Your 5-Minute Guide to Writing an Amazing LinkedIn Recommendation

Your 5-Minute Guide to Writing an Amazing LinkedIn Recommendation You base most of your decisions on recommendations. From choosing a restaurant for dinner to purchasing something on Amazon or selecting a destination for your next vacation, you consider recommendations from a lot of people before making the final decision.Similarly, almost every recruiter considers recommendations when it comes to hiring a certain individual. Employers always rely on recommendations from someone you have previously worked with. He is usually the person who vouches for your skills, professionalism, character, expertise and talent.LinkedIn is the biggest online hiring platform without any doubt. And â€" one of the most important and exciting sections of LinkedIn is Recommendations.It is the area where you can leave a recommendation for anyone such as your colleagues, friends, subordinates, customers and even employers. It is the area where you actually write in detail why you are recommending someone.Beware, it has nothing to do with Endorsement sections where you ca n only select stagnant skills suggested by LinkedIn.Posting a recommendation on LinkedIn can really strengthen the profile of the recipient. If written in an engaging manner by a real person, it can help him get the job he is after.Michael Surkan beautifully elaborates how you can make someone’s day by writing a brilliant LinkedIn recommendation in his video. Do check him out as well. Writing a LinkedIn recommendation is an art. If you are writing a recommendation for someone, following tips will definitely help you write a killer one.ADVANTAGES OF LINKEDIN RECOMMENDATIONSBefore we actually talk about how to write an exceptional LinkedIn recommendation, let us discuss a few more advantages it can offer to the beneficiary.Recommendations are Public Display of AcknowledgmentEveryone can read recommendations on LinkedIn, making them a public display of acknowledgement. The recommendation reveals plenty of things about both the recipient and the writer.Unlike traditional hand written endorsements, LinkedIn recommendations are a public proof of your skill and professionalism.Even the reputation of a person who writes a recommendation is on the line because it also appears in his own profile.For instance, you can greatly tarnish your reputation if the person you have recommended turns out to be a bad employee.They Create a Word of Mouth for You VisuallyLinkedIn is such an outstanding hiring platform for a reason, especially the recommendations section. If someone recommends you, even people outside your network can read stories of your brilliance.As a matter of fact, the Level 1 connections of recommender (your Level 2) get a notification on their home page the moment he recommends you. Isn’t it really great?It is basically Your Job RecommendationWhat is the purpose of a recommendation on LinkedIn? It is surely not about which pizza to eat and where. It is about your skills, abilities and professionalism.Recruiters give a lot of weightage to these traits because they always want to hire best of the bests.Therefore, receiving a wonderful recommendation which explains your actual achievements, work ethics and professionalism is definitely going to be an asset whenever you search for a new job.They come from People of Different Levels of Experience and InfluenceYou can get a diverse range of LinkedIn recommendations depending upon your connections and the type of people you have worked with.Ask your employer or a client; he will definitely leave a positive recommendation on your profile if he is thoroughly satisfied with your performance. It is up to you to compel him to write an immersive recommendation. It is your own responsibility to create right connections if you want to receive recommendations which are actually helpful in your job hunt.Want to learn more about how to give and receive recommendations on LinkedIn, watch this. They help Your LinkedIn Profile StandoutWell, this is obvious. As a matter of fact, very few of the profiles on LinkedIn have recommendations at the bottom.Unfortunately, recommendations are the rarest thing on LinkedIn. You will be able to get your profile standout both among potential employers and your colleagues if you manage to get some decent recommendations.After all, standing out is a real struggle when you are competing with almost 500 million registered users from around the world.Recommendations are Easily ManageableVery few people actually know that they can easily manage their LinkedIn recommendations. You can select certain recommendations and make them feature more prominently.On the other hand, you can also delete recommendations which you deem inappropriate or totally worthless. For instance, recommendations received from an unknown person is not as valuable as the one received from your previous colleagues or employers.You can always appreciate the gesture but that is it. Remember that recommendations are only worthwhile when they come from the right people.You can connect w ith more ProfessionalsMost probably, you will only receive a recommendation if you have requested for it. Unsolicited recommendations are yet not very common on LinkedIn.When you request for a recommendation, you actually remind the recommender that both of you have worked together and why he value you and the service you rendered. It also helps you get more connections and expand your network.Watch the following video and learn how to ask for recommendations on LinkedIn. TIPS TO WRITE A KILLER LINKEDIN RECOMMENDATIONWriting a killer LinkedIn recommendation can be a cumbersome task, much more than you originally anticipated.What you can write to help the recipient standout?What are the words which can melt the hearts of flinty recruiters?How you can make your recommendation interesting yet authentic to read?Should you keep your recommendation concise or write down every trait the recommendee have?If you are still at sixes and seven when it comes to writing a LinkedIn recommendation, don’t worry. Following lines explain each and every tip you can implement to write some of the best recommendations on LinkedIn.The Start should be ExcitingJust like any piece of writing, the first line or paragraph of recommendation should catch the imaginations of readers. It should prompt them to continue reading. It is your only chance to impress.Your recommendation is worthless if no one reads beyond the first line. Ideally, the first line should explain why your recommendee is such an amazing person to work with.