LinkedIn endorsements allow you to endorse your connections for skills and expertise. When you endorse someone, it appears on their profile and can be seen by other connections in their network. But do LinkedIn endorsements really matter when it comes to impressing potential employers and recruiters? Let’s take a closer look.
What are LinkedIn endorsements?
LinkedIn endorsements allow you to recognize the skills and expertise of your connections. For example, if you worked with someone who was an excellent project manager, you can endorse them for “Project Management” on LinkedIn.
When you endorse someone, it appears on their profile under their skills and expertise section. It shows that you personally validated that they have this skill or expertise.
The number of endorsements someone has received is also displayed. This provides an indication of how many connections have endorsed this person for a particular skill.
How to give and receive endorsements
Giving an endorsement on LinkedIn is easy:
- Go to the profile of the person you want to endorse.
- Scroll down to their Skills & Endorsements section.
- Click the + icon next to a skill.
- A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm the endorsement. Click “Yes” to complete it.
To receive endorsements, you should make sure your skills are fully listed on your profile. You can add up to 50 skills to your profile that you want endorsements for.
You can also endorse your own skills. While self-endorsements don’t hold much weight, they can prompt others in your network to endorse you.
Do LinkedIn endorsements matter for recruiters?
Many job seekers wonder – do recruiters and hiring managers really pay attention to LinkedIn endorsements when evaluating candidates? The short answer is yes, endorsements do matter, but they are just one small factor in your overall candidacy.
Here are a few key ways that LinkedIn endorsements can influence recruiters:
- Validate skills and expertise – The number of endorsements you have received in skills critical to the job provides 3rd party validation of those abilities.
- Indicate strong professional network – A healthy number of endorsements signals an active, engaged network of professional connections.
- Support areas listed on your resume – Endorsements in key areas complement and provide credibility to skills listed on your resume.
- Show you are a known quantity – Multiple endorsements indicate you have worked with several people and are established in your field.
However, endorsements have limitations as well:
- Easy to game – Some users will reciprocally endorse their connections without much merit behind it.
- Varying significance – Ten endorsements from close colleagues is more meaningful than 100 random endorsements.
- Not a substitute for skills – Endorsements do not prove competence like work samples, advanced certifications, or demonstrations of skills.
So LinkedIn endorsements can be useful, but they are just one small signal among many that recruiters consider. You still need the skills and qualifications necessary for the job.
How many LinkedIn endorsements are good?
Is there an ideal number of endorsements to aim for on LinkedIn? Here are some benchmarks to consider:
10-15 endorsements per skill
For recent college grads or those new to their career, shoot for 10-15 endorsements for skills relevant to the jobs you are applying for. This shows foundational 3rd party validation of your abilities.
25-50 endorsements per skill
For mid-career professionals with 5+ years of experience, 25-50 endorsements per skill demonstrates strong confirmation of your skills from colleagues and managers.
100+ endorsements per skill
Over 100 endorsements signals that you are deeply ingrained in your field and an established leader in your area of expertise. It shows prominent visibility that could capture a recruiter’s attention.
However, the number of endorsements depends heavily on the size of your network and tenure in your career. Having few endorsements isn’t necessarily bad if you’re early in your field. Quality of endorsements matters more than pure quantity.
Do some LinkedIn endorsements carry more weight?
While any endorsement is a positive, certain endorsements may influence recruiters more than others, such as:
- Endorsements from former managers – They directly oversaw your work and skills.
- Endorsements from colleagues at top companies – Indicates you have worked at reputable organizations.
- Endorsements from well-known leaders – Having recognizable industry figures endorse you adds extra credibility.
- Endorsements from highly-skilled individuals – Being endorsed by experts signals validation from seasoned professionals.
So focus on building meaningful endorsements from people who can strongly validate your skills and expertise, rather than chasing as many low-quality endorsements as possible.
Tips for getting quality LinkedIn endorsements
Here are some best practices for cultivating meaningful LinkedIn endorsements:
- Connect with colleagues and managers from past jobs where you worked closely together.
- Engage with your network by liking and commenting on their content.
- Endorse your connections for their relevant skills and expertise.
- Join LinkedIn groups focused on your industry or interests to meet professionals.
- Give endorsements thoughtfully, only for skills you can genuinely validate.
- Personally message connections asking to endorse specific skills, if appropriate.
- Publish your own content to spotlight your capabilities to your network.
The more you engage with your LinkedIn network by providing value, the more likely they will be to meaningfully endorse you.
Should you endorse skills not related to your experience?
It’s best not to endorse people for skills that you cannot honestly validate based on working with them. Endorsements should reflect relevant skills and expertise you have directly observed from someone.
Some reasons to avoid endorsing unrelated skills:
- It dilutes the credibility of your other endorsements if you endorse indiscriminately.
- It may come across as insincere or “gaming the system” if not authentic.
- It could backfire if a connection has to publicly decline an endorsement in a skill they don’t have.
- It may be frustrating or annoying to receive clearly off-base endorsements.
The best practice is to thoughtfully endorse people only for skills and expertise you can genuinely validate based on your experience working together. This helps maintain the integrity of LinkedIn endorsements.
Should you ask for LinkedIn endorsements?
It’s fine to politely ask your professional connections for endorsements in specific areas if warranted, but avoid overtly begging for endorsements.
Some tips on requesting endorsements:
- Only ask people who have directly worked with you and can validate the skills.
