How to Get Recommendations and Endorsements on Linkedin

Linkedin is a great way to investigate others you may want to partner with, purchase products or services from or to work for.  Whether looking for employment or being a business person, recommendations and endorsements on Linkedin are a powerful way to show credibility in what you are claiming to be and not just trying to sell yourself.

But Recommendations and Endorsements on Linkedin are not the same.  In fact, Recommendations are much more powerful and valuable than Endorsements.  Let's take a closer look at each and how to go about getting them.

ENDORSEMENTS:

Endorsements are the easier of the two to receive.  Endorsements are simple a simple way for Linkedin connections endorsing you for possessing a certain skill.  In fact, Linkedin encourages giving endorsements by featuring notifications: 

1. At the top of profiles of existing connections.

2. On user profiles who have added the "Skills & Endorsements" (example above).

3. Periodically in your Newsfeed.

These endorsements are easy to give and receive from other users.  There are two methods of giving endorsements to others.  The main, and most easy, is:

1. Select a connection's profile you already know and open it.

2. Scroll down to their "Skills & Endorsements" section.





3. Click on the "+" next to the skill you wish to endorse.

4. If #3 is successfully done, the existing number to the left of the skill will increase by one.

Why are endorsements great to have?  Endorsements are ways to claim you have certain skills in your industry and then back that up with proof that others already believe you possess them.  The more endorsements for a skill the more credibility you have.

How do you encourage receiving endorsements?  It's quite easy by:

1. Building the number of connections you have.  The more connections on Linkedin the more likely others are going to endorse you for skills.

2. Endorse others on Linked in by following the above instructions.

3. If someone really enjoys your work but doesn't have the time to write a formal recommendation, encourage them to endorse you on Linkedin.

Endorsements are fairly easy to receive.  But it takes time to build up both the connections and endorsements, so keep plugging away at it and it will happen.

Recommendation courtesy of David Bird / Birdseyemarketing.ca

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Recommendations tend to carry more credence.  This is mainly because Recommendations are more hard to receive.  Recommendations are testimonials written and offered by others for you to post to your profile. These recommendations are very telling as it shows others believe exactly why they like interacting with you in business and how you are a positive influence.  Therefore, these recommendations also become a choice confirmation for others who may wish to hire or contract with you.

To provide a well rounded view of a person, recommendations should come from a variety of sources.  So try to obtain recommendations from former supervisors, coworkers and clients.  Doing it from a variety of sources shows you as well rounded individual who can be depended upon both as an employee, coworker and as a product or service provider.

To give a recommendation:

1. Visit the Recommendations page in your Linkedin account, after logging in, found here: www.linkedin.com/recommendations

2. Click on the "Given" tab.

3. Scroll down to "Make a Recommendation" and follow the prompts.

Some things to remember about recommendations:

• Remember that recommendations can only be given to and received by connections you have. 
• In terms of length of a recommendation, it helps to keep it to no more than one paragraph.
• Most recommendations describe a problem and how it was resolved positively while using several character traits (e.g. attention to detail, problem solving, quick learning, etc.) that make the person a positive to interact with.

How do you encourage others to recommend you? 

1. Others will offer recommendations or testimonials in person.

2. Ask for them!  After someone has a positive experience with you either as a customer, employer or coworker, request a recommendation either in person or via your Linkedin account found here: https://www.linkedin.com/recRequests?cor=&trk=recppl_recsforme&goback=%2Ersm_*1_*1_*1_*1

3. Offer recommendations to others. People receiving recommendations are more likely to offer them back to you.

4. Some may be stuck on what to write, help them by e-mailing them a written draft recommendation for them to edit and copy over to Linkedin.

What can recommendations be used for? 

1. For job seekers, testimonials are important not only for a Linkedin profile.  These recommendations can be copied and pasted into a single page document that can be attached to a resume during a job interview as a lasting impression with the interviewer.

2. Sales material often has testimonials included whenever possible.  So be sure to ask permission of those who have written and offered the recommendations if they wouldn't mind if you used their testimonial in brochures, websites and portfolios.

Recommendations and endorsements can be powerful tools to show your credibility to both prospective employers as well as prospective clients.  Nothing shows credibility like several people who are willing to attach their name and say "Yes they are good at that!"

Need help with shining on Linkedin?  Suddcorp Solutions has the experience bring out the best in you on this important business social networking platform.