There are a few key reasons why you may not be getting endorsements on LinkedIn:
You don’t have enough connections
The more connections you have on LinkedIn, the more potential there is for endorsements. If you only have a small network, there simply aren’t enough people who know your skills and work to endorse you. Aim to gradually build up your connections by sending invites to colleagues, classmates, clients, etc. Getting to 500+ connections will significantly increase your chances of endorsements.
Your profile lacks detail
If your profile is sparse with minimal information about your background, skills, and experience, people will not know enough about you to feel comfortable endorsing you. Make sure your profile is fleshed out with a professional summary, detailed work history, education, skills, accomplishments, recommendations if possible, and any other relevant details. This will allow your connections to fully understand your capabilities.
You don’t engage enough with your network
The more you interact with your connections by liking and commenting on their posts, the more visibility you’ll have. People are much more likely to endorse someone they frequently see active on their feed. Set aside time each week to properly engage with your network by reacting and commenting on updates. This activity can prompt endorsements.
You haven’t directly asked for endorsements
Don’t be afraid to overtly ask for endorsements from connections who are familiar with your work and skills. You can send them a personal message or post an update asking for endorsements. Most people are happy to oblige if you specifically make the request. Just avoid bombarding everyone with endorsement requests.
How Are Endorsements Helpful on LinkedIn?
Getting endorsed on LinkedIn can provide a few key benefits:
Validates your skills and expertise
Endorsements serve as social proof and external validation that you actually possess the skills and expertise listed on your profile. This third-party confirmation carries more weight than you simply claiming skills yourself.
Enhances your professional brand
A long list of endorsements helps strengthen your personal brand on LinkedIn as an authority in your field. It demonstrates broad recognition of your capabilities from your network.
Bolsters credibility
Prominently displayed endorsements lend credibility to your profile. Recruiters, hiring managers, and clients reviewing your profile will see your skills are legitimate based on all the endorsements. This can enhance your credibility in their eyes.
Increases discoverability
The more endorsements you accumulate, the higher you may rank in LinkedIn search results when people search for your listed skills. This can lead to new professional connections and opportunities.
Sparks engagement
Endorsements notify the recipient and will prompt them to revisit your profile, potentially leading to further engagement through likes, comments, shares, and messages. More engagement is beneficial.
How to Get More Endorsements on LinkedIn
Here are some proven tips to accumulate more endorsements:
Customize your request message
When reaching out for endorsements, avoid mass blasts. Personalize each request with a specific message like “John, I hope you’re well! You worked closely with me on [project name] – would you mind endorsing my project management skills on LinkedIn?”
Endorse others actively
The more freely you give endorsements to others, the more likely people will be to return the favor and endorse you. Make endorsing colleagues for their legitimate skills a regular practice.
Join LinkedIn Groups
Active participation in relevant LinkedIn Groups related to your industry or interests can attract endorsements from like-minded professionals you engage with in the groups.
Provide recommendations
Those who you write recommendations for will be notified. They’ll often look at your profile and endorse you in reciprocation. Giving recommendations can yield endorsements.
Follow up
Don’t just endorse once and forget it. Follow up periodically reminding contacts of your previous endorsement requests. Friendly persistence pays off.
Review Who’s Viewed Your Profile
Pay attention to those who have recently viewed your profile as they may be prime candidates to request endorsements from since they just reviewed your profile and skills.
Update Your Skills
Adding new skills or re-ordering your skills to highlight ones you want endorsed will prompt notifications to your network and put those skills front of mind to potentially endorse.
Give Praise
Publicly praising colleagues on LinkedIn when they achieve something will make them more inclined to return the favor with an endorsement of you.
Utilize Connections of Connections
Your 2nd degree connections can be a source of endorsements too. Don’t hesitate to ask mutual connections to introduce you to their network to expand endorsement potential.
What Skills Should You Seek Endorsements For?
Aim to get endorsed for skills that:
- Authentically represent your capabilities
- Relate to your target job or industry
- Showcase specialized expertise
- Align to the job description of a role you want
- Demonstrate soft skills like leadership and communication
The optimal skills to request endorsements for should check several of those boxes above.
Can You Get Too Many Endorsements?
Is there a point where you could have too many endorsements on your profile?
While most agree the more endorsements the better, there are a few drawbacks of having hundreds or thousands of endorsements:
- Can look inauthentic if skills exceed your experience level
- Excessive self-promotion appearance if obsessively sought
- Potentially dilutes legitimate endorsements
- Skills may no longer fit if you change careers
Moderation is advised. Strive for quality over quantity by focusing on endorsements from those who authentically know your capabilities versus chasing thousands of superficial endorsements.
Should You Endorse Yourself?
LinkedIn technically allows you to endorse yourself for skills. But is this recommended?
Self-endorsing is typically not advised because:
- It defeats the purpose of objective third-party validation
- Appears egotistical and narcissistic
- Damages credibility since you can claim anything about yourself
- Violates the spirit of social proof
The only exception might be if you need to populate your profile with initial endorsements while getting started on LinkedIn. But you should quickly shift to removing self-endorsements and replacing them with objective endorsements from others.
Conclusion
Accumulating LinkedIn endorsements requires consistently nurturing your network, engaging with contacts, reciprocating, and politely asking for endorsements from those qualified to provide them. While endorsements shouldn’t be the sole focus, they offer nice supplemental social proof when used properly. Just ensure you receive endorsements organically from subject matter experts for skills authentically applicable to you.