LinkedIn Recommendations
Some people see LinkedIn recommendations as a natural evolution of references and letters of recommendation. Yes, there is room for all three; however, I would like to argue that LinkedIn recommendations are the most powerful.
They are harder to fake since they can be verified with the poster tied to the recommendation.
They can be viewed by anyone perusing your profile before they decide to bring you in for an interview. In other words, they don’t have to be submitted or requested.
LinkedIn SEO algorithms read LinkedIn recommendations, so the industry keywords listed within your recommendations can help you be found.
Requesting Recommendations:
Only ask for recommendations from people relevant to your goals. A strong recommendation from someone who knows you well is more valuable than a half-hearted one from someone with a well-recognized name.
Before you ask for a recommendation:
Check Their Profile: See if the individual has written other recommendations.
Assess Quality: If their recommendations are strong, proceed. If not, consider providing a rough draft for them to edit.
How to request a recommendation:
Navigate to the profile of the 1st-degree connection you'd like to request a recommendation from.
Click the More icon in the top section of the profile.
Select Request a recommendation.
Fill out the Relationship and Position at the time fields of the recommendations pop-up window, and click Next.
You can include a personalized message with your request by changing the text in the message field.
Click Send.