LinkedIn recommendations serve as powerful testimonials that enhance your personal brand by providing authentic, third-party validation of your professional capabilities. Unlike self-promotion, these endorsements from managers, team members and clients create a compelling narrative about your work impact and character through the eyes of those who have directly experienced your expertise. When thoughtfully cultivated, recommendations weave together to form a credible, multi-dimensional portrait of your professional identity, helping you stand out in a competitive landscape while building trust with potential employers, clients, and collaborators who visit your profile. LinkedIn recommendations are valuable for personal branding in five distinct ways:
- Social proof: When others vouch for your skills and work ethic, it provides credible third-party validation that’s more powerful than self-promotion alone. These authentic testimonials help build trust with potential employers or clients.
- Skill verification: Recommendations often highlight specific projects, achievements, and competencies, giving concrete examples of your professional capabilities. This adds substance to the skills you’ve listed on your profile.
- Relationship strength: Quality recommendations demonstrate that you’ve built meaningful professional relationships. They show you’ve made positive impressions on colleagues, managers, and partners who are willing to publicly endorse your work.
- Career narrative: A series of recommendations can tell your professional story from different perspectives, highlighting your growth, consistent strengths, and the impact you’ve had across roles and organizations.
- Profile engagement: LinkedIn’s algorithm tends to favor profiles with recommendations, potentially increasing your visibility in searches and helping you appear more frequently in recruiter results.
Ask for Recommendations Throughout your Career Journey
Building a strong portfolio of LinkedIn recommendations is most effective when done consistently throughout your career journey. Make it a standard practice to request recommendations both during your tenure and as you transition between roles. The best time to capture these valuable testimonials is when your contributions are fresh in people’s minds – whether that’s after completing a major project, reaching a milestone with a client, or concluding a successful partnership. Don’t limit yourself to just supervisors – reach out to team members who’ve worked closely with you, clients who’ve benefited from your expertise, and partners or vendors who’ve experienced your professionalism firsthand. This proactive approach ensures your professional narrative stays current and comprehensive.
Asking for Recommendations While Still Employed
LinkedIn recommendations strengthen both individual and company credibility by showcasing authentic professional relationships and verified skills. When employees build a robust profile that includes testimonials from supervisors, colleagues, clients, and partners, they become more effective ambassadors for their organization. These recommendations document meaningful professional collaborations and demonstrate the caliber of talent within the company while helping employees develop their professional identity as valued members of the organization. Rather than signaling job-seeking behavior, maintaining an active, well-endorsed LinkedIn presence reflects professional engagement and pride in one’s current role and company contributions.
What to Say (Templates)
Requesting a Recommendation after Leaving a Position
Hi [name]. I hope everything’s going well with you! I know it has been a while since we worked together. Since leaving [company name], I have been focusing on [position type] roles with an emphasis on [specific area].
I’m updating my LinkedIn profile to better reflect my professional experience and capabilities. Would you be willing to write a recommendation highlighting my skills in [area] and [area]? If possible, I’d especially appreciate your perspective on our work together during the [specific project], as it really showcases these abilities.
I’d be happy to write a recommendation for you in return. Just let me know if there are specific skills or projects you’d like me to emphasize.
Best regards, [Your Name]
Requesting a Recommendation While Still in a Position
Hi [name],
I hope you’re having a great week! As we wrap up the [project name/quarterly goals/milestone], I wanted to take a moment to strengthen our professional connection on LinkedIn.
Would you be willing to write a brief recommendation highlighting our work together, particularly around [specific accomplishment or skill]? I’m trying to better document our team’s successes and professional relationships, and your perspective would be especially valuable given our collaboration on [specific project/initiative].
I’d be happy to write a recommendation for you as well, highlighting your leadership/expertise in [their strength area].
Thanks for considering this request!
Best regards, [Your Name]
The Mechanics
To ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn, go through these five steps:
- Go to the profile of the person you want to ask
- Click More or the More icon
- Select Request a recommendation
- Fill out the recommendation request form
- Click Send
Remember: Great LinkedIn recommendations don’t just happen – they require intentional effort and strategic timing. By making recommendation requests a natural part of your professional journey, being thoughtful in your approach, and using these templates as a starting point, you can build a powerful collection of testimonials that enhance your personal brand. Whether you’re currently employed or in transition, don’t wait to start gathering these valuable endorsements. Your future self will thank you for documenting your professional impact and relationships along the way.