Benefits of LinkedIn Recommendations (for Job Seekers)

The following post explores Benefits of LinkedIn Recommendations (for Job Seekers).

Are you looking to make your LinkedIn profile more authentic and substantive? Here’s a pro tip: start writing LinkedIn recommendations for others and/or asking them to write you one.

Read: Adding a Career Break on LinkedIn

Related: Benefits of Joining LinkedIn Groups

While it might feel awkward at first, there’s no harm in asking someone to write you a recommendation. Most people are more than happy and it only takes a couple minutes out of their day.

Here’s what you need to know.

Overview

Recommendations are a long-standing (and often overlooked) feature on LinkedIn that allow professionals to publicly endorse one another through written testimonials. Unlike endorsements, which are simple skill acknowledgments, recommendations offer personalized commentary about someone’s work ethic, character, contributions, and professional strengths.

These recommendations can come from 1st degree LinkedIn connections such as colleagues, managers, clients, customers, professors, mentors, or others you have worked with professionally. As a LinkedIn user, you can request recommendations from your connections or proactively write them for others.

Here is a link to a helpful Reddit forum discussion about LinkedIn Recommendations.

Why Recommendations are a Good Idea

Whether you’re writing or receiving one, LinkedIn recommendations make your profile more genuine and authentic. They provide social proof that reinforces your professional reputation and show profile visitors that others value your work, character, and contributions.

A strong LinkedIn recommendation can help bring your profile to life in a way that job titles and experience summaries alone cannot. It offers personal insight into how you collaborate, communicate, and contribute from the perspective of someone who has worked with you directly.

Requesting a recommendation shows that you value and respect that person’s opinion. Likewise, voluntarily writing a LinkedIn recommendation demonstrates your willingness to support others, celebrate their success, and engage meaningfully within your professional network.

In short, recommendations are a win-win for your profile and for building your network.

Asking for a Recommendation

Asking for a LinkedIn recommendations is a straight forward process. The key is being thoughtful about who you approach and making the request feel personal rather than transactional.

Sometimes you might get the cold shoulder, however many professionals are readily willing, especially if you have worked together in a meaningful capacity and the request feels genuine.

👉 Strategizing the Ask

• Step #1: Figure out who you’re going to ask.
• Step #2: Define your relationship to that person.
• Step #3: Jot a personalized message asking that person.

Not sure who to ask? Think about people you’ve interacted with in a professional setting such as current and former colleagues, customers, and supervisors as well as professors, teachers, and mentors. 

👉 Requesting a Recommendation

Below is a screenshot of the recommendation request form on LinkedIn, which includes a personalized message to the recipient.

👉 Asking For a Recommendation (example)

Here’s a template for how to request a recommendation:

Hi [Name], I hope you’re doing well. I’m currently updating my LinkedIn profile and wanted to ask if you’d be willing to write a brief recommendation based on our time working together at [Company / Organization]. I really valued the opportunity to work with you and would appreciate your perspective. Of course, I’d be happy to return the favor if helpful.

Writing Recommendations for Others

LinkedIn recommendations are not just something to ask for—they are also something you can proactively give. If you have worked with one of your 1st degree LinkedIn connections in a meaningful professional capacity, you are free to write them a recommendation at any time.

When you voluntarily write a recommendation for someone, it reflects positively on both you and the recipient. Thoughtful professional gestures like this can strengthen relationships and may even inspire others to return the favor down the road.

So, who should you be writing recommendations for? The best place to start is people you have worked with. Colleagues, customers, supervisors, mentors, etc. Once you have someone in mind, simply visit their profile and find their ‘recommendations’ section.

👉 Writing a Recommendation for Someone

Below is a screenshot of the form you’ll complete when writing a recommendation for someone else.

Screenshot of writing a recommendation

👉 Writing a Recommendation (example)

Here’s a hypothetical example of a written LinkedIn recommendation:

I had the pleasure of working with Sarah for three years at ABC Company, where she consistently demonstrated professionalism, strong communication skills, and a genuine commitment to delivering excellent work. Sarah was someone the team could always rely on to stay organized, meet deadlines, and bring a thoughtful approach to both individual and collaborative projects.

Beyond her technical capabilities, Sarah was simply a pleasure to work with. She brought a positive attitude, handled challenges with professionalism, and built strong working relationships across the organization. I would gladly recommend her to any employer looking for a dependable and talented professional.

Take Advantage of Recommendations

LinkedIn recommendations strike me as one of the platform’s most overlooked features. Despite being a long-standing part of LinkedIn, they do not seem to get nearly as much attention as you might expect.

I genuinely wonder why more people do not use LinkedIn recommendations.

People are often happy to leave reviews for restaurants, hotels, products, apps, and just about every other experience imaginable, yet professionally “reviewing” someone we have actually worked with seems far less common.

My advice? Take advantage of that. A polished LinkedIn profile is not just about listing your experience and skills—it is also about reinforcing your professional story. A few well-written recommendations can add a layer of authenticity that many profiles simply can’t match.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, I hope you find this post helpful for understanding the benefits of LinkedIn Recommendations (for job seekers). Leveraging this feature is a highly effective way to build immediate trust and validate your expertise with hiring managers. If you haven’t already, I strongly encourage you to request a few strategic endorsements from your network.

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