By now, we should all know the many benefits of having a robust LinkedIn profile. Summarizing all your key accomplishments and describing your career profile are two of the basic ways to showcase your professional identity.
It’s not a surprise that many employers use LinkedIn to check your records. After all, LinkedIn serves as your online resume. Just like how a resume cites all your skills and achievements, your LinkedIn profile could also be used to find references for your capabilities. LinkedIn recommendations provide this information.
First, let’s set things straight. A LinkedIn recommendation is different from a LinkedIn endorsement. These two might seem the same in the general sense but when it comes to LinkedIn, there’s a stark difference.
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What Exactly is a LinkedIn Recommendation?
A LinkedIn recommendation is a statement written by another member on this social media platform that provides a testimonial about your professional experience. It can be from a colleague, a manager, or anyone you are connected with.
Recommendations can be seen in your profile and anyone can read it. Needless to say, a LinkedIn recommendation boosts the credibility of your profile.
P.S. Looking for an alternative to get recommendations on LinkedIn? Check out our affordable LinkedIn Recommendations packages today.
What is a LinkedIn Endorsement?
On the other hand, a LinkedIn endorsement acts as a virtual thumbs up to the skills you indicated in your profile. This is why it is often described as “skills endorsement.” Unlike a recommendation, a LinkedIn endorsement doesn’t offer any explanation. Meaning to say, getting a LinkedIn recommendation is 10x better than getting an endorsement.
Also, don’t confuse endorsements and recommendations with followers. Following someone on LinkedIn means you can see their posts and activities in your feed. Although these three items can provide validation to your profile, recommendations definitely provide more value.
Now that we’ve established the importance of having LinkedIn recommendations, let’s now discuss how to get one.
How can you ask for a LinkedIn Recommendation?
You can ask for a LinkedIn recommendation by following seven easy steps. These steps require you to go access your LinkedIn account.
- Log in to your LinkedIn account and click the “Me” icon at the top of your homepage.
- Select “View profile”.
- Look for the “Recommendations” section and click “Ask to be recommended”.
- In the “Who do you want to ask?” field, you need to type the name of the connection you’d like to request for a LinkedIn recommendation and select their name after it appears.
- Fill out the details about them like their relationship with you and the job position you’re asking for a recommendation and click “Next”.
- There will be a default message along with your request but you can personalize yours if you want to.
- After reviewing your message and the details, click “Send”.
Tips in Asking for a Linkedin Recommendation
Now that you have an overview of the steps you need to take in requesting a recommendation, don’t be too hasty in sending those requests. Instead, take your time to consider some aspects about your recommendations.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Who will you ask?
- What job positions should you ask for a LinkedIn recommendation for?
- Do you have a specific skill or achievement you want to highlight from the recommendations?
Moving forward, you need to be careful in your LinkedIn recommendations. Remember that these words of affirmation are crucial in your profile. You can actually buy LinkedIn Recommendations if you want to.
However, quantity isn’t always better than quality. The number of recommendations you have in your profile doesn’t equate to your actual capabilities. In fact, a single testimonial from an esteemed person can elevate your profile further.
This is why you need to pay attention to the requests you’ll be sending. To elaborate, consider the following advice:
Look for strong connections that can provide you with value-adding recommendations.
Take time to review the people you’ve worked with so far. Who among them have you worked with the longest? Who was the best person you’ve worked with all these years? If the length of time isn’t enough testament, you can also choose someone who you think you’ve made a lasting impact on.
Bottom line here is to find colleagues who can amplify the skills you want to showcase in your profile.
Always personalize your message.
What does personalizing a message have to do with getting a recommendation? The answer: Everything.
Providing context in your request makes a big difference in the recommendation you’re getting. It can even dictate if you’re going to receive one in the first place. So to increase your chances of getting quality recommendations, you need to customize your message.
To do this, you can start with a simple greeting and ask them if they are available to provide a recommendation for you. Ask directly and don’t beat around the bush.
Request specific details.
In your message, you can cite the job you worked on together — if that’s what you want to be commended for. Use your shared experiences to your own advantage.
You could also make things easier for them by already providing the context you want. Just make sure that you don’t have any loose ends in the project you’ve worked on together.
Give to get.
For a more roundabout approach, you could provide a recommendation to your colleague in exchange for receiving one. There are no restrictions in using this kind of tactic so why not make things easier for both of you?
This way, it’s a win-win situation and you could both receive extra points for your profile.
What’s Next?
Now that you have the basics in check, you can now send those requests. You could also message them in other channels so that they are reminded of your request in case they aren’t that active on LinkedIn.
The important thing to consider here is to always be polite. You’re the one asking for something after all. Once you receive your recommendations, you can start managing them.
Having strong recommendations serve as a huge selling point for any hiring manager. It also creates a sense of assurance that you can be an asset to any team. After all, nothing makes your profile look better than having someone vouch for you and your skills