It’s harder than ever to stand out on LinkedIn these days. But one surefire way to boost engagement and make people take notice of your skills is with recommendations.
Getting a glowing recommendation from someone you admire will leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling — and it’ll show off to people who visit your page that you have a trusted skillset.
But you can also shine by giving recommendations to coworkers, employees, and other business contacts whose work you admire.
Read on for some great ideas on how to craft LinkedIn recommendations that’ll make people take notice.
Examples of Great LinkedIn Recommendations
Being specific is key.Saying someone is good at their job doesn’t give anyone new information. Instead, take a note from Christopher Foster in his recommendation for executive Michael Capiraso.
Christopher begins by noting that he worked with Michael for years, so readers know that he knows what he’s talking about. He said Michael “thoroughly engaged with employees of all levels” — a strong point for any CEO.
But he goes a step further and gives a specific example: “Each year, during our busiest week… marathon week…he found a way to lead every pre-race event, as our CEO, while completing his final race preparations for his own NYC Marathon, which he ran every year since the early 90’s.”
In just 82 words, Christopher has told onlookers that not only is Michael an engaged CEO — but that he’s so organized that he can juggle stressful company obligations with his personal life.
If you know someone well, sometimes less is more. In a four-sentence recommendation, Benjamin Harris-Quinney notes that his former classmate, Kathryn Minshew, stood out at the top of the class. “She is one of the brightest and most able people I have ever met. There are no limits to her potential.”
Boom.
And don’t forget to have a little fun and be unique. In his recommendation for Angel Investor Jason Calacanis, Matt Toner writes: “Many people were ‘around’ at the birth of Silicon Alley, but Jason was in many ways its midwife.”
It’s a great way to describe Jason’s hustling ethos. And people will remember that turn of phrase.
Why You Should Write and Request LinkedIn Recommendations
Visitors to your LinkedIn profile want to know not just what you’ve done, but who you are. There are plenty of people who have accomplished impressive things, but burned bridges along the way. Having some glowing recommendations on your profile from other trusted leaders will serve as notice that you play well with others.
Also, writing a recommendation for someone is a great way to let them know that you appreciated their work. This can make it more likely that they’ll think of you next time they’re looking for someone with your skillset — or recommend you to someone (in real life) in need of the same thing.
Giving someone a great recommendation will also make them more likely to recommend you back. But don’t go into it expecting to get recommended back. If it happens, treat it as a bonus.
Final Thoughts
Recommendations can be a powerful way to make your LinkedIn profile stand out — and help create or bolster lasting relationships with bosses, coworkers, employees, vendors, and clients.
If you haven’t given or received any recommendations in a while, take stock of who you’ve worked with lately, and what nice things you could say about them.
You just might reignite a working relationship — or even make a new friend.
