What an honor would it be if you get a recommendation on LinkedIn, right? We know that it is so heartwarming and incredible. That’s why you are also encouraged to return the favor and write a recommendation for a colleague of yours.
However, writing recommendations can surely be a tricky one. It needs to convey the proper message and become impactful since it can make or break the career of the person that you are writing it for.
Moreover, you also need to sound genuine. Do not exaggerate everything because instead of making it look good, it will only become unrealistic and hard to believe. Well, unless the person has hard proof of all his or her achievements and skills.
Well, you can also try to buy LinkedIn recommendations. Add to this, ask the people who truly know about you. This is the reason why we have prepared a guide on how to write a LinkedIn recommendation!
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Table of Contents
Start with An Impactful First Line
The first sentence should not be lame and boring. Make sure to get the reader’s attention or else he or she would drop that off. The recommendation should be interesting. It should make the recruiter, head hunter, or even a possible client want to read it until the last period. Keep in mind that the way you present yourself at the start will provide a lasting impression to your reader.
Ideally, the first line should always discuss how awesome the person you are recommending in terms of work ethics, skills, talents, and many more. However, you should be careful as you may sound too biased. It is best to avoid phrases such as: “one of the best” and “one of my favorite employees.” There are a lot of words in the dictionary that sound just as strong as those.
Here are a few examples, so get ready with your pen and notebook!
“You will rarely come across a talented person like Ms. Ana.”
“Jason is unbelievably efficient.”
Describe the Nature of Your Professional Relationship
An essential part of writing a recommendation is giving the reader a context about how you got to know the person professionally. Were you able to work with that person? Are you his or her employee, manager, or co-worker?
Also, don’t forget the length that you have worked together, which is also an essential factor. By describing your professional relationship, you are proving to the reader that you are credible in illustrating and promoting that person’s work.
Don’t worry. You don’t have to give specific details!
Provide the Person’s Positions
Don’t get the readers confused. State the position held by the person you are writing recommendations for. You must not forget to do this because there is a possibility that the person held multiple jobs while you are working with him or her.
Furthermore, you must also state the notable parts of their job and the things they did, which you think are commendable. It might feel a little awkward because it’s slightly similar to listing job descriptions. But believe us, this will be very helpful as the readers will be able to perceive what the person did in his or her job.
Share How They Grow in The Company
If you are the immediate supervisor of the person you are writing the recommendation for, it would be best to share how that person grew in the company.
How was that person in overcoming the challenges and difficulties that he faced during his stay there? Was he open to taking mentorship? Did he accept criticisms constructively?
These pieces of information are essential as the readers want to know how flexible and adaptable they are. However, you must be careful as you can overstate the low points of that person in his career. We all know that it could dilute the value of the person’s growth that you are trying to point out.
Write About The Impact of That Person in The Company
Did that person cause good changes in your company or to you? That might be an essential thing to share as the readers of that recommendation will surely look for an innovative and critical-thinking candidate. It would be a good story if you or the company became better because of that person’s impact.
We’re sure that if you’ll write about this, it is not only the person who has an impact but also your recommendation. People would love to buy LinkedIn accounts that have an excellent recommendation like this.
Highlight A Standout Trait
It would be mainstream if you describe the person you are writing the recommendation for as someone smart, hardworking, talented, and many more. These are the adjectives from a dictionary that have been super used up. So, please refrain from using it anymore.
You always have the option to think of one or two things that this person is doing better than anyone else. From there, you can already give a brief background on why you think that person is the best fit for that job.
Furthermore, you can also become consultative and ask that person what he or she wants to talk about. Also, know about what position he or she is applying to so you can tailor-fit your recommendation to highlight relevant tasks for that position.
Solidly End Your Recommendation
Seal your recommendation with a solid line! Make the reader think that you are giving your most enthusiastic thumbs up and a great big smile in recommending that person. However, you must not overthink this part until you are almost giving a farewell speech. Simple, impactful words will do!
Final Thoughts
Writing a recommendation for a former employee, co-worker, or colleague is a little overwhelming. Remember, that one to three paragraphs could change that person’s life forever– it could make or break his or her career. This is the reason why we hope that the tips about writing a LinkedIn recommendation here will be able to help you.
He has years of experience in setting up social media presence for SME’s and have very successfully run campaigns for building social media presence for companies all around the world.
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