Enhance Your Reputation: The Power of LinkedIn Recommendations

Enhance Your Reputation: The Power of LinkedIn Recommendations

Have you thought about the value of getting and giving recommendations on LinkedIn? Potential employers, clients, and referral partners notice both those you receive and those you give.

Yet, many people remain reluctant to ask for public recognition of their work. And some also hesitate to write a recommendation for someone else. Perhaps they don’t know how to ask for a recommendation. Or maybe they’re not sure what to say in one.

Recommendations are vital ways to make your profile stand out. It’s one thing to say you’re great at something. It means a lot more when someone else attests to your abilities and contributions.

Who to Ask For a Recommendation

Be deliberate and thoughtful about the process. Here are some things to consider prior to asking for recommendations.

  • Which of your LinkedIn connections are most likely to write you a recommendation?

  • Which position in your experience section is best suited for that person to recommend you for? Keep in mind that people can only recommend you for a specific position included in your experience section. Also, they must be connected with you on LinkedIn for them to write you a recommendation.

  • It's a good idea to add volunteer leadership roles as positions in your position section. So, reflect on who could write you a recommendation for that role.

 

How to Request a Recommendation

  • Go to the profile of the person you want to ask. Click on the “More” button and select “Request a Recommendation.”

  • Click on Select Relationship to choose the nature of your relationship.

  • Click on Select Your Position at the Time, to select the position for which you want to be recommended. Then click “Next.”

  • If desired, suggest what you would like the person to say about you. Or if not, just write a short message. Then click “Send.”

  • Notify the person via email or phone that you’ve asked for this recommendation. Tell them they will see the recommendation request in their LinkedIn messages.

  • Carefully review the recommendation that comes back to you via your LinkedIn messages. If there’s a mistake in it, such as a typo or spelling error, click on the three dots at the top right of the recommendation. Select “Request a Revision,” and tell them what needs to be changed. Once the edited recommendation comes back to you to you, click on “Add to profile.” Unlike a Google Review or Facebook page review, recommendations only appear on your LinkedIn profile after you click on "Add to profile."

 

How to Make a Recommendation

The process for making a recommendation is quite similar to that of requesting one.

  • Go to the profile of the person you want to ask. click on the “More” button. This time, select “Recommend.”

  • Click on Select Relationship to choose the nature of your relationship.

  • Click on Select Your Position at the Time, to select the position for which you want to recommend them. Then click “Next.”

  • Type the recommendation and click “Send.” Alert the person via email or phone that you’ve written them a recommendation.

  • Keep in mind that you can only write one recommendation for each position someone lists in their experience section. If you want to update a recommendation, go to the Recommendations section of your profile. Then click on the pencil icon at the top right of this section and click on the word Given.

  • Scroll down until you find the recommendation you wrote earlier and click on Revise. Type in your revised recommendation and click Send.

  • Be sure to email or call this person to tell them you’ve revised your recommendation. They need to click on Add to Profile to have the updated recommendation display. It will replace the old one.

 

Ideas for Leveraging Your Recommendations

 Since there’s no functionality to put your favorite recommendation(s) at the top of your Recommendations section, try one of these approaches:

  •  Consider adding excerpts from one or two of your favorite recommendations to the About section. Excerpts from recommendations written by people who have known you well over many years are an especially good fit for the About section.

  • You could also add these excerpts to the position description for which the position that person recommended you. Be sure to select excerpts that truly capture specifics about you.

  • Here’s an example of an excerpt of a recommendation from my client Bonnie Schnautz that I use in the position description in my position as a social media tutor and trainer specializing in LinkedIn:

“Joyce goes beyond just providing guidance – she actively guides you through the process of implementing changes during the session. This hands-on approach is particularly invaluable for busy entrepreneurs like myself.”

 I strongly encourage you to start giving and requesting recommendations. They add important social proof to your profile and to the profiles of those you recommend.

 Please connect with me here on LinkedIn, subscribe to this newsletter, and enable the notification that alerts you to the latest edition of my newsletter.

I help people, especially those age 55 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially LinkedIn and Facebook. I work with business owners, business development professionals, business consultants, job seekers, and more. Learn more at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com

Chris Irving

LinkedIn Top Voice | Sales Ops Leader | GTM Strategist | Driving Growth Through Process Optimization & Team Enablement | Networking Expert | Drummer 🥁

3mo

This is beautiful! Great idea Joyce Feustel!!

Jennifer Dunne

Getting big ideas out of your head and into the world | 90-Day Vision to Reality program $1997 | Gain clarity & improve decision-making | Compassion Key certified | Watch the free webinar replay⬇️

3mo

This was very helpful, Joyce Feustel! I'm off to request a recommendation!

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