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LinkedIn recommendations are essential for building professional credibility and showcasing your skills. Unlike endorsements, recommendations provide detailed insights into your work ethic and accomplishments, helping your profile stand out to recruiters and potential clients.
This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to request LinkedIn recommendations effectively. You’ll learn who to ask, how to approach them, and how to ensure the recommendation adds real value to your profile.
With the right strategies, you can enhance your LinkedIn presence and make your profile more attractive to future opportunities.
Why LinkedIn Recommendations Matter
Benefits of LinkedIn Recommendations
LinkedIn recommendations enhance your professional credibility by providing testimonials that highlight your skills and experiences. They act as social proof, reinforcing your abilities and achievements through the words of colleagues, managers, or clients.
Recommendations also increase your profile’s visibility to potential employers or clients, helping you stand out in a competitive job market.
How Recommendations Differ from Endorsements
Unlike quick skill endorsements, LinkedIn recommendations are personalized and detailed. They offer specific feedback on your work performance, making them a much stronger indicator of your capabilities and work ethic. While endorsements validate individual skills, recommendations provide in-depth context, giving recruiters a clearer picture of your strengths.
How Many Recommendations Are Ideal
When it comes to LinkedIn recommendations, quality matters more than quantity. Aim for a few well-crafted and relevant recommendations that provide meaningful insights rather than accumulating many vague or generic ones. The goal is to showcase impactful testimonials highlighting critical aspects of your experience and character.
Who to Ask for a Recommendation
Choosing the Right People
To get valuable LinkedIn recommendations, choosing the right people is essential. Ideal candidates include colleagues, managers, clients, mentors, or professors who know you well enough to provide detailed feedback on your work. Ensure the person can speak to your strengths, work ethic, and the specific skills you want to highlight.
Variety of Perspectives
A well-rounded LinkedIn profile includes recommendations from various perspectives. Consider asking for recommendations from former managers, co-workers, clients, or team members to showcase a range of your abilities. This variety offers potential employers a broader view of how you perform in different roles and environments, demonstrating versatility.
Importance of Relevance
When requesting a recommendation, make sure the person can speak to the skills or experiences that are most relevant to your current career goals. A diverse set of recommendations from different roles or industries can provide added value to your profile, showcasing your adaptability and breadth of expertise.
When to Ask for a LinkedIn Recommendation
Timing is Key
Asking for LinkedIn recommendations at the right time can make a big difference in the quality of the feedback you receive. The best times to request a recommendation are after completing a successful project, when transitioning to a new role, or after receiving positive feedback from a colleague or client.
Avoid asking during periods when the person might be busy or right before they leave a company, as this could lead to rushed or less thoughtful responses.
Career Milestones
Career milestones, such as promotions, project completions, or role transitions, provide excellent opportunities to ask for recommendations. At these high points in your career, colleagues or supervisors are more likely to be willing and able to provide a strong, detailed recommendation that reflects your recent accomplishments.
Maintaining Professional Relationships
Building strong professional relationships over time increases the likelihood of receiving a positive recommendation. Stay in touch with former colleagues or clients, offer value to your connections, and maintain ongoing communication.
By fostering these relationships, you create a more natural and comfortable environment to request and receive meaningful recommendations.
How to Ask for a LinkedIn Recommendation
Personalizing Your Request
Personalization is key when asking for a LinkedIn recommendation. Avoid using LinkedIn’s default template, as it can be impersonal. Tailoring your message based on your relationship with the person, your experiences together, and the specific skills you’d like them to highlight will make your request more meaningful.
A personal touch shows that you value their time and input, and it increases the likelihood of receiving a well-crafted, thoughtful recommendation.
1. Crafting a Professional Request
Your message should include a polite greeting, a brief acknowledgment of your connection, and a clear request. Make it easy for the recipient by stating what you’d like them to focus on. Here are some example templates:
Example Template 1: Asking a Manager for a Recommendation
Subject: LinkedIn Recommendation Request
Hi [Manager’s Name],
I hope you’re doing well! I wanted to reach out and ask if you’d be willing to write a brief recommendation for my LinkedIn profile. I really enjoyed working with you at [Company Name], and I believe your perspective on [specific project or skill] would add valuable insight to my profile.
If you’re open to it, I’d appreciate it if you could mention [specific accomplishments or strengths]. Of course, I’m happy to provide any additional details to make it easier for you.