- Make requests personal and specific to the person by mentioning projects or experience you worked on together.
- Offer to reciprocally endorse them in return.
- Share compelling content that spotlights your skills to prompt endorsements.
- Mention it casually in conversation rather than bluntly demanding endorsements.
- Focus on quality over quantity – a few thoughtful endorsements are more impressive than generic mass endorsements.
As long as you make reasonable requests in an authentic, professional manner, asking for endorsements can be acceptable. Just don’t go overboard and avoid looking desperate.
Can you remove a LinkedIn endorsement?
Yes, it is possible to delete endorsements both you’ve given and received on LinkedIn.
To remove an endorsement you gave someone else:
- Go to their LinkedIn profile
- Click on the “More” dropdown menu next to your endorsement under their Skills & Endorsements section
- Select “Remove endorsement”
To remove an endorsement you received from someone else:
- Go to your profile and click “Edit profile”
- Go to your Skills & Endorsements section
- Hover over the endorsement and click the “X” icon to delete it
It’s best to avoid mass deletion of all endorsements, as that may look suspicious to recruiters. But judiciously removing endorsements that lack merit or were made in error can clean up your profile.
Do recruiters look at who endorsed you?
Many recruiters will notice not just how many endorsements you have, but who they came from. Seeing endorsements from:
- Past managers and senior colleagues
- Well-known industry figures and thought leaders
- Professionals at impressive companies
- People with titles like Founder, Director, VP, Manager
Can add more weight compared to random or entry-level endorsements.
So while you don’t need to obsess over every person endorsing you, building a base of meaningful endorsements from professionals in senior roles or at reputable firms can boost your profile.
Can you get endorsed for skills you don’t have?
It’s possible to receive endorsements for skills that you don’t actually have meaningful experience in. Reasons this can happen:
- People reciprocally endorsing their entire network to boost their own profiles.
- Receiving endorsements from connections without directly working together.
- Well-meaning connections endorsing tangential or soft skills.
- Being endorsed for adjacent skills – ex. endorsing sales skills if you’re in a related field like marketing.
Having a few endorsements here and there for skills outside your core areas of expertise is unlikely to significantly hurt you. But if you notice an egregious amount of endorsements for skills completely unrelated to your background, you may want to do some maintenance on your profile to tighten it up.
Do candidates check their interviewers’ LinkedIn profiles?
It’s becoming a common practice for job candidates to look up their interviewers’ LinkedIn profiles prior to an interview. Some key reasons candidates research their interviewers online:
- Learn their professional background and experience
- Look for common connections and conversation starters
- See what skills and areas they focus on
- Gauge their personality and communication style based on content shared
- Identify types of questions they may ask
- Prepare informed, tailored responses specific to each interviewer
By looking at your LinkedIn profile and activity, candidates can gain key insights to have a successful interview. So it’s a strategic move for candidates to do their due diligence beforehand.
As an interviewer, don’t be surprised or caught off guard if an applicant references items on your LinkedIn profile during an interview. Consider it a sign of preparation.
How can you tell if someone looked at your LinkedIn profile?
LinkedIn has several features to see who has viewed your profile:
Who’s Viewed Your Profile section
This section shows the most recent 50 people who have viewed your profile. It includes their name, location and industry.
Connection request shortly after profile view
If you receive a connection request from someone soon after they viewed your profile, it’s likely they did so prior to connecting.
Notifications when VIPs view your profile
LinkedIn triggers a notification if an executive, recruiter, or prominent industry figure views your profile.
LinkedIn Recruiter account
Recruiters with a Recruiter account can anonymously browse member profiles without the user being notified.
LinkedIn Premium account
LinkedIn Premium shows more detailed analytics on who has viewed your profile, such as the company they work for.
So while you won’t always know exactly who looked at your profile, these features give you some visibility into recent profile visitors.
What are the most endorsed skills on LinkedIn?
The most endorsed skills on LinkedIn tend to revolve around common capabilities needed across many different industries and roles. According to LinkedIn’s data, here are the top 5 most endorsed skills:
Leadership
Strong leadership capabilities including team management, vision setting, and project oversight are prized across almost all verticals.
Teamwork
The ability to collaborate effectively and work well within a group dynamic. Being a team player is an important soft skill.
Strategic Planning
Developing strategies and executing on key objectives is a critical skill at all levels of an organization.
Communication
Clear and effective communication is hugely important whether writing, presenting, listening, or interpersonal interactions.
Problem Solving
Applying critical thinking to break down complex challenges and identify creative solutions. Very versatile skill.
So focus on developing these broadly applicable capabilities that apply across diverse functions and industries when looking to boost your LinkedIn endorsements.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn endorsements shouldn’t be the sole focus of your job search, cultivating meaningful endorsements in key skills can serve as useful social proof of your expertise to recruiters. Concentrate on building endorsements from managers, established professionals, and experts who can strongly validate your abilities.
Endorsements work best as part of a multipronged approach, combined with a optimized profile, active engagement with your network, compelling content posts, and demonstrated skills mastery from certifications, education, and work samples.
Used strategically, LinkedIn endorsements can be a valuable asset to showcase your skills and experience when making connections and exploring new career opportunities. Just don’t depend on endorsements alone when trying to stand out in the job market. Combine them as part of a robust personal branding strategy across your professional profiles and networks.
