In the past, job candidates would usually attach their recommendations and curriculum vitae (CV) to potential employers when job hunting. Today, with the advancement of technology and the internet, everything is digitized and online. LinkedIn has become one of the leading social networking sites for professionals. Candidates and employers can network on the site and hire professionals for various jobs.
Getting LinkedIn recommendations is a great way to ensure you stand out from other LinkedIn profiles. Potential employers and recruiters can visit your profile and see all your recommendations.
Why You Need LinkedIn Recommendations
The great thing about recommendations for LinkedIn is that they testify to a candidate’s skills, competency, and abilities. It also gives recruiters and employers an idea of how well you can work with others and your personality. They also get insights into your work ethic.
You can ask your former employers, colleagues, family, or friends to testify on your capabilities in a particular field or task. Here are the reasons why LinkedIn recommendations can make your profile more attractive to employers and recruiters.
- They Help Your Profile Stand Out From The Crowd
On LinkedIn, every profile includes a candidate’s achievements and skills. Adding recommendations to your profile helps you stand out from a profile without one. You can ask your former employers, colleagues, clients, or friends for LinkedIn recommendations.
If the people giving you recommendations are also on LinkedIn, potential employers can check their credibility via their profile. For example, if your former employer is a prominent journalism figure with a LinkedIn profile, they can leave you a glowing recommendation.
Potential employers can see whom you worked with and how effectively you worked with them. Whomever you get to write your recommendation, ask them to be honest and showcase all your best qualities.
- They Serve As A Complete Review Of Your Skills
LinkedIn has about 810 million registered users. Potential employers and recruiters can use your recommendations to indicate your performance and how well you’ll be able to adapt to their work model. For example, if a recruiter is actively looking for a new team member, they will look for terms like ‘great team player’ or ‘works well in a group’ in the recommendations.
By reading the reviews, they can see how well a candidate can fit into the company culture, giving them an idea of your value or work ethic.
- Helps Gain The Trust Of Potential Employers
The job market is filled with capable and rising talents, making getting a job competitive. Brands and companies want to beat their competition and need candidates who think outside the box and bring new solutions to the job market.
Hiring an incompetent candidate can lose business clients and money. An incompetent candidate can affect the reputation of an organization. Having recommendations on your profile proves that you can be trusted with tasks and are reliable enough that someone sings your praises.
LinkedIn recommendations also serve as public information, which you can easily access on your mobile phone or laptop. The people who leave recommendations on your profile also put their reputation on the line, as LinkedIn has their profile attached to the recommendation. Remember to make your LinkedIn profile public so all potential employers and recruiters can review your profile.
- Perceived As More Authentic Than Your LinkedIn Profile
Recommendations also give recruiters and employers a third-party perspective on your work, values, and morals. Creating a LinkedIn profile showcases all you offer as a job candidate and professional. However, some employees and recruiters want more than what you wrote about yourself on your profile. Having recommendations that corroborate what you wrote in your profile makes your LinkedIn profile more authentic and trustworthy.
How To Get LinkedIn Recommendations
To ask for LinkedIn recommendations, ensure you’re connected with your past employers, colleagues, and friends on the site. You can also personalize your request so that it’s not generic and connects to the person leaving the recommendation. If you’re actively looking for a job, include that in your request so that they have a good insight into what the recommendation will need.
Conclusion
LinkedIn recommendations are a testament to your skills, work ethic, and professional values. They also give potential employers and recruiters insight into how you contributed to your previous organizations and how well you worked with others. This also includes candidates’ accomplishments and abilities and their best qualities.
They help you stand out from profiles without recommendations and instil trust in potential employers and recruiters. Contact past employers, clients, friends, and colleagues to ask for a LinkedIn recommendation.
