LinkedIn recommendations are an important part of building your professional profile and network on the platform. However, many LinkedIn users have questions about who can see their recommendations and who their own recommendations of others are visible to. Here we’ll provide a thorough overview of how LinkedIn recommendation visibility works.
What are LinkedIn recommendations?
LinkedIn recommendations are written statements from your connections endorsing your skills, accomplishments, and character. They function as a form of reference on your LinkedIn profile. Recommendations can come from:
- Current or former managers
- Co-workers
- Clients
- Business partners
- Professors or academic advisors
- Other professional contacts
These recommendations appear on your profile and attest to aspects like:
- Your work performance and output
- Your expertise and strengths
- Your leadership and teamwork abilities
- Your skills and competencies
- Your character and professionalism
Strong recommendations from reputable sources serve as social proof and validation when others view your profile. They can enhance your professional reputation and help you stand out from other candidates or contacts.
Who can give recommendations on LinkedIn?
Any 1st-degree connection can provide a recommendation for you on LinkedIn. Your 1st-degree connections include:
- Anyone who is directly connected to you
- Contacts who have accepted your connection request
- Connections through networks or groups
When you want to request a recommendation, you simply select the “+” sign next to the “Recommendations” section on your profile and choose which of your 1st-degree connections you wish to request one from. You can customize the recommendation request by including optional details about yourself or skills you’d like the person to highlight.
Who can see the recommendations you receive?
The visibility settings for LinkedIn recommendations fall into three main categories:
1. Private Recommendations
Private recommendations are only visible to you and the person who wrote the recommendation. They do not appear anywhere on your profile or to your network.
These are useful if you want candid feedback or references from connections without making those statements public. For example, you may want frank recommendations from colleagues at your current job while keeping those private until you embark on a new job search.
2. Recommendations Visible to Connections
This is the default setting for recommendations. When a connection writes you a recommendation, by default it will be visible to all 1st and 2nd degree connections in your network. This includes:
- Your 1st degree connections
- Your 2nd degree connections (connections of your connections)
- Connections in LinkedIn Groups you belong to
These recommendations are public within your extended network. They serve to build your reputation and relationships among connections and contacts.
3. Recommendations Visible to Everyone
You also have the option to change your settings so recommendations are visible to the entire public. This means anyone viewing your profile can see your recommendations whether they are connected to you or not.
This level of visibility can further boost your professional image and credibility. It allows recommendations to be seen by recruiters, hiring managers, clients, business partners, and other key stakeholders.
How to control the visibility of your recommendations
As the recipient of a recommendation, you have full control over its visibility at any time. When you receive a new recommendation, go to your profile and:
- Click on the downward arrow to the right of the recommendation
- Select “Change visibility…”
- Choose from the three visibility options
You can update the visibility settings on any past or newly received recommendations. Just click on the three dots next to the recommendation and update the settings at any time.
Who can see recommendations you give to others?
The recommendations you write for your LinkedIn connections have the same default visibility settings.
By default, any recommendation you write will be visible to the recipient’s 1st and 2nd degree connections. If they change their settings, your recommendation could also become visible to the general public.
However, there is no option to preemptively make a recommendation fully private or public when you write it. The visibility is controlled by the recipient.
Should you make your recommendations public?
Here are some pros and cons to weigh when considering whether to make your LinkedIn recommendations publicly visible or limit visibility to just your connections:
| Pros of Public Recommendations | Cons of Public Recommendations |
|---|---|
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Ultimately, it’s a personal choice whether you want your recommendations visible publicly or privately. Think about which options fit your comfort level, professional goals, and audience. You can always test having them public and revert back to connections only if needed.
Tips for managing LinkedIn recommendations
Here are some best practices for managing visibility and maximizing the impact of LinkedIn recommendations:
- Customize visibility settings for each recommendation you receive
- Consider keeping current employer recommendations private until ready to job search
- Ask past co-workers, managers, or clients for public recommendations when possible
- Showcase recommendations from influential people in your industry
- Be selective about which recommendations to make public
- Rotate public recommendations over time to showcase breadth
- Always get consent from connections before making their recommendation public
- Stay up-to-date on changes to LinkedIn recommendation settings
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn recommendation visibility depends on your configured settings as the recipient. By default recommendations are visible to your 1st and 2nd degree connections. But you can control visibility settings to make any recommendation public or private only to yourself and the author.
Recommendations you give others will also default to being visible to their extended network only. But recipients may potentially change the setting to share more publicly. Manage recommendations carefully keeping in mind privacy and professional presentation.
