LinkedIn Recommendations: #RockTheWorld Radio History

Listen to the January 18, 2011 show!

Why do you ever choose one thing over another? Chances are, it was recommended to you.

Last January we chose one Monday to take a break from interviewing guests, and instead spend the radio show talking about what we think is one of the most important aspects of LinkedIn: the recommendations.

Think about it: Why do you ever choose one thing over another? Chances are, it was recommended to you. A recommendation could be compared to a vote for an award. There are people who abuse the system, who ‘stuff the ballet box’ you might say, which is why it is important to get recommendations with substance from someone who has interacted with you personally, worked with you on a project, or the best would be a customer.

You don’t want to have all your recommendations from one work experience, it is best to spread them out over your credentials. Having only recent ones says either you just came to life, or that you don’t know how to use the LinkedIn recommendation system.

But how do you go back and ask people from the past for recommendations? Start by thinking of people you have worked with that you can recommend, who can legitimately recommend you back. When you receive a recommendation, you are given the option to return the favor, and many people do. When you write a recommendation for someone, you are also modeling the language they can use to write yours.

If you do receive a bad recommendation, you can always ask for a rewrite. When a LinkedIn recommendation is posted, it creates a link between the two profiles. If you ask someone to rewrite a fluff piece, or something with many typos, you are actually doing them a favor so their writing does not reflect badly on them.

A common question may be how many recommendations you should strive for. LinkedIn looks for three for ‘complete profile’ status, but if you have had many different positions or fulfill many different responsibilities, you are going to want more. It may be good to aim for one a year to help show your strengths across your career and experience. Notice, however, you can accept recommendations without displaying them. If there are typos or it has no substance, you don’t have to post it on your profile. Once you get past about twenty, you really want to go more for quality of recommendations than quantity.

Recommendations are so important in the networking world, and this show covered some awesome tips.

For more great LinkedIn tips, remember to tune in Mondays at 7pm, and until next time, Rock On!

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