It’s easy to help a coworker advance their career by writing a recommendation on LinkedIn. It’s not always easy to know how to craft a recommendation that is impactful, specific, concise, and honest.
This post will provide you with the most useful writing tips and templates to create high-quality LinkedIn testimonials.
What to write in a LinkedIn recommendation
- Explain your relationship with the company.
- Give details on the job that this person wants.
- Tell us how you’ve grown in the organization.
- How did their contributions help the company or team grow?
- What do these accomplishments reveal about the person?
- Finish with a personal note.
1. Explain your relationship with the company.
I know it seems serious, but it’s simply a helpful piece of context that helps you easily write an intro for your recommendation.Whether it’s a coworker you’ve worked closely with for years or a recent agency point of contact, it sets the stage for the reader to learn why you’re writing this recommendation.
As an example:
Lisa and I have been working together for almost two years.
2. Give details on the job that this person wants.
Do you recommend this person based on their performance in a single position? Are you writing about the work they did in multiple positions that you held with them during your time working together?
It’s best to focus on their most notable aspects of the job. You may think you are listing their job duties. It will give anyone who reads the recommendation a better idea of what they accomplished in their position.
Also, I would caution you against making a long list of all their duties. You can ask them if you should focus on a particular part of their job responsibilities if you’ve seen that they have worn many hats.
As an example:
In the past two years I have seen her not only excel in the fundamental elements of her position — such as copyediting and writing — but also acquire other skills that go beyond her original role. Email marketing, event-planning, and championing internal communication are all examples.
3. Tell us how you’ve grown in the organization.
This part can be very helpful when writing a letter of recommendation to a former or current direct manager. You can demonstrate your ability to adjust to the growth of the company by explaining how you have grown in the role that the person is recommending.
It’s important to not overestimate the negative points of a person’s professional history, as this can dilute any growth that you are trying to emphasize.
As an example:
Lisa’s growth has been as rapid as the business itself, and she has shown a willingness to take on new challenges and learn. This is a quality that any professional would look for.
4. How did their contributions help the company or team grow?
You could explain how they helped achieve hard metrics. Talk about their contributions, such as leading teammates or creating new initiatives.
It’s much more impactful than simply saying “I’m good at doing this!” This is much more powerful than saying, “I am good at this!”
As an example:
Lisa’s ability to master both her primary role and side projects has been crucial for the growth of our company. Her focus on the internal communication of her company was correlated with an increase in employee satisfaction (+28 quarterly ).
5. What do these accomplishments reveal about the person?
You’ve now included some details. Let’s discuss what these specifics have to do with the overall theme of your recommendation. Are the examples that you have provided evidence of someone’s hard work? Ambitious? Good for the team’s morale? Link their achievements with their characteristics.
As an example:
The rare combination of ambition and productivity sets an excellent example for everyone else. This explains also why Lisa is loved by everyone, no matter what their position in the organization chart.
6. Finish with a personal note.
This section should include a message to the recipient about how you feel working with them, what your career hopes are for them, and a future prediction.
As an example:
Lisa’s efforts have continued to reap rewards long after her time here. I miss her each day. Can’t wait for her to take the next step on her career path.
LinkedIn Recommendation Example
Recommendation from an employee
According to Gartner’s survey of 2022, half the employees expect different things from their employers than before.
The recommendations of employees show that the stakeholder values the opinion of those they supervise. This also shows that they are leading from the bottom-up.
The recommendation discusses the progress made by the supervisor at their company, and the way that person helped them grow.
Example 1:
Why I liked this LinkedIn recommendation
The relationship between the employee and their manager has evolved through time. Relationships that change from peer-to-manager can be difficult. These relationships can lead to power struggles and miscommunications. However, I believe this recommendation does a great job of highlighting mutual respect and care between the two employees.
Example 2:
This is why I recommend this LinkedIn profile.
Employers and recruiters can find it difficult to evaluate soft skills. The recommendation I chose above is a good example, as it provides a description of a relationship between a manager and an employee that was essential for this employee’s growth. It gives readers a feel of the kind engagement this manager would have with their new team.
Example 3:
Why I liked this LinkedIn recommendation
All of us can agree that a genuine recommendation is more valuable than one that’s based on a template that could be adapted to suit anyone. This rec shows that this manager has a unique ability to balance kindness, criticism, and calmness on his team.
Employee Recommendation
The employer’s recommendation can be used to replace or complement the requirements of many jobs. This makes it a valuable addition on LinkedIn. LinkedIn’s recommendations are shorter and more concise than the standard job recommendation. Most are not a whole page but rather a few dense, short paragraphs.
In this example, the employer describes how their employee has progressed in his or her career and completed projects which have had a significant impact on their business.
Example 1:
Why I liked this LinkedIn recommendation
The recommendation is very specific and focuses on the job function, soft skills, and technical skills. This letter will show employers what the person is best at and how they can transfer those skills to another job or employer.
Example 2:
Why I think this is a good LinkedIn recommendation:
Connecting actions to outcomes can make it easier for prospective employers to understand the value an employee can bring to their team. I believe this rec does an excellent job at outlining what a new hire did, how she approached changes, and the results she brought to her team.
Example 3:
Why I like this LinkedIn recommendation:
This recommendation letter uses industry-specific terms to show the activities and outcomes this employee was responsible for. This makes it easy for employers to understand how that performance could translate to their business and team.
Recommendation from a Coworker
Over 20% of LinkedIn users are 18-24 years old. This means that many LinkedIn users are recent graduates who might have limited job experience.
Employers are looking to LinkedIn for a sense of your commitment, engagement, and soft skills at work; coworkers are a great source to highlight these areas. Let’s look at some excellent coworker recommendations from LinkedIn.
Example 1:
Why I like this LinkedIn recommendation:
This letter quickly highlights how long they’ve worked together, what they did, and the candidate’s strongest soft skills. It stays positive but also showcases how this person responds to pressure.
Example 2:
This is why this recommendation on LinkedIn is good.
It would be wonderful to get a positive review from my coworker. The review is full of details about the job that highlight abilities, and it shows off unique characteristics that may not be apparent in an interview. The candidate’s preparation for the future is shown by highlighting their teaching abilities and continued education.
LinkedIn Sample Recommendation (for Managers)
It may seem simple to write a LinkedIn endorsement, but that’s far from the truth. If the person you are recommending to your boss is an employee, what then? It can be difficult to recommend someone, even when you are raving about their qualities.
This is a full-written sample LinkedIn recommendation that any manager would love to get.
Lisa has been my boss for the past two years. In that time, I have seen Lisa quickly accept new responsibilities and make time to train her staff in these skills.
She made my department more flexible by assuming tasks such as campaign analytics and A/B email testing, which are beyond our team’s scope. This also helped me get promoted last month. Lisa is an excellent manager and person, and I think her next employer would be fortunate to hire her.
Send your message after you have proofread it. You should always remember that the person to whom you are writing can request a review of your recommendation and make changes. You’ll be able to change things and make a good recommendation.
Today, write a recommendation on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is about more than just your career and job search. It’s also about creating relationships. Your professional relationship will improve the sooner you begin writing recommendations using the above steps.
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