Getting a strong recommendation on LinkedIn can give managers a significant boost when looking for new job opportunities. With over 740 million members, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for professionals looking to build their personal brand and make connections. A recommendation specifically highlighting management skills and achievements can help set a manager apart from other applicants.
What Makes a Good LinkedIn Recommendation for a Manager?
A LinkedIn recommendation for a manager should focus on showcasing their leadership abilities, communication skills, and success driving results. Some key things to highlight include:
- Strategic thinking and planning skills
- Ability to motivate, develop, and mentor team members
- Collaboration with cross-functional partners
- Management of complex projects and initiatives
- Data-driven decision making and problem solving
- Communication and relationship building with stakeholders
- Exceeding goals and driving growth
Backing up these claims with specific examples and metrics makes the recommendation more credible and meaningful. Quantifying accomplishments like “increased department revenue by 30% over 3 years” or “led team of 15 to achieve highest customer satisfaction rating 5 years running” can demonstrate the tangible impact made.
Who Should Write the Recommendation?
The best LinkedIn recommendations for managers come from people who have worked closely with them and can speak firsthand to their abilities. Good options include:
- Direct managers or executives: Higher-ups who have directly supervised the manager can highlight leadership potential and accomplishments.
- Peers: Fellow managers can vouch for teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills.
- Direct reports: Recommendations from people the manager has supervised carry weight in demonstrating mentoring abilities.
- Partners: Vendors, clients, or cross-functional partners can validate relationship building and stakeholder management skills.
The recommender should have a robust LinkedIn profile themselves to add credibility. Their position and reputation will influence how much weight the recommendation carries.
What to Include in the LinkedIn Recommendation
A compelling LinkedIn recommendation for a manager should include:
- A headline clearly stating the relationship: “John was my manager from 2018-2022”
- Context on when and how you worked with the manager
- Specific examples of management abilities and results achieved
- Descriptions of standout skills like communication, strategic thinking, mentoring, etc.
- Quantified metrics or data that demonstrate impact
- Commentary on work ethic, motivational abilities, and leadership potential
- An overview of contributions and value the manager brought to your organization
The recommendation should be enthusiastic and provide detailed evidence for claims made about the manager’s capabilities. Original, personalized language is more meaningful than generic claims.
Key Areas to Highlight for Different Management Roles
The specific skills and accomplishments to emphasize may vary depending on the manager’s particular role and industry. Here are recommendations tailored to different types of management positions:
Project Manager
- Delivery of complex projects on time and budget
- Organization in planning project scope, resources, and schedules
- Ability to track progress and make data-driven decisions
- Expert negotiation, vendor management, and stakeholder communications
- Strong leadership keeping large, cross-functional teams motivated and aligned
Marketing Manager
- Development of successful marketing campaigns and initiatives
- Growth of customer engagement and brand awareness
- Data analysis skills yielding actionable customer insights
- Partnership building with sales teams and leadership
- Creativity and innovation in bringing ideas to market
Operations Manager
- Increase in productivity, efficiency, and systems improvements
- Ability to understand workflows and identify optimization opportunities
- Strong analytical abilities and data-driven decision making
- Success controlling costs and managing budgets
- Excellent team leadership and cross-functional partnering
Sales Manager
- Proven success driving sales team performance and achieving revenue goals
- Motivational team leadership resulting in high engagement and morale
- Establishing processes, incentives, and competitions to spur growth
- Identifying trends and opportunities to improve results
- Coaching team members and developing top talent
Focusing the recommendation on the most relevant skills for the manager’s role and industry will ensure it showcases their fit for similar positions in the future.
Crafting an Impactful Headline
The headline for the LinkedIn recommendation sets the tone. To make it compelling:
- Succinctly state your relationship: “My Marketing Manager for 3 Years at ABC Company”
- Include a power adjective like “Exceptional”, “Visionary”, or “Results-Driven”
- Mention major accomplishments like “Drove 30% Growth in 2 Years”
Examples of strong headlines:
- “Transformative Sales Leader Who Exceeded Quota 3 Straight Years”
- “Most Innovative Marketing Manager I’ve Worked With in My Career”
- “Operations Powerhouse Who Improved Efficiency Company-Wide”
A headline that grabs attention and clearly communicates the recommender’s perspective will get the recommendation noticed.
