LinkedIn recommendations are a great way to endorse someone’s skills, accomplishments and work ethic. A good recommendation can help someone stand out to potential employers and connections. However, writing an effective recommendation takes thought and effort. Here are some tips on how to write a meaningful LinkedIn recommendation.
Should You Accept All Recommendation Requests?
You don’t have to accept every request for a recommendation. Only recommend someone if you feel you can write a sincere endorsement based on direct experience working with them. Decline requests politely if you don’t know the person well enough or can’t recommend them honestly.
If someone requests multiple recommendations from you, consider whether you can provide unique insights for each one. If you would be repeating yourself, it may be better to provide a single comprehensive recommendation.
Review Their Profile First
Before writing, thoroughly read the person’s profile so you understand their background. What skills, accomplishments and strengths would you highlight? Look at their work history, education, activities and endorsements from others. This will give you context for writing a meaningful recommendation.
Mention Specific Examples
Avoid vague, generic praise like “She is a wonderful co-worker.” Provide concrete examples that illustrate the person’s abilities and contributions. Mention specific projects they worked on, skills they applied and quantifiable outcomes they achieved. This adds evidence to support your endorsement.
For example: “Michelle spearheaded our website redesign project by interviewing internal stakeholders to gather requirements. She oversaw the design team to ensure they delivered an intuitive and user-friendly interface on time and under budget. The improved site led to a 15% increase in traffic within the first month.”
Use Numbers Whenever Possible
Quantify the person’s accomplishments with facts and data. For instance, note their revenue generated, expenses reduced, productivity increased, campaigns managed or convergence rates improved. Numbers add more credibility to your recommendation.
Describe Their Impact
Discuss the influence, effect or difference the person made in their role. How did they contribute to the company, team or clients? What did they help achieve? Describing their impact shows why they are valuable.
For example: “By streamlining our onboarding process, Michelle improved new hire proficiency by 20%. This resulted in greater client satisfaction and retention.”
Mention Their Soft Skills
Technical skills and hard results are impressive, but don’t forget to highlight soft skills like work ethic, attitude, collaboration and leadership. For example, note if the person is cooperative, proactive, communicative, dependable, persistent and so on. These personal strengths reveal a lot about someone’s overall professionalism.
Use Industry Keywords
Incorporate relevant keywords and terminology from the person’s industry. This helps attract the right audience and demonstrates your familiarity with the field. Make sure the keywords flow naturally within the text.
Focus On Skills Relevant to the Reviewer
The recommendation should showcase skills and accomplishments that matter to the person reading it. For example, if a former student requests a recommendation, highlight contributions and abilities most relevant to academic settings. Tailor the focus based on the relationship you had with the person.
Paint a Complete Picture
Avoid brevity by providing a robust, well-rounded depiction of the person. Do not limit yourself to a few generic sentences. Give a detailed overview of their attributes, achievements, growth and personality. The more comprehensive you can make it, the better.
Use a Professional Tone
Write the recommendation with proper language, grammar and structure. Maintain a polished, business tone even if praising a friend. Comments should be professional whether referencing coworkers, employees, colleagues or students. The tone should match a formal letter of recommendation.
Proofread Before Submitting
Double check for any spelling or grammar errors, missing words or unclear sentences. Read it aloud to catch awkward phrasing. Ask someone else to review it with fresh eyes. Make edits to ensure the final version is polished.
Sample Recommendation Text
Here is an example of how you could write a recommendation showcasing both hard and soft skills:
I highly recommend [Michelle Park] as a [Product Manager] and leader. I [managed Michelle for 3 years] at [Company XYZ], where she led key [software product launches].
Michelle is an exceptional project manager adept at guiding cross-functional teams. She is highly organized and detail-oriented when scoping requirements, planning sprints and managing releases. For example, Michelle led the on-time launch of our [customer portal], coordinating over 15 developers and QA testers across 5 departments.
She is also a strategic thinker, setting ambitious but achievable goals. For instance, her vision to expand our portal’s functionality resulted in a 20% increase in customer retention rate. Michelle regularly makes insightful product decisions that lead to positive business outcomes.
Just as importantly, Michelle is a trusted mentor and colleague. She builds rapport through open and frequent communication. Her attentive nature makes team members feel heard and valued. Michelle motivates with encouragement and promotes collaborative problem solving. Her commitment to growth – both for people and products – is a credit to her character.
In summary, I unequivocally recommend Michelle for any product management or leadership role. She consistently delivers excellent results while also elevating those around her. Michelle is truly an asset to any organization.
Lengthy or Short Recommendations
Some recommendations are long and detail many accomplishments, while others are just a few sentences. Neither approach is necessarily better. The length can vary depending on how well you know the person:
| Relationship | Recommendation Length |
|---|---|
| Former manager or direct supervisor | Longer, comprehensive overview since you have firsthand experience working together and witnessing their performance. You can provide deeper insights. |
| Colleague at the same company | Moderate length highlighting achievements you observed and skills you saw the person apply. You likely know their work fairly well but not to the extent of a manager. |
| Colleague at a different company | Shorter length focusing on one or two main skills or accomplishments you’re familiar with. |
| Student you taught | Moderate overview of their academic/classroom performance, participation, contributions and growth. |
The recommendation should be long enough to strongly endorse the person with relevant detail, without unnecessary fluff. Quality trumps quantity.
Request Permission Before Writing
It’s courteous to ask someone’s permission before writing them a recommendation. They may feel more comfortable if they can review and approve it before publication. Do not assume it’s okay to write or post a recommendation without their consent.
Tailor For Each Audience
Consider customizing recommendations for different audiences when requested:
- For academic settings, focus on classroom participation, grades, improvement, group work and academic potential
- For jobs/internships, emphasize specific hard and soft job skills
- For volunteer/club participation, highlight reliability, teamwork, self-motivation and attitude
- For awards/scholarships, feature personal strengths and achievements that make them deserving
Match the tone and content to each situation. Ask the requestor if they have specific points they want highlighted.
Offer To Connect Them
Offer to directly introduce or refer the person to someone in your network who could help them succeed in their next endeavor. These direct connections can be very valuable. Be as supportive as possible.
Conclusion
Writing LinkedIn recommendations requires effort but can have a profound, lasting impact on someone’s career. Thoughtful, personalized recommendations not only help recipients, but also strengthen your own reputation and relationships. By providing meaningful endorsements, you pay it forward and promote positive interactions within your professional community. The extra time invested in crafting recommendations is well worth the goodwill it generates.
