Buying LinkedIn endorsements has become an increasingly common practice for people looking to boost their profiles. Endorsements on LinkedIn serve as a form of social proof, allowing you to highlight your skills and expertise. The more endorsements you have, the more credible you may appear to connections and potential employers or clients. This has led some users to explore the option of purchasing endorsements from services claiming to provide “guaranteed endorsements.” However, there are a few important things to consider before buying LinkedIn endorsements.
What are LinkedIn endorsements?
LinkedIn endorsements allow you to endorse the skills of your connections. When you endorse a connection, your name and profile picture will appear next to that skill on their profile as someone who has validated their competency in that area. Endorsements are intended to be a way for connections to corroborate your stated skills and experience.
For example, if you list “Social Media Marketing” as one of your skills, someone who has worked with you or can otherwise confirm your expertise in that area can endorse you for it. This provides third-party confirmation that you indeed possess that skill.
Why do people buy LinkedIn endorsements?
There are a few potential motivations for purchasing endorsements:
Appear more skilled or experienced
More endorsements make it look like you have broad expertise that has been validated by many colleagues. This can potentially make you look more desirable to recruiters and hiring managers.
Increase profile visibility
Profiles with more endorsements tend to rank higher in LinkedIn search results. Buying endorsements can help increase your visibility when potential connections, partners, or employers search LinkedIn.
Boost confidence
Some people simply like seeing the social validation – it makes them feel more confident and reassured about their skills and experience.
Promote services
People who offer freelance services or consulting may buy endorsements to attract potential new clients. The social proof lent by endorsements can help demonstrate expertise.
Is buying LinkedIn endorsements allowed?
LinkedIn’s User Agreement specifically prohibits buying or selling endorsements. Section 3.2 states:
“You agree that you will not under any circumstances… buy or sell LinkedIn endorsements or recommendations.”
So officially, purchasing endorsements is not allowed under LinkedIn’s terms of service and can result in penalties if discovered. LinkedIn employs algorithms and monitoring to detect unusual patterns of endorsements that may indicate bought or sold endorsements.
What are the risks of buying LinkedIn endorsements?
While buying endorsements may temporarily boost your profile, it carries a few substantial risks:
Account restriction or termination
As mentioned, purchasing endorsements violates LinkedIn’s User Agreement. If LinkedIn determines you bought endorsements, they may restrict or completely terminate your account. This means you could lose access and all of your LinkedIn connections.
Lack of authenticity
Most bought endorsements come from “bot” or fake accounts, not real people who can actually vouch for your skills and experience. This makes them less meaningful. Savvy recruiters can often spot inauthentic endorsements.
Penalties to search ranking
If LinkedIn catches on that you bought endorsements, they may tank your search ranking as a penalty. This negates any temporary visibility gains.
Reputational damage
Getting caught buying endorsements raises questions about your honesty and integrity. It can seriously damage your professional reputation if word spreads.
Risk | Description |
---|---|
Account restriction or termination | LinkedIn may restrict or terminate your account if they detect bought endorsements, causing you to lose access. |
Lack of authenticity | Most bought endorsements come from “bot” accounts, not real connections who can validate your skills. |
Penalties to search ranking | LinkedIn may tank your search ranking as a penalty for buying endorsements. |
Reputational damage | Getting caught buying endorsements can seriously damage your professional reputation. |
Are there services that offer LinkedIn endorsements for purchase?
There are a number of websites and freelancers claiming to offer guaranteed LinkedIn endorsements for sale. Some examples include:
– Endorsement services on freelancing sites like Fiverr and Upwork
– Specialized “endorsement sellers” found through Google searches
– Shady LinkedIn automation tools and services
However, it’s critical to understand these endorsement services are violating LinkedIn’s terms by offering paid endorsements. There is no way to “guarantee” endorsements without breaking LinkedIn’s rules.
Many of these services rely on fake bot accounts to provide endorsements. While you may get more endorsements on your profile, they will be obviously inauthentic to careful observers. You’re also at the mercy of these services not getting caught and shut down by LinkedIn – which could leave you without the endorsements you paid for.
Why you should avoid buying LinkedIn endorsements
Here are 3 key reasons it’s not worth the risk and downsides to buy LinkedIn endorsements:
- It can damage your reputation and get your profile shut down if caught.
- Inauthentic endorsements from bots have much less value.
- It goes against LinkedIn’s terms of service and professional ethics.
The short term gains are not worth the long term consequences. It’s better to focus on getting genuine endorsements over time by doing great work and maintaining strong professional connections.
How to get legitimate LinkedIn endorsements
If you want to increase your LinkedIn endorsements the right way, here are some ethical tactics:
Showcase expertise and thought leadership
Share content on LinkedIn that demonstrates your expertise. This gives connections authentic insight into your skills.
Engage meaningfully with your network
Don’t just connect with people – engage with them. Help them out by answering questions, giving advice, sharing their content, etc. They’ll be more inclined to endorse you after seeing your knowledge.
Offer valued endorsements to others
Endorse connections for the skills and expertise you can authentically validate. People often reciprocate endorsements.
Ask selectively for endorsements
Personally reach out to close connections who know your work and abilities well. Politely ask if they would be willing to endorse your skills that apply. But don’t overdo it.
Keep building your capabilities
The more you grow your skills, the more you’ll have to show on your profile. This will naturally attract endorsements from people who recognize your expanding expertise.
While it requires patience and effort, getting legitimate endorsements is far more rewarding and sustainable than buying them. And it significantly reduces your risk of penalties from LinkedIn.
Conclusion
Buying LinkedIn endorsements is officially prohibited by LinkedIn’s policies and unethical. While services claiming to sell endorsements exist, they often rely on bots and fake accounts. The short-term visibility gains bought endorsements offer are outweighed by the risks of damaged reputation, account termination, and penalties if discovered by LinkedIn’s algorithms. It’s far better to focus on cultivating authentic endorsements over time by showcasing your expertise and building relationships with your network. With some strategic effort, you can increase your quality LinkedIn endorsements the right way.