The endorse feature on LinkedIn allows users to endorse the skills of other users on the platform. When someone endorses your skills, it appears on your profile and can help validate you as an expert in those skills. The endorsements also serve as a way to strengthen connections between users on LinkedIn.
How does the LinkedIn endorse feature work?
The endorse feature allows LinkedIn members to endorse the skills of other members. To endorse someone:
- Go to their LinkedIn profile
- Scroll down to the Skills & Endorsements section
- Click the + icon next to a skill to endorse them for that skill
You can endorse multiple skills at once. The user you’ve endorsed will get a notification that you’ve endorsed them. The endorsement then appears under that skill on their profile. The number of endorsements received by a user for a particular skill is displayed next to the skill.
Why do LinkedIn endorsements matter?
LinkedIn endorsements serve several purposes:
- Validate skills and expertise – Multiple endorsements for a skill help substantiate that a member actually has that skill.
- Strengthen connections – Endorsing someone can help strengthen the relationship between two LinkedIn members.
- Increase profile visibility – Endorsements can boost the visibility and reach of a member’s profile in LinkedIn search results.
- Support career growth – Skills endorsed by connections can enhance a member’s professional brand and open up new career opportunities.
In summary, LinkedIn endorsements provide a way for members to vouch for each others’ skills and qualifications. They help build professional relationships and credibility.
Who can endorse skills on LinkedIn?
Any LinkedIn member can endorse the skills of other members. However, there are some limitations:
- You can only endorse people who are 1st-degree connections.
- You can endorse specific skills, not general expertise.
- You cannot endorse yourself, only others can endorse you.
So endorsements must come from your directly connected network on LinkedIn. Also, it’s considered better to only endorse skills you have directly witnessed or can authenticate in some way.
How many LinkedIn endorsements should you aim for?
There is no specific number of endorsements to target. However, having several endorsements for key skills can make your profile stand out. Here are some benchmarks to consider:
- 5+ endorsements – Shows basic verification of a skill
- 10+ endorsements – Demonstrates strong reinforcement for major skills
- 20+ endorsements – Displays deep third-party validation of top skills
- 50+ endorsements – Conveys extensive peer endorsement of specialized capabilities
So aim to get endorsements into the double digits for your most important skills. Getting hundreds of endorsements takes time but indicates recognised subject matter expertise.
Should you endorse skills for others on LinkedIn?
Endorsing other LinkedIn members can be beneficial, but should be done selectively. Here are some best practices:
- Only endorse skills you can authentically validate
- Endorse those who have supported your skills
- Use endorsements to strengthen key connections
- Be thoughtful in how many skills you endorse for one person
- Endorse after interacting or working with someone
- Periodically revisit your connections to provide new endorsements
Avoid indiscriminately endorsing everyone for every skill. Target endorsements strategically based on direct experience and to deepen relationships with important connections.
Can you remove a LinkedIn endorsement?
Yes, it is possible to revoke a LinkedIn endorsement. To do so:
- Go to the profile of the person you originally endorsed.
- In the Skills & Endorsements section, locate the skill you want to remove the endorsement for.
- Click on the people icons below the skill.
- Find your name and click Revoke next to it.
- Confirm you want to revoke the endorsement. It will be immediately removed.
The person will be notified you revoked the endorsement. You can also remove endorsements received from others in the same way.
Can you reorder LinkedIn endorsements?
No, there is no way to reorder the endorsements you’ve received on LinkedIn. They will always appear in chronological order based on the date they were done. The most recent ones will be on top.
The order endorsements appear in is automatic. The number of endorsements is what matters more than the order.
Do LinkedIn endorsements expire?
No, LinkedIn endorsements do not expire. Once an endorsement is given, it will stay on your profile unless it is manually revoked. There is no time limit or expiry date for endorsements.
Even old endorsements from connections still serve to validate your skills. Unless revoked, all endorsements remain indefinitely.
Can you sort LinkedIn endorsements?
LinkedIn does not have a feature to sort or filter endorsements in different ways. The endorsements appear in reverse chronological order and cannot be rearranged.
Some ways endorsements could be sorted if the feature existed:
- By skill
- By number of endorsements
- By endorser (connection)
- By date endorsed
But this type of sorting or filtering is not possible currently. The endorsements show up in an automatic, non-customizable order.
Do LinkedIn endorsements increase ranking?
Yes, receiving endorsements can help increase your LinkedIn profile’s ranking in search results. When someone searches on LinkedIn, profiles with more endorsements may appear higher in the results.
This is because LinkedIn’s search algorithm factors in endorsements when determining relevance and ranking. Endorsements act as “votes” to validate your expertise and knowledge in a skill.
More endorsements signal to LinkedIn that your profile is more authoritative for certain keywords. So over time, endorsements can incrementally boost your overall search ranking.
