Optimizing LinkedIn: Recommendations

No matter why you use LinkedIn, you should take advantage of the Recommendations feature. It’s a great way to let others know what you’re like to work with and to highlight your accomplishments.

We’ve all see client testimonials or read reference letters and thought “Yea, right, they wrote this themselves.” The nifty thing about LinkedIn Recommendations is that they come directly from an actual person.

Because of this, it’s important that they’re quality recommendations. You don’t want someone simply saying: “Bob was a good employee who worked hard.” Or: “Betty was a great trainer and we learned a lot.”

Instead, you want: “Bob was an exemplary employee who completed every project on time and under budget. He was an asset to our company.” Or: “Working with Betty was a delight! She made learning fun and provided our team with achievable goals and strategies. I highly recommend her!”

So, how to you go about getting good recommendations? It’s simple…you ask for them! The key is how you ask for them. Most people are happy to help; they just need to know what to say. It’s OK to make suggestions such as reminding them of the details of projects you worked on or specific products or services you provided AND when.

If you’re a job seeker, it’s important to get recommendations from people you worked for and with (co-workers) and if possible, people you supervised. Your goal should be to have several recommendations for every job in your Profile. If it’s been a while since you’ve been in contact, it’s even more important for you to remind them about your history.

I always try to be specific when I’m asking for a recommendation. For example, if it’s someone who participated in one of my social media seminars, I remind them of the date of the seminar and the title. The easier it is, the more likely they are to respond.

It’s critical to only ask people for recommendations that you have actually worked with or for. While your friends would say nice things about you, it’s more important that your recommendations address your work ethic, responsibilities, skills and so forth.

You can also get recommendations from people you’ve worked with on volunteer projects. They just need to make the context clear. Think outside the box!

No recommendation is posted on LinkedIn without your approval. Make sure that the details, grammar, punctuation and so on are correct. You can always ask them to rewrite it and trust me, they want it to be accurate, too!

It’s a personal choice on how many recommendations to have. It’s definitely important to have quality recommendations, but quantity does count, too. If a potential employer is comparing you with another candidate and that person has more recommendations, it may sway their opinion. If someone is considering buying a product or service from you, it helps to see many satisfied clients!

Oh and one last thing—be sure to THANK the person when they provide you with a recommendation!

What are your thoughts on LinkedIn Recommendations? Do you ask for them? More importantly, do you read them (or at least glance at them) when you look at someone’s Profile, especially for the first time? What value do you give them?