LinkedIn recommendations are a valuable tool that can provide credibility to anyone interested in using the site to benefit their career. However, many people don’t know how to write one!
But don’t worry, this guide will make the process easy. You’ll find great LinkedIn recommendation examples, see how to write one, and understand some common mistakes to avoid.
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The Importance of LinkedIn Recommendations
Many hiring managers and recruiters turn to LinkedIn to learn more about potential job candidates. As a result, creating an eye-catching profile that helps you stand out in a sea of applicants is crucial. One way to enhance your credibility and professionalism is to utilize the LinkedIn recommendation feature.
LinkedIn recommendations are important for many reasons. First, they add a sense of authenticity and personalization to your profile. That helps recruiters ensure that your profile is genuine and not the product of a bot.
More importantly, these written blurbs act as proof of someone’s professional capabilities. Think of them as an easy-to-trace reference. Recommendations can come from colleagues, bosses, and even clients you worked with in the past.
Having recommendations could mean the difference in getting a call for an opportunity or not. A profile with recommendations could be seen as more insightful and may serve as a tie-breaker between two equal candidates.
A well-written LinkedIn recommendation will vouch for your skills, letting potential employers better understand what you can bring to the table.
LinkedIn Recommendation Examples
LinkedIn is the world’s most popular professional networking site where the goal is to build connections and market your skills to a broad audience. Expanding your network and personal brand is quite valuable, and the recommendations feature can help with this! In fact, one of the best ways to get more recommendations for your own page is to actually write some for others.
One of the best ways to get a recommendation is to give a recommendation. For this reason, think carefully about who you write a recommendation for.
Here are some great LinkedIn recommendation examples that can leave a lasting impression.
LinkedIn Recommendations for a Coworker
LinkedIn recommendations from colleagues are more important than many people realize. Your coworkers are the ones you interact with most. Some well-written recommendations from them can show potential employers that you’re not only capable but also a pleasure to work with.
The following LinkedIn recommendation examples strike a nice balance. They’re personable while still highlighting the unique skills that the individual brings into the workplace.
Example 1
“John and I worked together on several projects, and I was lucky to call him my coworker. He consistently gave 100 percent effort to the team and played a significant role in ensuring that we completed assignments on time.
He had excellent time management skills and had a knack for keeping everyone calm and productive during intense crunch periods. We miss his smile in the office! Any team would be lucky to have John, and I couldn’t recommend him more for any business looking for new talent.”
Example 2
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with many professionals in our line of work, but Katy is someone who I will always remember fondly. I started my career working alongside Katy. Not only did she show me many tricks of the trade, but she helped me navigate the company’s internal processes.
I learned a lot from Katy. She’s always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needs it. Watching her adapt to our ever-changing business landscape was an inspiration! Her ability to overcome challenges with a smile made her stand out as a cut above the rest!
Any company would be lucky to have Katy on their payroll.”
LinkedIn Recommendations for a Manager or Supervisor
Writing a LinkedIn recommendation for a manager or supervisor is a little different from highlighting a coworker’s skills. This person was your senior and likely led your day-to-day operations.
Your recommendation should focus more on their leadership skills and overall expertise. Here are some excellent LinkedIn recommendation samples that do just that.
Example 1
“Mrs. Johnson is one of the most delightful people I had the pleasure of working for in my career. Not only did she have a unique ability to keep our team organized and on schedule, but her constant communication helped lift our spirits in challenging situations.
Her humor and empathy fostered a comforting work environment, and we’ll miss her warming presence. I highly recommend working with Mrs. Johnson.”
Example 2
“Mr. Smith always led by example, and I was lucky enough to work under him for six years. I was always impressed by his ability to push us to reach our full potential.
Under his supervision, I completed some of my best work and was able to gain valuable professional experience. His dedication to his craft is nothing short of inspiring, and his ability to coach others is something that I’ll miss. I’m grateful to have worked with Mr. Smith and highly recommend him to any company.”
LinkedIn Recommendations for a Mentor
Mentors, coaches, and teachers are a bit different than supervisors. You might have limited experience working with them in any professional business capacity. However, their contributions to your professional development are significant.
When writing these LinkedIn recommendations, the goal is to talk about how their influence impacted your career. Use these templates to get you started.
Example 1
“If you’re looking to work with someone who can help you reach your full potential, Bob is that person. I’ve worked with Bob for several years, and he played an integral role in helping me develop my skills in this industry. He positively influenced my career trajectory and helped me build confidence in this challenging field.
Bob did more than just coach me. He supported me every step of the way and never hesitated to lend a helping hand. A sense of compassion and understanding perfectly complements his business acumen.
I’m a much better employee thanks to Bob’s guidance, and anyone would be lucky to work with him.”
Example 2
“Sarah is an excellent mentor who I studied with for four years. She helped guide me through tough career decisions. I was more than providing advice and practical guidance.
She always had the compassion to consider my life and needs, helping me reach appropriate conclusions on my own terms. Sarah always supported me and shared her experience in this field. Without her help, I wouldn’t be where I am in my career today.
I’m fortunate to have had the time I did with her, and I will always recommend Sarah to any company interested in working with her.”
LinkedIn Recommendations for a Client
Recommendations for past clients can have a significant impact. LinkedIn is a great place for professionals to find one another. No matter what industry you’re in, vouching for a client’s skills and capabilities goes a long way.
Think of these LinkedIn recommendations as a review. You’re highlighting skills and talking about the general experience working with the person. You’re giving readers a taste of what they can expect. The following LinkedIn recommendation examples will show you how it’s done.
Example 1
“Jordan was a consultant for our team for about four years. Her work always went above and beyond our expectations. She has a knack for providing clear insight that helps us make crucial decisions for our business. She did so in a way that was easy to understand and digest.
