Endorsements: Tap This LinkedIn Feature That Gives You an Edge
LinkedIn is an invaluable resource for job seekers. Since it’s a social media platform specifically designed for professionals, you can use it in myriad ways, whether you’re hunting for a job or just looking to network and connect with others. Indeed, keeping an attractive, updated LinkedIn profile can be of crucial importance to an ambitious professional.
One valuable resource that LinkedIn offers is endorsements, so let’s look at how they can help fuel your professional development. Not sure what your next career step should be? Get help from our career coaches!
LinkedIn endorsements
LinkedIn endorsements are a way for your LinkedIn connections to recognize your experience with a simple click. These endorsements are like the product reviews you see on eCommerce websites or online versions of references that you can proudly display on your profile for all to see. In a sense, your connections prove that you do possess the skills you list because they’ve personally seen you deploy these skills. Third-party reviews have immense power and give you greater credibility with hiring managers and those viewing your profile.
Getting LinkedIn endorsements
You should strive to get endorsements because they help to establish your credibility when you’re searching for a job. So, how do you tap into this gold mine? There are a few steps you need to take to reap the benefits of endorsements.
1. Give to get
The business world runs on reciprocity. Even in your personal life, you have to put effort into your relationship, or you won’t get much out of them. It’s the same in the professional world: If you want endorsements, you need to endorse others.
Take the time to endorse your friends, colleagues, and others in your network, and don’t be sloppy about it. A half-hearted “This person is great” won’t cut it—make the effort to write a thoughtful, meaningful endorsement that will actually make this person appealing to recruiters. Take note of how and what they do at work, go through their profile, and endorse them. If you do, they’ll be more willing to return the favor.
2. Curate your skills
When you list your skills, don’t do it haphazardly. There’s a certain way to list them for maximum effect. You don’t want to just plaster them there and make people read through all of them to endorse you. Don’t include skills that you don’t really have or that are utterly irrelevant to your career and desired position.
Instead, think about the skills that are most important for your career and put those first because they are the ones that will truly benefit from an endorsement. Make it as easy as possible for people to endorse you without having to scroll through a collection of skills irrelevant to your current job and the job you’re trying to get.
3. Demonstrate your skills
It’s one thing to list your skills but quite another to actually demonstrate them. Anyone can slap some skills on their LinkedIn profile, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they possess them—at least not in any meaningful way.
The quickest way to get people to endorse you is to put your work in front of them and let them see your skills in action. This could be in the form of a blog post or a project you have completed. Find a way to show people your work, and make it easy for them to endorse the related skills. The more you can demonstrate, the more likely you are to get endorsements.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask
People on LinkedIn know everyone has an ulterior motive for reaching out—they need something or want to expand their network. So, it’s not uncommon or rude to ask for an endorsement, but be tactful about it. Knowing how to ask for what you want is an important communication skill in the workplace, so you can think of this as valuable practice.
If you simply ask someone to endorse you, they may not be willing to grant your request. You should instead remind them of a time when you worked together or when they saw your work and the end result. This helps jog their memory and help them recall your skills. You might also show them your portfolio or other proof of your skills and ask if they can endorse you on that basis. If you haven’t already written an endorsement for them, offer to do it and inquire if there’s anything specific they’d like you to say.
After someone endorses you, don’t forget to thank them for their contribution to your profile. Either send a thoughtful thank-you message or repay them in some way, including by writing your own endorsement of them. Strive to foster LinkedIn relationships that provide lasting value to both parties.
LinkedIn endorsements can be one of the most powerful tools on your profile, but you have to know how to use them. Before asking people for endorsements, endorse other users. If you take the first step, others will be more likely to repay you with an endorsement. Not sure if you’ve listed your skills properly on your LinkedIn profile? Contact our LinkedIn experts for help!