Formatting Tips
Proper formatting can make your LinkedIn recommendation more polished and professional. Follow these tips:
- Length:Aim for 2-5 paragraphs or around 150-300 words.
- Readability: Use bullet points, headers, and white space appropriately to make it easy to skim.
- Spelling and grammar: Review carefully to avoid errors that undermine credibility.
- Call to action close: End with a statement encouraging the reader to connect or contact the manager.
Additionally, customize the recommendation to use the manager’s proper name and current job title to ensure relevance.
Sample LinkedIn Recommendation for a Manager
Here is an example showing what an impactful LinkedIn recommendation for a manager might look like:
Visionary Marketing Leader Who Helped Rebrand Our Company
I worked with Jane Doe as the Chief Marketing Officer of ABC Company from 2018-2022. In her time as Marketing Manager, Jane led a complete transformation of our company’s brand identity and go-to-market strategy.
Some key achievements that showcase Jane’s phenomenal marketing leadership abilities:
- Orchestrated a highly successful rebranding campaign that increased our brand awareness by 75%
- Pioneered our use of social media advertising resulting in a 265% increase in site traffic
- Built our in-house design team from scratch, saving over $1 million yearly in agency fees
- Launched influencer collaborations and viral campaigns that expanded our reach into new demographics
Jane has an innate ability to identify market trends early and devise innovative growth strategies leveraging cutting edge marketing tactics. She understands the importance of data, calculating ROI on all marketing programs and pivoting approaches as needed to maximize results. At the same time, she thinks creatively and knows how to turn ideas into compelling campaigns.
Beyond her marketing acumen, Jane is an inspiring and supportive team leader. She mentored and motivated her marketing team to reach new levels of success. I consistently heard from her direct reports that Jane encouraged and empowered them in their professional development. Her passion is contagious and she brings out the best effort in those around her.
I unequivocally recommend Jane for any marketing leadership position. She will raise the brand profile and drive tangible growth. I feel lucky to have worked with such a marketing powerhouse and visionary leader. Please feel free to connect with me directly if I can provide any other details on how Jane can elevate your marketing and brand strategy.
This example provides a clear overview of the manager’s skills and quantifiable achievements while also highlighting soft skills related to leadership ability, passion, and vision. The mix of data-driven results and humanizing details creates a strong case for why this manager deserves consideration.
Tips for Requesting a Recommendation
How you ask for a LinkedIn recommendation can impact the quality of the feedback provided. Use these tips when requesting one from a colleague:
- Choose someone who worked closely with you and can speak in-depth about your management capabilities.
- Have a conversation to jog their memory about key projects and accomplishments.
- Share 2-3 bullet points on the specific skills or achievements you hope they’ll highlight.
- Let them know the types of management roles you are targeting next.
- Offer to provide a draft but give them freedom to put it in their own words.
- Express your sincere appreciation and offer to write them a recommendation in return.
Giving recommenders guidance while allowing creative latitude often yields the best recommendations. Most colleagues are happy to pay-it-forward and help someone who has been impactful on their team.
Tips for Writing an Impactful Recommendation
If you are the one writing a LinkedIn recommendation for a manager, make it powerful with these tips:
- Make it personal by sharing your own experiences managing the person or working alongside them.
- Use vivid details and anecdotes to illustrate their skills in action.
- Use emotive language to convey the energy and leadership abilities you observed.
- Back claims with facts, data, and specific examples whenever possible.
- Make sure accomplishments are put in proper context like industry challenges overcome.
- Speak to soft skills like mentorship and team development in addition to tangible achievements.
- Close with a strong call-to-action summarizing the value this manager can bring.
Managers will appreciate a recommendation that highlights both their human qualities and professional accomplishments.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key tips for getting and giving great LinkedIn recommendations for managers:
- Choose recommenders who have directly managed or worked with the manager.
- Highlight measurable achievements, leadership abilities, and “hard” and “soft” skills.
- Use quantifiable examples and metrics to demonstrate the impact made.
- Tailor the skills mentioned to the manager’s particular specialty.
- Craft a compelling headline that sells the manager’s value.
- Make sure the recommendation is the right length and easy to scan.
- Provide recommenders with guidance while allowing creativity.
- Use vivid details and storytelling to bring the recommendation to life.
A well-written LinkedIn recommendation showcasing a manager’s strong leadership capabilities can be a difference-maker when seeking new roles. Both requesting and providing great recommendations can advance managers’ careers and highlight their talents to the world.