Yes, you can edit recommendations you’ve written for others on LinkedIn. Here’s what you need to know about editing LinkedIn recommendations:
Overview of LinkedIn Recommendations
LinkedIn recommendations allow you to endorse someone’s skills and qualities in their professional network. When you give someone a recommendation on LinkedIn:
- The recommendation appears on their profile under the “Recommendations” section
- The person receiving the recommendation gets a notification that you’ve endorsed them
- Your name and profile photo appear with the recommendation
Recommendations are meant to be positive endorsements to help build someone’s professional reputation. They are visible to anyone who views that person’s LinkedIn profile.
Why You Might Want to Edit a Recommendation
There are a few reasons why you may want to edit a LinkedIn recommendation you’ve written for someone:
- Fix typos or grammatical errors
- Add more details or examples to better illustrate the person’s strengths
- Update the recommendation because their role or accomplishments have changed
- Change the tone if you feel the original was too effusive or not positive enough
- Withdraw the recommendation if you no longer want to endorse this person
It’s appropriate to edit a recommendation to make it more accurate, detailed, or professionally relevant. However, you should avoid making major changes to the substance or tone without the consent of the person you recommended.
How to Edit a LinkedIn Recommendation
Editing a LinkedIn recommendation you’ve written is easy to do:
- Go to the LinkedIn profile of the person you gave the recommendation to.
- Scroll down and click “Recommendations” under their profile photo.
- Find the recommendation you want to edit and click on the three dots icon on the right.
- Select “Edit recommendation” from the dropdown menu.
- Make your desired changes to the recommendation text.
- Click “Save” when you are done editing.
The updated recommendation will now appear on the person’s profile. They will receive a notification that you have edited the recommendation.
Withdrawing a LinkedIn Recommendation
If you want to remove a recommendation entirely, you can withdraw it:
- Follow steps 1-4 above to access the edit screen.
- Delete all of the text and leave the recommendation field blank.
- Click “Withdraw” instead of “Save” to remove the recommendation.
Withdrawing a recommendation means it will no longer appear on the person’s LinkedIn profile. They will be notified that you have withdrawn the recommendation.
Best Practices for Editing LinkedIn Recommendations
To maintain a trustworthy professional network, keep these best practices in mind when editing LinkedIn recommendations:
- Notify the person before making substantive changes to a recommendation they may not expect.
- Be thoughtful about significantly altering tone and substance. Don’t withdraw just because your relationship has changed.
- Edit for accuracy rather than removing positive feedback you think may help them.
- Promptly withdraw recommendations for those who demonstrate unethical behavior.
- Correct errors and outdated information to keep your profile authoritative.
The Benefits of Giving Recommendations
Here are some of the benefits of writing LinkedIn recommendations:
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Reinforce connections | Strengthen professional relationships by validating someone’s abilities. |
| Support colleagues | Help teammates, employees, and associates get recognized for their work. |
| Demonstrate expertise | Show you worked closely with top talent in your industry. |
| Improve profile visibility | Recommendations make your profile stand out and appear more authoritative. |
| Share recognition | Help praise deserving professionals who you think highly of. |
Giving thoughtful recommendations is a great way to pay it forward and generate goodwill in your network. Just be sure any recommendations you share are sincere and ethical.
The Risks of Recommendations
While recommendations can be valuable, there are some risks to consider as well:
| Risk | Description |
|---|---|
| Dishonest inflation | Excessive or false praise misrepresents someone’s abilities. |
| Misleading portrayal | Candidates can appear overqualified through disingenuous recommendations. |
| Poor reflection | Giving recommendations to those who don’t deserve them reflects poorly on you. |
| Abuse of power | Managers pressuring employees to provide recommendations is unethical. |
| Reciprocity demands | Feeling obligated to return inflated praise can undermine professionalism. |
The core risk is that dishonest or excessive recommendations erode the value for everyone on LinkedIn. Stick to good judgment and integrity when providing recommendations.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key points to remember about editing LinkedIn recommendations:
- You can easily edit recommendations you have written via the LinkedIn profile.
- Notify the recipient if you plan to make major changes to the substance.
- Withdraw recommendations if you no longer want to endorse the person.
- Edit thoughtfully to maintain the integrity of your network.
- Balance the risks by giving honest, meaningful recommendations.
Conclusion
LinkedIn recommendations provide valuable validation within your professional network. While you can edit recommendations as needed, use discretion to avoid misrepresenting colleagues based on relationship changes. With integrity and transparency, recommendations strengthen connections and fuel recognition for deserving professionals.
