One of the most overlooked, but important sections on LinkedIn is the recommendation section. A simple recommendation could mean big things for a business owner, so you want to make sure you write the best recommendation possible. Here are a few tips to write a LinkedIn recommendation that will get your point across.
Getting Started
If you’ve been asked off-site to give a personal recommendation on LinkedIn from a business partner, manager etc. You first need to access their recommendation section. Head over to their profile and click on “recommend first name”. Here you’ll be given two important aspects for others to consider whilst reading your recommendation. Your relationship and their position at the time. Why does LinkedIn need this information? Context. It’s important that the review isn’t being simply bought off from a friend or colleague. You wouldn’t trust a parent to give an unbiased opinion of work undertaken by their children, so matter how trustworthy that recommendation may be. Even if you know the recommendation is truthful and accurate on the outside it wouldn’t look genuine.
How Do You Know Them?
There are a lot of options to choose from for your relationship, from you being a client to you mentoring them. The most used selection here would be a client relationship as a lot of B2B happens on LinkedIn. This selection is also one of the most important, as it can lead to referrals and places credibility on the work offered on the profile.
The second section “Position at the time”, simply states at what point in their career you came into contact with them. The more recent the better in this case as careers and businesses can change over time. If your recommendation is for plumbing and the profile has shifted focus to painting, it won’t help the profile much.
Writing the LinkedIn Recommendation
Here is where a lot of people put a lot of thought, and stress, into what they say. But, it can be as simple as you want it to be. If you really want someone to look at your recommendation and tell themselves “I need to work with this person” you need to sell how the person helped you. The best recommendation simply states how the person helped and what makes them unique. No one else could help except for them or their approach was refreshing and easy.
Most importantly, don’t overthink it. If you’re not an ex-client and want to show your appreciation for their mentorship, just write that. Simple state how they helped you with your career and how you appreciate them. There is nothing wrong with offering some appreciation. Those who come across the profile will be able to see just how they helped you. That will reflect well on them and shows they have true character, not just for their clients but for everyone they come into contact with.