“A ridiculously efficient person and a unique talent are the words which flash in my mind when I think about Jennifer.”Provide the Context of Your RecommendationOne of the most important parts of any recommendation is its context. You should clearly mention for whom you are writing a recommendation such as your employee, colleague, manager or a teammate etc.It is also imperative to include how long you worked together, what was the nature of your cooperation?Als o add some details of the project. You also need to briefly explain how the recommendee helped you achieve the set objectives. All these things will present you as a qualified person to give a recommendation as well.“I hired Jack as freelancer web developer from a prominent freelancing site back in 2013. Since then we have been working together without having any problem. He has completed more than 10 projects of different sizes for me. His work is always brilliant and flawless.”Highlight some of the best Traits of the RecipientWasting your precious words on the obvious is not a good practice at all. It is highly likely that you will only recommend a talented, organized, professional and competent person. Therefore, there is no need of mentioning these things in the recommendation.Don’t just beat about the bush. Instead write about his or her unique traits which you think no one else in your network possesses. Include certain things (one or two) which you think he does better than anyone else.Focus your recommendation on recipient’s standout qualities. It is also a good practice to reach out to the recipient and take his or her input.For instance, if someone is applying for a managerial role but worked as an assistant executive under your command, he will likely prefer you to write about his managerial skills he honed while managing new recruits rather than his organizational skills.“Steve has a wonderful ability to command people under one roof. He is adept in making people think and get some of the best ideas out of them. I was always in awe of his outstanding managerial skills. Not for one second of time I had any concern that he is not the right man for the job. He was indeed the right man for the job.”What Impact he had on Your Organization or Business?As mentioned above, you also need to write what the recommendee did different than others.What was his impact on your organization or business?Also write about why he is better than other collea gues, customers or employers.For instance, if you are writing recommendation for a subordinate, explain in detail how he performed the task assigned to him.What were his contributions to the organization?Did organization benefited from his services or not?Robert was always willing to go out of the way to reach with potential customers and promote our products. He was responsible for creating countless collaborating opportunities with some of the top brands in the industry during his 5 years stay in our organization. He also gives due importance to continuous professional development and is eager to learn new marketing techniques. It is because of him that we became a forerunner in using social media ads for product promotions and company launches.”Also Describe the Recipient as a PersonYour recommendation should not be all about recipient’s professional achievements. It will be incomplete and ineffective if you do not describe him as a person as well.You need to briefly explain what kind of person he is.Was it a nightmare or pleasure working with him? What are some of his most important personal traits you have continuously observed? Take a look at the following example.“Mathew is such a humble person. Despite being a sales agent, he is always patient and ready to listen what you have to say. He doesn’t try to just close deals to get his paycheck. He takes such meetings as an opportunity to create new and long lasting connections. You will definitely find him a friendly and unpretentious person who is willing to help you instead of just grinding his own axe.”Keep in Mind the Recipients Goals  It is also important to keep recipients goal in mind. Is he looking for a new job or try to find new clients?Employers or potential clients give so much importance to a person’s employment status while making a hiring decision.Furthermore, keep your recommendation professional and short.Don’t write anything negative if you don’t have anything else to say. You should not use LinkedIn, in any case, to give vent to your negative feelings about a person. There are other platforms such as Yelp to accomplish this rather nasty task.Make a Powerful EndingJust like any book, novel, movie or drama, any LinkedIn recommendation should have a powerful ending.Ending which can leave the reader in awe of the recipient’s skills, abilities and qualities. The last part of your recommendation should have a strong call to action which can actually help him or her get a job.A strong call to action also lets the user determine whether he or she can be an asset for their organization or not.“I am highly pleased with the job Karen did for us. She totally transformed our shambolic home into something really spectacular. Today, we are really proud of our home all because of Karen. Obviously and happily, I strongly recommend her and her team to everyone looking for a fascinating home renovation.”CONCLUSIONIf a person gets a stellar recommendation from you , he will most likely return the favor as well.Giving wonderful recommendations to others is another brilliant method to enhance your own profile, enhancing your own online credibility and expanding your network.There ought to be persons you can confidently write positive things about. Therefore, start writing LinkedIn recommendations today if you want to maximize the advantages of this hugely popular online hiring platform.