How do endorsements impact LinkedIn notifications?
When you endorse someone on LinkedIn, they receive a notification about it. The notification will show up in their LinkedIn feed and inbox.
When someone endorses you, you similarly get a notification alerting you to their endorsement. This allows you to thank them or endorse them back if appropriate.
Turning off notifications in your LinkedIn settings will stop endorsement notifications. Otherwise expect to receive them any time you give or receive an endorsement.
Should you include LinkedIn endorsements on a resume?
In most cases, it’s not necessary to list LinkedIn endorsements on a resume. The endorsements live on your LinkedIn profile already. Some considerations:
- Resumes should focus on skills, experience and achievements
- List certifications rather than peer endorsements
- Refer to your LinkedIn profile in the contact section
- Mentioning endorsements could appear egocentric
However, it may be appropriate to include a short section quantifying your LinkedIn endorsements if applying for a job through LinkedIn.
Are LinkedIn skill assessments better than endorsements?
LinkedIn skill assessments provide more objective verification than endorsements. But endorsements still have value in showcasing peer recognition.
Skill assessments test and confirm your proficiency in a skill. Endorsements demonstrate colleagues vouching for your abilities.
Having both third-party assessments and endorsements can powerfully convey your qualifications. The combination carries more weight than either alone.
Can you request LinkedIn endorsements?
It’s possible to request endorsements on LinkedIn but should be done carefully. Some tips:
- Only ask those familiar with your skills to endorse you
- Endorse them first before requesting reciprocation
- Explain why their endorsement would be meaningful
- Suggest skills to endorse instead of generic expertise
- Offer to provide an endorsement in return
Consider endorsing connections for their skills first before requesting they do the same. Avoid mass endorsement requests as it can appear promotional.
Do LinkedIn endorsements increase profile views?
Yes, accumulating endorsements can potentially increase profile views. This is because endorsements raise a profile’s visibility in LinkedIn search.
As endorsements validate your knowledge and expertise, your profile may appear higher in results for relevant keyword searches. This leads to more profile visits.
Endorsements also expand your network by forging new connections. A larger network means more people aware of your profile, driving more views.
Should you endorse connections automatically?
It’s best not to automatically or indiscriminately endorse all connections. Thoughtful, personalized endorsements have the most impact.
Consider which skills you can legitimately validate based on experience with each connection. Take the time to write endorsements explaining the context.
Mass endorsements will seem disingenuous and hold less weight. Focus on strategic, meaningful endorsements for key connections instead.
Can you customize LinkedIn endorsements?
There is no way to customize the appearance or text of LinkedIn endorsement notifications.
When endorsing someone, you can only choose from the predefined skills on their profile – there is no option to customize the text.
The endorsed person receives a stock notification of the endorsement that cannot be altered. The endorser’s name and endorsed skill auto-populate.
Do LinkedIn endorsements affect the algorithm?
Yes, accumulating endorsements can positively impact LinkedIn’s algorithm and increase your visibility in various ways:
- Boosts profile ranking in search results
- Surfaces your profile for relevant skill keywords
- Improves visibility in “People Also Viewed” sections
- Contributes to your overall profile authority and relevance
So endorsements do factor into LinkedIn’s algorithm. Their precise influence is unclear but more endorsements correlate to better ranking and discoverability.
Can you hide LinkedIn endorsements?
There is no built-in way to hide endorsements on your LinkedIn profile. All of the endorsements you receive will be publicly displayed.
You can choose which skills are listed on your profile. But any endorsements you receive for those listed skills will be shown.
The only option is asking connections to revoke endorsements or removing the skill entirely. But there is no simple “hide endorsement” feature.
Do all LinkedIn members see endorsements?
Yes, endorsements on LinkedIn profiles are publicly visible. Any LinkedIn member who views your profile can see the endorsements you’ve received.
Even members you are not connected with will see them. There is no setting to restrict or limit endorsement visibility to certain connections or groups.
The endorsements display next to your skills on your profile for all site visitors to view and validate your expertise.
Can companies endorse on LinkedIn?
Only individual members with personal LinkedIn profiles can endorse skills – companies do not have the endorse functionality.
Employees of a company with LinkedIn profiles can endorse each other’s skills. But the company itself cannot provide endorsements.
All endorsements must come from fellow professionals, not organization pages. Brands and companies cannot directly endorse skills.
Conclusion
The LinkedIn endorsements feature provides a simple yet effective way to validate skills and strengthen connections between professionals. While not a complete replacement for certifications and assessments, endorsements do boost perceived capability and expertise.
Thoughtfully endorsing and requesting endorsements from your network can pay dividends in increased profile visibility. But avoid endorsements for endorsements’ sake between disconnected contacts. Overall, use judiciously as one component of your broader LinkedIn strategy.