Linkedin has two ways to prove your professional worth, written recommendations and endorsements. These provide excellent opportunities for those who know you recommend you via both written testimonial or endorse you for a certain skill. We have previously written on the difference between the two and how to obtain them here.
Recently we had a great discussion over the worth of endorsements. After going through the differences between recommendations and endorsements the conversation evolved to the worth of endorsements. The main question was:
Is it worth it to have endorsements from those who barely know you or have not used your services?
The answer is complex. Sure contacts with lots of endorsements look more impressive than those who do not. But not all endorsers are created equal.
In a recent blog post Linkedin explored Recommendations and Endorsements. This paragraph from the blog entry spoke powerfully about the value of each endorsement:
The right endorsements can go a long way in helping you establish your professional brand — and not all endorsements are created equal. For example, a Project Management endorsement from an existing colleague is more valuable to a recruiter than a similar endorsement from a high-school friend might be. It is therefore in your best interest to add the most appropriate skills to your profile and select the most relevant and credible endorsements to show. It is also advisable to keep this in mind when endorsing your connections. Ask yourself, what will really help them the most?
With the above in mind there are a couple of ways to ensure your providing value for endorsements:
1. Review your own profile's skills section. This is especially so after a job change or refocus of which field you are pursuing in your career. A skills section on your Linkedin profile that matches what you are looking for or are currently doing encourages others to endorse you for those particular skills. Therefore, ensure if you are a medical doctor "bedside manner" is listed skill and not "crocheting". By making those skills you want endorsed on your profile, you are more likely to be endorsed for those than others that are less relevant.
2. Endorse other connections for what you know of them. Did you use the services of a real estate agent? Endorse them for the skills they have used with you. If you bought a town home with a real estate agent endorse them for "real estate" and "Town Homes" while avoiding "Condominiums" or "Estate Lots". By doing this, you are providing value to the other person who may, in return, endorse you for your skills.
Endorsements from the right key people can make the difference. But also totals can matter. If a particular skill is endorsed by 12 different people as opposed to one, it should lend some credence. Add in some reputable names to those endorsements and you are well on your way to looking good on Linkedin.
For whatever reason, some are uncomfortable with having a particular connection endorse them for a skill. Thus, some may want to remove or hide an endorsement by a certain connection. For whatever reason or need, here is how to hide a connection's endorsement of a skill on your profile.
To hide or unhide an endorsement on your Linkedin profile:
1. Visit www.linkedin.com and login into your Linkedin account.
2. Move your cursor over Profile at the top of your homepage and select "Edit Profile".
3. Scroll down to the "Skills & Endorsements" section and click the edit icon.
4. Click the "Manage Endorsements" link next to "Add & Remove".
5. Click a skill in the left column to reveal the connections who endorse you for that skill. You may need to use the scroll bar on the right side of the box to view skills further down in the list.
6. Uncheck the box next to any people whose endorsements you want to hide or check the box next to any you want to unhide.
7. Click "Save".
8. Click "Done editing" in the top section of your profile and you're done!
Lost on Linkedin? Suddcorp Solutions can help you develop a professional looking Linkedin Profile and set you up for Linkedin success!
No comments:
Post a Comment