The Best Ways to Get Great Recommendations on LinkedIn

The Best Ways to Get Great Recommendations on LinkedInThe Best Ways to Get Great Recommendations on LinkedInEmployers are using LinkedIn to research candidates for employment. In some cases, even before you are selected for an interview, a recruiter or hiring manager will check you out on LinkedIn to see what youve accomplished, who you are connected to, and who is recommending you. This means that recommendations are a vital component of an effective LinkedIn profile. When someone views your LinkedIn profile, they will see an online version of your resume, complete with references, if you have recommendations in your profile. Recommendations from supervisors, clients, suppliers, and colleagues affirming your skills, accomplishments and positive work style will not only enhance your profile, but they will also show a hiring manager, at a glance, glowing references that attest to your candidacy for employment. Heres advice on how to get LinkedIn recommendations, who to ask for referen ces, and how to manage the recommendations youve received. Tips for Getting Great LinkedIn Recommendations Do take the time to request recommendations from your LinkedIn connections. Recommendations from people you have worked with carries a lot of weight. To a potential employer, a LinkedIn recommendation is an employment reference in advance and can help you secure an interview. Who to Ask A LinkedIn recommendation is a testimony of your professional value written by one of your first-degree connections. So, you will want recommendations that are powerful, weighty, and authoritative. So here is how to receive them Be connected with a current or former manager, colleague, client, or other contactsCompose a request to him or her, including a few accomplishments of which you are most proud, as well as a graceful way to say no. The Best Ways toMake a Request The best way to get recommendations on LinkedIn is to give them. When you recommend a LinkedIn member, you are attes ting to their qualifications and people love being recommended. They will probably reciprocate if you take the time to help them out. A first step is to search LinkedIn for staff at your firm, clients, and other professional contacts who are registered with LinkedIn. Dont overlook colleagues at professional organizations with whom you have collaborated. Consider volunteer work, freelance jobs, and other non-employee work experience. Give to Get Next, consider writing a recommendation for any contacts who also might be in a sttte to write for you (as long as you view them favorably). Doing this service for them will help engender a sense of obligation that they should reciprocate. Once you have completed their recommendation, let them know why youve written for them (because of the specifics underlying your positive view of their work) and ask if they might consider writing a recommendation for you. Ask Directly Or, you can ask for a recommendation. Its easy to request a rec ommendation via LinkedIns messaging system. When you request a recommendation, ask the person to recommend you if they can and if they have the time. This way they have an out if they arent interested in giving you a reference, are precluded by company policy from giving references or dont feel they know you well enough to recommend your work. It can be helpful to include with any request a reminder of the shared experience which might serve as a basis for their recommendation. For example I thought you might be kind enough to write a LinkedIn recommendation for me given our successful collaboration on the Johnson proposal. LinkedIn Recommendation Request Example Dear MargaretI hope youve been doing well It was great running into you again - it brought to mind the fun and crazy times when we worked together, like those all-nighters we pulled to make sure those projections were as accurate as possible.Im in the process of updating my LinkedIn profile, and it would feel incomplete wit hout a Recommendation from you. When we worked together, I felt I really demonstrated my value and skills, especially with the vendor review in which I was able to shave half a million off our year on year expenses by finding alternatives and influencing skills.Because of a new direction, I hope to take professionally, Id like to emphasize my influencing skills. If you could speak to that accomplishment, it would be especially helpful to me.If you arent comfortable making such a votum - obviously its been a little while since we worked together - I certainly would understand that.Either way, have a great day Expand How to Make a Request Click on your connections Profile.Click More and select Request a Recommendation. (Or scroll down to Recommendations and click Ask to Be Recommended.)Personalize your request by following the questions provided, and then add a customized message. Note the form will provide you with a canned script Hi connection, can you write me a recommendation? Always delete this message and provide your own. The more personalized you can make your request, the better. Reference common projects and experiences and remind them of your connection and why they might want to recommend you. Better yet, offer to write them a recommendation first. If someone has already written a recommendation for you outside of LinkedIn, you can forward a copy of their document and ask if they might be kind enough to upload one online as part of LinkedIn. How to Manage LinkedIn Recommendations Youll be able to manage recommendations youve received and ask colleagues, clients, managers, employees, and others who can recommend your work for a reference. When you receive a recommendation, youll get notified via email and youll be able to view the recommendation and request a revision, if necessary. If for some reason you dont want the recommendation on your profile, you dont have to publish it. One important note dont ask people you dont know for recommendat ions.