Jordan knows what’s important to our company and our customers. Not only that, but she’s always open about her progress and never fails to answer our questions when they come up. We continue to work with her for ongoing projects and recommend anyone else to do the same!”
Example 2
“Jason is a strategic thinker and one of the wisest businessmen I had the pleasure of working with. We hired Jason to help us fill open positions for a new team we were developing at the time.
He has a great way of analyzing the requirements for every role and digging deep to find the perfect candidates to fill it. The people he recruited were productive and had a great team dynamic from the start.
Furthermore, Jason’s positive attitude made hiring new employees enjoyable. He always encouraged us and provided support as we grew our business. I’ve witnessed what Jason can do firsthand, and I recommend him without hesitation!”
Tips for Writing The Recommendation
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a skilled wordsmith to write a great LinkedIn recommendation. The goal is to maintain a sense of professionalism while creating an engaging and memorable blurb that shines the person in the best light possible.
Here are some tips to help you create glowing recommendations that will also earn you some in return!
1. State Your Professional Relationship
Don’t be afraid to start with an eye-catching opener. But once you grab the reader’s attention, it’s always a good idea to establish your relationship. What qualifies you to write this recommendation in the first place?
You want to provide a narrative context of your working relationship. There’s no need to get too deep into the details. LinkedIn does a fantastic job of tying together connections, making it easier for users to “connect the dots.”
That said, a tidbit of information about how you worked together goes a long way in establishing credibility. Plus, it gives readers a better idea of the types of interactions you had with the person. For example, a LinkedIn recommendation praising the skills of someone you managed tends to hold more weight than one coming from a colleague.
Give readers a reason to trust your opinion before getting into the accolades.
2. Highlight Their Skills
It’s easy to write positive things about someone you have experience working with in a professional setting. However, only saying something like, “They were a joy to work with,” doesn’t provide helpful information. Broad statements aren’t great LinkedIn recommendations.
Be specific and talk about the person’s skills. Focus on the skills that make that person unique. What was it that made your work experience memorable? Is there anything that they do better than others? Those are the details that readers want to know about the most.
If you are in doubt about what skills to mention in the recommendation you write, review their profile to see what they are highlighting. Pay specific attention to the Skills section to see which skills they list and choose some of those to highlight your recommendation.
Highlight their distinct capabilities and how they impacted the project you worked on. Whether they’re good at multitasking or they have specific hard skills that impressed you, talk about it!
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Add a Personal Touch
Here’s where you can infuse a little fun into your LinkedIn recommendation. A touch of personality goes a long way. A good employee is more than just a robot who goes through the motions. Companies want people who contribute to the work culture and are generally pleasant to be around.
Of course, be careful not to stray too far away from being professional. You want to exercise caution and keep things appropriate. Every work environment is different, so adhering to globally accepted standards is a must.
There’s no need to go over the top. A simple reference to the individual’s easygoing nature or calming presence is more than enough to provide some insight into their personality.
4. Reaffirm the Recommendation
The best way to end your statement is to reaffirm the recommendation. Think of this as the symbolic badge of approval or call to action. It’s an authoritative statement that lets the reader know that you recommend the person for any employer without a shadow of a doubt.
Once again, don’t overthink this part. It’s a simple conclusion that reasserts the entire point of the recommendation. You think highly of this person you’re writing about, so wrap up your statement and leave the reader wanting to take action and reach out.
5. Don’t Make it Too Lengthy
The best LinkedIn recommendations keep things relatively short. There’s a 3,000 character limit for recommendations, so you don’t have a ton of room to get wordy anyway. A short paragraph is more than enough to get your point across.
Choose your words wisely and make sure every sentence has something to offer. Avoid anything too drawn-out. Ideally, you’ll be one of many recommendations on that person’s page.
Shorter recommendations and paragraphs are much easier to read and can still leave a lasting impact.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
You want to spend time writing the best recommendations you can. Well-written statements can encourage others to reciprocate, helping you build an impressive profile potential employers love.
Now that we’ve gone over the tips of what you should do, here are some things to avoid when writing a LinkedIn recommendation.
Cliches and Vague Statements
Earlier, we talked about the importance of highlighting specific skills. Avoid cliche statements or sentences that add little value to the recommendation.
If you’re writing a LinkedIn recommendation, it’s safe to assume that you had a good experience working with that person. So, vague statements that don’t dive into specifics are pretty useless. The same goes for pointless cliches.
Be as specific as possible and spend a few minutes championing the person. Think back on your experience and talk about what makes them unique.
Outright Lies
The last thing you want to do is lie about your experience with someone. If you don’t have first-hand knowledge of their skills, never worked with the person, or don’t know about the quality of their work, then don’t write a LinkedIn recommendation.
While it might be tempting to fabricate a professional relationship, please don’t do it! Word travels fast, and lying on your profile is comparable to submitting a fake resume. With how easy it is to trace connections, lying will eventually come back to bite you!
Lengthy Stories
There’s a relatively short character limit for LinkedIn recommendations. Try not to spend most of it telling drawn-out stories.
Personal stories that stand out can have value. But if it’s so specific and long that it doesn’t apply to any other situation, most readers will gloss over it. Remember, keep things short!
Weaknesses or Bad Reviews
Finally, don’t write anything disparaging about the person. This might seem obvious, but it happens from time to time (even if it’s subtle).
If you had a bad experience with the person, decline the invitation to write a recommendation. Users can reorganize and hide recommendations on their profiles, so taking the time to leave a bad review is a waste of time.
Conclusion
The best LinkedIn recommendation examples are brief, insightful, and include a personal touch. It can be easy to overthink the process when writing one, but it won’t take long to get the hang of it!
The post The 9 Best LinkedIn Recommendation Examples & Templates appeared first on Career Sherpa.
