LinkedIn recommendations can be a great way to boost your resume by allowing you to showcase positive feedback from previous managers, coworkers, or clients. Whether you’re actively job searching or just want to round out your profile, adding recommendations to your resume is easy and can help demonstrate your skills and work ethic.
In this article, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to add LinkedIn recommendations to your resume, including:
- How to ask for recommendations on LinkedIn
- Choosing which recommendations to add to your resume
- Formatting recommendations for your resume
- Best practices for using LinkedIn recommendations
Follow along below for step-by-step instructions to select excellent LinkedIn recommendations and integrate them seamlessly into your resume.
How to Ask for Recommendations on LinkedIn
Before you can add recommendations to your resume, you need to have some recommendations on your LinkedIn profile. Here are some tips for soliciting quality endorsements:
- Target the right people. Think about former managers, coworkers in roles similar to ones you’re applying for, or clients if relevant. Focus on those who have seen your work and skills firsthand.
- Personalize your request. Send individual messages explaining why their recommendation would be particularly meaningful.
- Provide details and resources. Give recommenders background on your current job search and the types of roles you’re targeting. Offer them a copy of your resume so they understand your full experience.
- Follow up. Check in with recommenders who haven’t yet written something for you and gently ask if they need any other information from you.
The more targeted your recommendation requests are, the better quality of feedback you’ll receive in return.
Choosing Which Recommendations to Add
Once you’ve collected several LinkedIn recommendations, you won’t necessarily want to include them all. Be selective about which ones you add to your resume.
Consider the following factors when deciding:
- Relevance – Pick recommendations that speak directly to the types of roles you want. Mentions of specific skills and qualifications you’re highlighting on your resume are key.
- Strength of praise – The most convincing LinkedIn recommendations use glowing language to convey your assets and impact. Look for ones that do this convincingly.
- Recency – More current recommendations tend to hold more weight. For most fields, sticking to endorsements from the last 5 years is best.
- Diversity – Aim to showcase recommendations written by several different connections to demonstrate broad appeal.
Ideally, the recommendations you choose will check all those boxes – relevant experience, strong language, recent timeline, and mix of sources.
Formatting Recommendations for Your Resume
When adding LinkedIn recommendations to your resume, you’ll want to format them in a way that fits with the rest of your content.
Here are some formatting best practices:
- Place them in a dedicated “Recommendations” section near the top, after your summary statement.
- Use the recommender’s name, title, and company as a heading for each one.
- Mention that they’re LinkedIn recommendations for context.
- Quote recommendations word for word – don’t paraphrase or shorten them.
- Use a smaller font size than main resume sections. 10-point font is standard.
- Align the text left and use single line spacing for easy readability.
- Keep the formatting consistent across each recommendation.
Formatting your LinkedIn recommendations clearly and consistently will make this section seamless alongside the rest of your resume content.
Here is an example “Recommendations” section using proper formatting:
Recommendations
John Smith, Senior Engineer at XYZ Company (LinkedIn)
“Alex is the most talented software developer I’ve worked with. They have an exceptional ability to quickly produce high-quality, working code. I’d rehire them for any project and fully recommend them.”
Jane Doe, Project Manager at ABC Corporation (LinkedIn)
“Alex was a key contributor on our app development team. They have fantastic technical skills and also provided much-needed leadership for junior developers. Alex would make an excellent addition to any engineering team.”
Best Practices for Using LinkedIn Recommendations
To get the most value from LinkedIn recommendations on your resume, keep these best practices in mind:
- Use them sparingly – 1-3 is usually sufficient.
- Rotate them out over time to keep your resume fresh.
- Always ask permission before adding someone’s recommendation.
- Complement them with skills and achievements on your resume.
- Ensure they align with the rest of your content.
- Keep them up-to-date by requesting new ones periodically.
Integrating just a few standout LinkedIn recommendations can serve as social proof and reinforce the highlights from your own resume. But be sure to use them strategically.
Follow the tips in this article and you’ll be able to smoothly add relevant LinkedIn recommendations to your resume in no time. Just another way to maximize your application and land more interviews!
Conclusion
Adding LinkedIn recommendations to your resume is a simple way to get more mileage out of positive feedback you’ve received. By choosing relevant, well-written recommendations and formatting them appropriately, you can seamlessly integrate endorsements into your resume.
To recap, follow these steps:
- Ask connections for targeted recommendations on LinkedIn.
- Carefully select the best endorsements to showcase.
- Format recommendations using name, title, company, and quote.
- Place them in a dedicated “Recommendations” section.
- Use these powerful additions sparingly according to best practices.
With a few glowingly positive recommendations, you can strengthen your resume and provide credibility to back up your skills and experience. Use LinkedIn to collect feedback from past managers, coworkers, and clients, then integrate it strategically. Recommendations add another dimension and can help you stand out from other applicants.