We know how important recommendation is in recruitment, promotion and job switching processes in business life. It is one of the primary resources to get information about the applicant.
In job interviews, you explain your educational background, previous experiences in the field, your skills and successes in person. On top of this, recommendations strengthen your statement by providing additional evidence from different perspectives. They are basically the social proof of your competencies.
What is a LinkedIn recommendation?
LinkedIn is the leading social media platform in the business world now. Besides, it is the most preferred networking platform for B2B marketing; another primary objective for using LinkedIn is the recruitment possibilities.
More than 55 million companies and over 14 million open jobs are listed on LinkedIn. Nearly 40 million people using LinkedIn to search for jobs every week, and 3 people are hired every minute on LinkedIn.
So, it is no surprise to find out that LinkedIn has almost 740 million members worldwide. The statistics are attractive for both recruiters to find suitable talent for their company and professionals to seek job opportunities.
LinkedIn can be defined as the social media platforms of professionals where they get together, build their network, share their experiences and follow business opportunities both personal and business-wise.
Isik Onal
As in all social media platforms, people create their accounts with their educational background, job experiences, skills and certificates. LinkedIn also offers an opportunity to request recommendations from 1st-degree connections people work with or have worked within the past.
LinkedIn recommendations help people to build more credible and professional profiles. Unlike the recommendations we are used to, LinkedIn recommendations are publicly visible in people's profiles. That is why it gets more important to know how to write a LinkedIn recommendation.
When a LinkedIn member requests you to write a LinkedIn recommendation, you will be notified via a message from the sender. You have the option to accept, dismiss or ask for a revision of the recommendation. If you had written a recommendation and change your opinion about it, you have the right to revise the recommendation or delete it after.
We are here to help you to learn how to write a LinkedIn recommendation for your current and ex-colleagues and how to write a LinkedIn recommendation for your boss. Before writing a LinkedIn recommendation, we suggest you check our tips and go over the samples we provide for each tip.
Tip #1: Grab the attention with an outstanding opening line
It is important to make people understand that your recommendation will be informative and will not consist of generic statements in your opening line. It would be better if you avoid empty words and instead write wholesomely.
When you are writing a LinkedIn recommendation, don't forget that this is the world of business professionals. These statements will be read by recruiters who are experts in reading between the lines.
Your statement needs to be convincing with powerful word choices but without exaggerations. For instance, if you write a LinkedIn recommendation starting with "Tom is the best person in the world" or "Jane knows everything about marketing," you wouldn't be able to make a reliable impression.
Instead, we suggest you choose a smooth but strong opening line in which you can emphasize the strong competency of that person. You can get inspired by the following examples.
"I had the opportunity of working with a manager who has both leadership and team management skills to bring a whole team together."
"Jane is an outstanding Project Leader who is able to handle any situation patiently with creative solutions."
Zeynep Morelli
Tip #2: Explain your relationship
This detail is suggested to be neat, short, and to the point with data-driven facts. When you write a LinkedIn recommendation, readers don't expect you to describe your relationship with the person in detail.
It would help if you gave answers to basics context questions like how long you work together, what you work on, and how you know this person. This statement will show readers the validity of your recommendation and if you are qualified to write a LinkedIn recommendation for this person.
"Tom and I worked together for three years and carried out many sustainability projects during my time at X Company."
"I was very lucky to work with Carol as my manager for two years as she guided me with her wisdom and leadership skills in marketing."
Tip #3: Describe the main strengths of the person
Writing a LinkedIn recommendation is not the same as writing an essay. You don't need to cover all the traits of a person in long paragraphs. It would be better if you choose more relevant strengths and avoid obvious general statements.
It will not help readers decide whether the person is a good marketeer if you just say that she has a lot of experience in the marketing field. As it is the person's choice to publish the recommendation, people are aware that there won't be any LinkedIn recommendation saying that she is not good at marketing.
Instead, you can choose two traits that make the person stand out and emphasize them while writing a LinkedIn recommendation.
"What I find very impressive is his ability to deal with conflicts between parties calmly and patiently. He can find creative solutions that bring people together around an idea and help them work as a team."
"Julie is more than a manager; she has a great influence on her team as a mentor and as a leader. She is determined to lead people with creativity and ambition."
Isik Onal
Tip #4: Give some personal insights
Personal traits are vital in any job where there are other people regardless of the department or industry. A person can have great know-how in his/her field, but if he/she cannot manage personal relations properly, there won't be any use of the field-related skills.
So, it is valuable to share some personal insights about the person's characteristics when you write a LinkedIn recommendation. After all, this person will be a part of their team and represent their companies' culture.
"When we were under high pressure, Justin was the one who brought energy to all and boosts our motivation with his small speeches."
Tip #5: Closing statement with a solid line
This one will be the statement where you summarize your points with an energetic and motivational emphasis. You can choose one personal trait that will create a call to action for the readers while writing a LinkedIn recommendation closing statement.
"If you are looking for a Project Manager with a strategic vision and high managerial skills, Dylan will be a great asset for your company."
"I highly recommend Jane if you are looking for a marketing manager who has both organizational skills and great know-how in the marketing field."
"Tom will surely make a difference if you need a sales executive who has strong analytic skills and good personal relations."
Zeynep Morelli
Wrapping Up
You can use 3000 characters when you are writing a LinkedIn recommendation, but you don't have to. Recommendations are the section where readers want to have a general idea about a person and collect social proof of people's competencies. So, try to keep your LinkedIn recommendation brief and to the point.
After you finish writing a LinkedIn recommendation, you can evaluate every sentence if it contributes to the overall message or not. If it doesn't provide any additional relevant information, do not hesitate to lose it. You can find many templates on the internet about how to write a LinkedIn recommendation, but be aware that recruiters are the experts in this field; if they see a pattern in the LinkedIn recommendations, they will be able to identify the repetitive sentences. So, be careful to be unique and personal while maintaining the core expectancy of readers.
If someone requests a LinkedIn recommendation from you, don't hesitate to answer it. Besides the joy of helping a current or past colleague, the return rate to LinkedIn recommendations can surprise you!
As you start giving LinkedIn recommendations to other people, there is a great chance that they will return your favor with a good LinkedIn recommendation to you. This article will help you increase your LinkedIn profile's credibility as you will collect social support for your competencies. Finally, do not get demotivated if someone doesn't accept your recommendation request. There is no limit to the recommendation requests and the number of recommendations you can give.
Zeynep Morelli
Zeynep Morelli