Thank you so much for considering this!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Example Template 2: Asking a Colleague or Team Member
Subject: Request for LinkedIn Recommendation
Hi [Colleague’s Name],
I hope you’re doing well! I’m updating my LinkedIn profile and was wondering if you’d be open to writing a recommendation. We worked so well together on [specific project], and I’d love it if you could highlight our collaboration and [specific skills like teamwork, problem-solving, etc.].
Let me know if you need any details to help jog your memory. I’d be more than happy to reciprocate and write a recommendation for you as well.
Thank you so much!
Best,
[Your Name]
Example Template 3: Asking a Client or Business Partner
Subject: LinkedIn Recommendation Request
Hi [Client’s Name],
I hope you’re doing well! I’m currently refining my LinkedIn profile and wanted to ask if you’d be willing to write a short recommendation. Working with you on [specific project] was a pleasure, and I think your feedback would provide valuable insight into my role in [specific tasks or results].
If you have the time, I’d be grateful if you could mention [specific strengths or accomplishments] related to the project. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you in return!
Thanks so much for your time and consideration.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
2. Be Specific in Your Request
Be specific about what you’d like the person to emphasize when requesting a recommendation. Whether it’s a project you worked on, certain skills (like leadership or communication), or specific achievements, providing clear guidance ensures that the recommendation aligns with your career goals.
3. Offer to Reciprocate
When requesting a recommendation, it’s a good idea to offer to write one in return. Reciprocity helps maintain professional relationships and shows your willingness to support others. This mutual exchange strengthens your connections and builds goodwill within your professional network.
When writing recommendations for others, focus on specific qualities or contributions they made that stand out. Provide concrete examples of how their work impacted, and ensure the recommendation is well-written, as it reflects positively on both of you. Keep it professional yet personal, showing how their skills and work ethic have impressed you.
What to Do After Receiving a Recommendation
Once you’ve received a LinkedIn recommendation, it’s important to express gratitude. Thanking the person shows appreciation for their time and effort and maintains a positive rapport. You can thank them through LinkedIn, but a more personal approach, such as an email or message, is often appreciated.
Example Message:
Hi [Recommender’s Name],
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful recommendation! I really appreciate your kind words and the detailed feedback. It means a lot to me and will be a great addition to my LinkedIn profile.
If there’s ever anything I can do to return the favor, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Thanks again!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Showcasing the Recommendation on Your Profile
Once the recommendation is received, it’ll automatically appear on your LinkedIn profile. However, you can strategically position it to enhance your profile’s visibility. Ensure the strongest and most relevant recommendations are displayed at the top of your profile. This can help attract potential employers or clients who are skimming through your qualifications.
Requesting Edits If Necessary
If the recommendation is too vague or contains incorrect information, it’s okay to ask for slight revisions. Approach the person politely and explain that you want to clarify a few points.
Sample Message for Requesting Edits:
Hi [Recommender’s Name],
Thank you so much for the recommendation. It’s greatly appreciated! I was wondering if you could make a small edit to mention [specific skill/accomplishment], as I think it would add more context to my profile.
I truly appreciate your time and effort in making this adjustment!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
By following these steps, you can effectively request strong LinkedIn recommendations to bolster your professional profile and help you stand out to recruiters or clients.
How to Build Strong Professional Relationships for Future Recommendations
Invest in Long-Term Professional Relationships
Strong recommendations are often the result of long-term, trusted relationships. Building relationships over time through consistent collaboration and mutual support increases the likelihood of receiving detailed and meaningful recommendations when the time comes.
Maintaining regular communication and offering value rather than only reaching out when needed.
Staying Engaged on LinkedIn
One way to stay connected and engaged is by actively participating on LinkedIn. Regularly liking, commenting, and sharing content keeps you top-of-mind with potential recommenders. Consistent engagement fosters stronger relationships and helps maintain professional connections, making it more natural to ask for a recommendation when needed.
Offering Value Before Asking for a Favor
Before asking for a recommendation, consider offering something of value to your connections. This could be in the form of career advice, writing a recommendation for them, or sharing job opportunities. Providing support to your network first can create a stronger foundation for future requests and help you build goodwill.
Conclusion
Requesting a LinkedIn recommendation requires careful planning: identify the right people, time your request well, personalize your message, and follow up with sincere gratitude. A clear, detailed request helps your recommender focus on the key qualities you want to be highlighted, resulting in a stronger recommendation.
Stay patient and professional throughout. Build long-term relationships and keep in touch with your network regularly, rather than only reaching out when you need something.
Start today by connecting with those who know your strengths. Engage with your network, then ask for a recommendation to strengthen your profile and create new career opportunities.
