A LinkedIn recommendation is similar to a review or feedback section of other social media platforms. It tells other users of the experience that you have with that person. It is like putting a good word on that person and it might be used as a reference especially if someone wants to hire him or her.
The responsibility of writing a good recommendation lies to both the one who asked and the one who will write it. It all starts with sending a LinkedIn recommendation request. By sending a well-written request for recommendation encourages a response from the receiver. It also enables your colleague that he or she will be able to write the message that you wanted to be shown on your LinkedIn profile.
Responding to the request with an equally well-written recommendation allows you to reconnect with your colleague properly. They will appreciate your effort by reaching out to them first. You might also receive a recommendation by simply writing one for them.
P.S. Do you want more recommendations on LinkedIn? We offer services for LinkedIn recommendations to help your profile build credibility.
Tips on Writing LinkedIn Recommendations
You can receive a request via LinkedIn notification or email for a recommendation. Alternatively, you can go to your connection’s profile page and select the “Recommend” option to be able to write one. You see a pop-up box in which you will need to fill up the Relationship and Position at the time fields before writing the actual recommendation.
These are easy to fill up as you only need to select from a drop-down box.
Make It Short And Simple
A good LinkedIn recommendation should be simple and short. It doesn’t need to have highfalutin words to get your point across. Readers should be able to enjoy reading your recommendations and won’t spend too much time analyzing what the content is all about.
Making it casual but packed with details makes it more effective compared to recommendations which are too lengthy but the content could have been shortened to a few sentences.
Give A Brief Background
Most of the users that will visit his or her LinkedIn profile may not know him or her personally, so giving a brief background before giving out the details helps.
It places the user into your own perspective while reading your LinkedIn recommendation. Not putting it into context might cause confusion and miscommunication on their part which can be avoided with a simple background.
Highlight Contributions
The whole point of making a LinkedIn recommendation is to celebrate the achievements and strengths of the person for who you are writing it for.
Make sure to emphasize the exemplary performance or outstanding character that he or she has. It is like selling an item to other people, but in this case, it’s your colleague from work. Don’t forget to expound on how his or her contributions have helped your company. Your colleague will thank you for it.
Be Objective
Some people might find being objective a bit challenging. They might favor or dislike the person too much that it shows on how they write the LinkedIn recommendation. Focus on being objective with your statements and state the facts. Create a story of his or her contributions without putting too much color in it. Be straight to the point on how he or she was able to help your company out without adding too much emotion to your statements. There are other occasions for that and a LinkedIn recommendation might not be the right place.
Summarize
The last statements are usually what sticks to the minds of the readers so it is best to have a striking statement at the end. Make sure to summarize the point of your recommendation towards the latter part. You might want to make it personalized for the person receiving it so that it does not sound like it came from a templated response.
Option To Decline
If you feel that you are not able to write a good LinkedIn recommendation, it is ok to decline. Whether you don’t have much experience with that person or have other reasons that you can’t be a good resource for a recommendation, let the other person know. It is better to tell them that you won’t be able to give one instead of keeping them hanging and following up when you know that you are unable to do it.
Related Post: How To Ask for LinkedIn Recommendation
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about writing recommendations on LinkedIn.
How do I write a recommendation for someone on LinkedIn?
Start off by giving a short background on the relationship that you have with that person in the company so that they’ll know where you are coming from.
Give inputs on how he was and how his role has contributed to the company. Finish off by giving a one-liner to summarize why you are recommending this person.
What does a good LinkedIn recommendation look like?
A good LinkedIn recommendation should be simple, short, and straight to the point. The reader shouldn’t be spending too much time reading on your recommendation as there might be a lot of them. Emphasize the contribution and good traits of the person with the intention to make them hired when reading your recommendation.
Should I write a recommendation for a colleague on LinkedIn?
Definitely! Aside from it being a nice way to reconnect with an old colleague, some of them would also return the favor. It gives an excuse to receive a recommendation back for a recommendation they requested. It’s a win-win situation for both of you.
How to view recommendations on LinkedIn?
From your LinkedIn profile, scroll below and see the section there which shows a list of the recommendations that you have received. It might be a good idea to read through all of your recommendations and to show the better ones first. It helps to paint a story of how you want other people to see your LinkedIn profile.
Is it ok to ask questions before writing the recommendation?
Yes. As this will show up on someone else’s LinkedIn profile, it is good to ask questions before writing a recommendation. There might be specific details that you may have forgotten or you want to ask how you should write the recommendation.
You can also ask your colleague to run through your draft before submitting it on LinkedIn just to be sure that it would be up to his or her expectations.