June 2017
Get More Recommendations on Your LinkedIn Profile
Recommendations are important because they give objective proof of your skills and abilities. You should have at least three, at a minimum (preferably not all tied to one job). Keep in mind that all recommendations are sent through the LinkedIn system and must come from the sender’s account.
Here are a few more tips to get you started:
- Don’t be afraid to ask others for a recommendation on LinkedIn. Sometimes that’s all it takes.
- It might take more than just asking. Sometimes it’s helpful if you offer to start a draft that the person can review and edit. Making it easier for the person will make it more likely they complete the task.
- Write a recommendation for someone else. Giving to others is a first step towards receiving. In fact, this happened to me. I wrote an unsolicited letter of recommendation to a former supervisor and hours later, she returned the favor (unsolicited).
- Be strategic. Think about which skills you want to emphasize on your profile and then think of others who can speak to your abilities in that area. It’s OK to ask someone to focus on a particular project or skill when writing the recommendation. That’s much better than a vaguely general recommendation stating that you’re a great guy, nice guy, etc.
- With the new LinkedIn design, it’s not so easy to find the recommendations section anymore. Read below to find out how to find your way there.
- If you have ever given or received a recommendation, click on any one of them to get to the recommendation area or click on this link when you are logged into LinkedIn.
- If you have never given or received a recommendation, you need to go to a person’s LinkedIn profile to give or request a recommendation. Once there, click on the three dots (. . .) to the right of their picture. You should see the last two drop-down options are about recommendations (see image below). This link from the LinkedIn Help Center provides more advice on recommending someone else.
