fact about the person or make a bold statement of endorsement.
Focus on Readability
Use paragraph breaks frequently and avoid dense blocks of text. List relevant qualifications in bullet points. Highlight key details with bold and italics.
Close with a Call to Action
End by offering to provide more information to anyone interested in learning more about the person and why you recommend them so highly.
Who to Ask for a Recommendation
To get a really persuasive LinkedIn recommendation, consider reaching out to people who:
– Worked with you for multiple years – they can speak to a long track record
– Held positions senior to yours – their word carries authority
– Can point to specific major successes you spearheaded
– Will take the time to provide detailed, vivid examples
– Are well-written and can compose an eloquent, professional recommendation
– Have an impressive job title themselves – CEO, Founder, Vice President, etc.
Prioritize asking managers and colleagues who will give you a glowing recommendation highlighting your biggest accomplishments and greatest assets. The more seniority and name recognition of the person endorsing you, the better.
Conclusion
A well-written LinkedIn recommendation can greatly enhance your professional brand and open doors to exciting new job opportunities. The key is to secure recommendations that are detailed, enthusiastic, and packed with real examples that underline your value. Focus on obtaining testimonials from credible sources who can speak first-hand to your on-the-job performance and impact. With a set of compelling recommendations highlighting your greatest hits, you’ll attract interest from employers and demonstrate your talents in the best possible light.