Transcript
LinkedIn recommendations are worth their weight in virtual gold, not only the ones you receive but also in the ones you offer. Recommending someone for work that you are genuinely pleased with can help to build and strengthen a relationship, but many people struggle with writing one, here are a few tips to help you use those 3000 characters..
To actually recommend someone you will need to go to their profile and in the drop down next to their profile picture you will see ‘Recommend’. This will take you to the recommendations page and you simply fill in the relevant information.
When you get to the actual recommendation start with how you know the person for example ‘Joe was my account manager when he worked at ABC Limited’. This helps to set the scene for the recommendation and also gets you past that difficult first sentence.
Then go onto the story of what you are recommending the person for, whether it is for a service that they provided you, work they did for you or even if they were a previous employee. Try and be specific, saying someone is great isn’t enough, you have to offer solid examples. For example ‘Joe really went above and beyond, on many occasions working on weekends to help push the deal through’
If it is possible have a glimpse at the person’s profile, have they mentioned keywords in their profile or skills that you can tie into the recommendation? Doing this will help whomever you are recommending as you are recommending them for things they wish to be known for.
Finally end on a high note, try and avoid the clichéd ‘I would recommend …. To anyone’. Instead get across the same sentiment with different phrasing. ‘Joe made my life easier and helped us reach deadlines, if you are looking for someone who goes above and beyond then give Joe a call.”
When you recommend someone, either off your own back or from them sending you a request make sure you only do it if you genuinely would recommend them, remember you are putting your reputation on the line.