Category: Executive Leadership and Influence

How to write a LinkedIn recommendation? What are the key things to touch on or highlight?

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I covered the benefits of endorsing trusted teammate skills and writing recommendations for close professional associates as a tools to build goodwill, drive engagement with your LinkedIn profile and also boost its SEO relevance for recruiters using search engines to scout for candidates in your field of work. Make sure to also read my post on ways to boost your profile as a passive job seeker.

Writing a LinkedIn recommendation for a co-worker involves highlighting their key skills, achievements, and your personal experience working with them.

Here is a list of topics to touch on for inspiration as you write your recommendation, at the end I am including an example of a recommendation, the key elements to include:

1. Professional Relationship:

  • Begin with Context: Start by explaining how you know the person and your professional relationship.


2. Key Skills & Strengths:

  • Highlight Skills: Focus on 2-3 key skills or strengths that make your co-worker stand out.
  • Provide Examples: Use specific examples to demonstrate their skills and expertise.


3. Achievements:

  • Mention Accomplishments: Outline any significant accomplishments, contributions, or projects they’ve led or contributed to.
  • Results and Impacts: If possible, quantify the impacts and results of their work within your project, organization or internal to your team’s culture.


4. Personal Qualities:

  • Interpersonal Skills: Touch on their teamwork, mentorship, leadership, and communication skills.
  • Character Attributes: Discuss attributes like dependability, creativity, or problem-solving abilities.


5. Endorsement:

  • Personal Endorsement: End with a strong statement of recommendation, indicating your confidence in their abilities and contributions to future employers.
    • Would you work with them again?
    • Would you recommend them for leadership positions and as mentors or sponsors?
    • Would you trust them to lead large projects in your organization?


Sample Recommendation:

I had the pleasure of working with [Co-worker’s Name] for [X years] at [Company Name], where we were both [Your Roles]. [Co-worker’s Name] is not only adept at [Key Skill 1] and [Key Skill 2], but also is a natural leader and team player.

One of [Co-worker’s Name]’s standout qualities is their ability to [Specific Skill or Achievement, e.g., “turn complex problems into actionable, manageable tasks”]. In our time working together, they spearheaded a project that [Explain the Project, Result, and Impact, e.g., “led to a 30% increase in customer satisfaction”].

On a personal level, [Co-worker’s Name]’s ability to build and maintain relationships is unparalleled. They are [Include Personal Qualities, e.g., “dependable, creative, and solution-oriented”], making them a favorite among clients and colleagues alike.

I wholeheartedly recommend [Co-worker’s Name] for any team looking to add a dedicated and innovative professional. They would no doubt be a valuable asset to any organization.
Modify this template according to the specific skills, achievements, and personal qualities of your co-worker to make your recommendation personal and impactful.

How does giving recommendations and endorsing team mate skills on LinkedIn benefit my profile ranking?

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Giving recommendations and endorsing skills on LinkedIn can positively influence your professional reputation and visibility, although it may not directly boost your profile ranking internally on LinkedIn, it will highly benefit it’s ranking on search engines like Google whose advanced search features are preferred by some recruiters scouting for great candidates within your field of work. Here are specific ways it can benefit you:

1. Professional Reputation:

  • Credibility: By endorsing skills and writing recommendations, you show that you acknowledge and appreciate the expertise of others, which enhances your credibility.
  • Authority: Giving well-articulated recommendations can position you as an authority in your field.

2. Networking and Relationships:

  • Reciprocity: Endorsing or recommending someone can often lead to them returning the favor, which can enhance your profile’s credibility.
  • Networking: This practice strengthens your professional relationships and keeps you on top of mind among your connections.

3. Engagement:

  • Visibility: Your activity is visible to your connections, keeping your profile active and engaging.
  • Content Creation: Recommendations contribute to content on LinkedIn, boosting your overall activity and engagement.

4. Skills Validation:

  • Trust: When you endorse skills, it’s a validation from a real person, building trust and authenticity.
  • Expertise: Your endorsements can sometimes reflect your ability to judge and recognize skills, contributing to your image as an expert.

