How to write a great LinkedIn recommendation

A GUIDE FOR WRITING EXCELLENT LINKEDIN RECOMMENDATION

 (With useful examples)

A LinkedIn recommendation is a written statement by a member of LinkedIn to recognize great bosses, coworkers or employees they have previously worked with. The recommendation is placed on the person’s LinkedIn profile for others to view. However, it’s a daunting task writing this amazing recommendation.

The simplest way to get many LinkedIn recommendations is through knowing how to write a potential LinkedIn recommendation to people you can vouch for. You can practice this by sending some to your current colleagues, students, and employers. When folks see that you’ve written a wonderful piece of recommendation praising their professional expertise, they will be impelled to help out in response.

Before we dive deep into this topic:
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A recommendation can be written on LinkedIn even for your associates, these include workmates, clients, allies, or previous employers.

A LinkedIn is an improved version of writing recommendation letters in various dimensions. Below is a list of its unique standards:

  • Enables the public to view your skills and abilities by showing all recommendations on your profile.
  • Unlike a physical recommendation letters that can be lost or thrown in the trash, LinkedIn recommendations will stay on your LinkedIn profile as long as the internet exists.
  • There is easier verification of LinkedIn recommendation. Credible sources can be found with ease by visiting owner’s profile.

What A LinkedIn recommendation says about you

One aspect unknown to people is the revelation given out by recommendation about the writer and not only the receiver.

Let’s say you employ a developer whom a friend recommended, the person turns out outstanding and action-driven than expected, the trust and confidence for the friend strengthen.

Recommending trustworthy colleagues whom you have worked with on different occasions brings great payback and excellent relations with great people. This adds credibility to your future recommendations.

How to write a recommendation on LinkedIn

  1. Start with a knockout line

An excellent recommendation should grab the attention of the readers and make them want to read more.  Ideally, the first line shows how awesome the person being recommended is. Be careful, though to avoid phrases like, “John is great in ……” or “Jane is a dependable team member” they are average and common in several recommendations so avoid using them.

Write about the unique strengths of the person you are referring and the outstanding qualities that make them justifiable. Phrases like the ‘best programmer “or “very reliable editor of videos “are plain and are considered as monopolistic qualities. Excessive use of the phrases can ruin your profile.

There are plenty of synonyms which can construct an attention-grabbing line that can make the recommendation standout when someone is reading it.

Example

Steve is a talented mediator possessing an uncommon bunch of expertise in research, determination, and tolerance.”

“Working with Jack was a fortunate opportunity to me, he is an amazing manager whose focus wasn’t only on the profitability of the organization, but also acknowledged the workers’ advancement professionally.”

Example one includes expertise and specifics for describing recipient in the recommendation while the second example expresses the relationship of the recipient with coworkers and the incredible outcomes of the interaction to the recommendation writer.

  1. Describe your relationship with the person

LinkedIn recommendations aren’t restricted to employer-worker relationships. It creates an opportunity for writing to coworkers, managers or people you’ve coached. Hence, it’s essential to give details on how you know the person for the readers to know why you are qualified to give the recommendation.

Example

“I employed Jade a website Designer in freelancer for the re-designing of my website portfolio in 2016.”

“I worked with Timothy as a Manager in Marketing Sector for various products launches in XYZ organization three years ago.”

It’s Important to inform the LinkedIn readers about the period you’ve worked with the person, so they get to know deeply your experience with the person’s ethical conducts and accomplishments.

  1. Share their unique traits

Highlight the standout skills which makes you recommend the person. This includes situations this person performs better than anything else. Write about the impeccable services given by the service providers which makes them excellent partners compared to other companies or professionals whom you have worked with before.

Struggling on what to write in LinkedIn recommendation? Here is what to consider.

For associates and workmates

  • What were their roles and responsibilities? What impacts did their contribution bring to the organization?
  • What are their key strengths and expertise?
  • Are they acknowledged experts or they deal with specific topic or task at work?
  • Is there any difficult or challenging situation the person overcame and how did it affect the organization?

For service providers

  • What factors made you recommend this person to other professionals in the organization?
  • For what duration have you worked with this person? Give a reason.
  • If your close friend required the same services would you recommend the same person?
  • Did the person help you after the transaction was over? How did you get information about the person? App developers, sales agents, realtors and product sellers are mostly asked this question when after-sales support is required.

Continuation of the above example

“For the three years I’ve worked with Timothy I have witnessed him working tirelessly in promotion search and collaboration opportunities with various brands.  Since he was a student, he had the urge to gain great marketing techniques which landed our company forerunner through the use of Facebook ads and videos of a whiteboard in launch production.”

The example above elaborates the roles and achievements of the recipient which benefited the organization.

  1. Add a personal touch

LinkedIn recommendation requires you give a tidbit about what it’s like to work with this person. The truth of the matter is, everyone wants to hire someone who is great to work with. Give your experience while working with the recipient.

Example

“No matter how tense the meeting, Sarah made sure everyone left the meeting with a smile. Talk about motivating a team.”

  1. End with a solid statement

Seal your recommendation with a final enthusiastic line. A LinkedIn recommendation would enable the recipient to secure a job or get customers in their businesses. It strongly focuses on actions of providing more clients or offering jobs to recipients, while enabling users of LinkedIn in determining the value of the recipient.

Examples

I’m impressed by Roberts’s job in renovation in our kitchen, I would refer him and his team to anyone who needs to upgrade their kitchen.”

“We included Michael in our video editor team because of his great talent. He will be a great asset to any company that would hire him.”

Here’s an Easy LinkedIn recommendation template to follow

(Name) is a/an (descriptive phrase for the person). They have worked with me as the (type of job) at (name of organization) for (period of time), during which (explain your working relationship, coworker, and boss). They were the (standout descriptive phrase) on our team when it comes to (expertise or skill), and it’s thanks to them that (challenging situation or a memorable achievement).

As a (colleague, team member, freelancer, etc), they (personality trait). I’m happy with the work (Name) did as (job title), and I give them my full recommendation.

LinkedIn recommendation sample based on the template above

“Kimberly, a preschool teacher has the capability of settling down kids and making them attentive through her creativity. For three years I have worked with her as a preschool teacher at Happy Tots School, during which I have seen her administrate skills. She has been a great asset especially when it comes to resources for teachers who need relaxing activities that enable kids to wind down prior to nap time, mostly for fuzzy and hyperactive kids. I appreciate her for making afternoon lessons run smoothly and even older kids have benefited from her creativity.

Being a member of the faculty, she has an accommodating spirit of handling parents. I’m impressed by her job as a preschool teacher, and I would like to recommend her fully

For more examples, check out these samples of great recommendation on LinkedIn.

Taylor Jacobson wrote the recommendation below to the director of the intellectual property (IP) consulting firm whom he worked with in his company. He specified the support type and IP help Beacon gave to him. Taylor acknowledged the awesome services the firm gave to him by writing a strong conclusion.

When I needed IP aspects of an early stage software app, I visited Beacon where I met Pallavi and her team. I was given exactly what I needed to understand protection forms that are sensible and the type of details pivotal to my success. In future when I need such support I would definitely go there.”

Below is an example of a recommendation showing that the recipient only worked with the recommendation writer, Edward Sturm, on an arranged project. He also categorized the recipient’s skills as front-end web developer and cited a specific example of his efficiency.

“Being a CEO, I have interacted with various front-end web designers –Kobe is an exceptional kind when it comes to e-commerce apps of mobile. During that time we worked together, I have seen a reliable and responsible expert who I can acknowledge. Kobe would even answer my calls on Saturday at three in the morning when I needed updates on Meta robots. He is very cooperative in giving my clients services, his product delivery is the best.”

Four easy tips for writing a powerful LinkedIn recommendation

  1. Make it confident and authentic

Apparently, you have worked with the LinkedIn recommendation recipient and you know something about them from that working relationship. It is essential to write a genuine recommendation that shows you fully know the person you are referring. Highlight details about a certain challenging incident that defines the person’s expertise and attributes. Share the criteria they used to resolve the issue.

Example

 “Anna’s ability to create friends from various people is very amazing, during proposal presentation she applies the expertise to our clients.”

  1. Prioritize recipient’s career goals

One of the most efficient ways to support someone professionally is giving them a recommendation on LinkedIn. Status of employment determines how LinkedIn recommendation will be used by recipients. Elaborate whether they are workers, owners of a business or independent contractors.

  1. It should be proficient

A LinkedIn recommendation is not a forum for discussing negative attributes. They should be positively articulated with no hidden reservations. If you got to share negative reviews about people, we are sorry you can do it elsewhere.

  1. Make it precise and interesting

Give short and simple information. LinkedIn recommendation allows a maximum of 3,000 characters but you don’t have reach maximum. Let the recommendation be in two to three paragraphs to avoid unnecessary information which makes it pale and dull. If you have too much to express split it up and make easy to read.

The process of posting a recommendation on LinkedIn

After writing an excellent recommendation, you want to post it. Follow this steps and get your recommendation where you want it to be.

  1. Open your contact’s profile.
  2. Click the ellipsis (More) icon beside the Message button at the right of their profile picture at the top of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. Click the Recommendation option.
  4. Choose the right relationship and position at the time option on the pop-up window that appears, and then click next.
  5. Paste your recommendation in the message field. Confirm any grammatical mistakes and typing errors by reading it aloud. Click send.

Start writing a Compelling LinkedIn Recommendation Now

Stellar recommendations recipients are most likely to give a reward. Build a network in order to upgrade your LinkedIn profile. Boost online credibility by writing recommendations for your employers and colleagues or anyone you can confidently attest right now. Take time to choose your recommenders carefully and let them draft a potential stellar letter.

When you think you mastered writing LinkedIn recommendations, test yourself! Compare your masterpiece with our Free LinkedIn Recommendation Generator tool!