5. SEO Benefits:

  • Keywords: Recommendations often contain relevant keywords that can enhance the search visibility of your profile indirectly.
  • Backlinks: Each time a connection publishes your recommendation on their profile a backlink to your profile is created, this is an implicit endorsement of your profile for Google’s algorithm. It will also, on occasion, will drive recruiters and other connections browsing that profile back to yours.
  • Search Ranking: Increased engagement and activity can potentially improve your visibility in LinkedIn search results.

6. Professional Image:

  • Positivity: Giving recommendations and endorsements reflects positively on your professional image as someone supportive and appreciative.
  • Community Engagement: It shows you’re actively engaged in supporting and uplifting your professional community.

Key Takeaways:

  • Reciprocal Benefits: Giving recommendations and endorsements can often result in receiving them, enhancing the richness and credibility of your profile.
  • Engagement: Active participation on LinkedIn, including giving recommendations and endorsements, increases your profile’s visibility and engagement.

While these activities may not directly impact your “ranking” on LinkedIn, they contribute to a richer, more credible, and engaging profile, increasing your visibility and attractiveness to other professionals, recruiters, and potential employers. They also foster a positive professional image and strengthen your network. Ensure your endorsements and recommendations are genuine to maximize their impact.

See also:

What are ways to boost your LinkedIn profile as a passive job seeker?

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Even as a passive job seeker, it’s essential to maintain and boost your LinkedIn profile to stay visible and attractive to potential employers. Here are some strategies to build goodwill and enhance your profile:

1. Profile Optimization:

  • Professional Photo: Use a clear, professional photo to make a positive first impression.
  • Update Information: Ensure your profile is up-to-date with your latest achievements, skills, and experiences.

2. Networking:

  • Connect: Grow your network by connecting with professionals in and outside of your industry.
  • Engage: Comment, like, and share posts from close connections and past associates that is relevant to your field. This will help their content as well as surface this content to your own network.

3. Content Sharing and Creation:

  • Share Useful Content: Regularly share articles, news, and updates related to your industry.
  • Write Articles: Publish articles on LinkedIn to showcase your knowledge and insights.

4. Recommendations and Endorsements:

  • Give Recommendations: Write recommendations for your colleagues to build goodwill, this also creates backlinks to your profile boosting it on search engines such as Google.
  • Give Endorsements: Networking is a team sport, make it a habit to endorse skills you know your close associates to possess when visiting their profiles. When you endorse skills of close associates you boost their profile and your own as a link back to your profile is created for each skill you endorse.
  • Request Recommendations: Politely ask for recommendations to strengthen your profile. Share these articles with them so they can realize the benefits of endorsing trusted professional associates.

5. Skills and Accomplishments:

  • List Skills: Make sure to list all relevant skills and get them endorsed by your connections.
  • Highlight Achievements: Update your accomplishments, certificates, and projects.
  • Reorder your skills: Make sure to re-order your listed skills from time to time, boosting unendorsed skills to the top so that people visiting your profile view them and endorse them first.

6. Join Groups:

  • Participate: Join and actively participate in LinkedIn groups related to your field.
  • Network: Use groups to network with like-minded professionals and potential employers.

7. Profile Badge:

  • LinkedIn Badge: Create a LinkedIn Badge and add it to your email signature, blog, or website.

8. Learning:

  • LinkedIn Learning: Complete LinkedIn Learning courses and add certificates to your profile.

9. Career Interests:

  • Settings: Update “Career interests” settings to be approachable by recruiters, even if you’re not actively looking.

10. Volunteer Work:

  • Add Volunteer Experience: This can be a great way to showcase your skills and contributions to the community.

Bonus Tip:

  • Analytics: Use LinkedIn analytics to understand your profile’s reach and engagement, and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Implementing these strategies will not only enhance your LinkedIn profile but also build goodwill in your professional network. Even as a passive job seeker, staying active and engaged on LinkedIn can open up unexpected opportunities.

See also: