How to Ask for a LinkedIn Recommendation
Back when I was changing careers, I put quite a bit of thought into making a decent LinkedIn profile. At the time, I also wrote a post called Build Your LinkedIn Profile from Scratch. After I actually entered the industry, I gradually got to know more people in the field and built up some connections.
Some time ago, a connection I had not been in touch with for a long time messaged me. I clicked into his profile to see where he was working now, and found several “Recommendations” on his profile, from different people such as teachers and managers. That was the first time I learned about this feature. Since LinkedIn profiles are written from the profile owner’s own perspective and are, in a way, self-marketing, “Recommendations” can provide a form of endorsement. They also add another person’s point of view to the profile. At the time, I kept it in mind that if I had the chance in the future, I could also build up this kind of asset. Later, the timing happened to be right, and I successfully asked for a recommendation, so I wanted to share the process.
1. Ask in person first and check whether the person is willing to help
At the time, I was expecting to make a job change. After talking with my manager, I brought up that I hoped he could help me write a LinkedIn recommendation, and he agreed very quickly.
2. Go to the person’s LinkedIn profile and click “Request a recommendation”
From the person’s LinkedIn page, select “Request a recommendation”.
At this point, LinkedIn will ask you to choose the relationship between the two of you. The options may look like:
- X was your direct manager
- X was your indirect manager
- You worked with X on the same team
I was actually quite surprised that LinkedIn had designed this level of detail, but after thinking about it, it makes sense. From this information, people can clearly see whether the person was your teammate, your manager, or someone else. Different relationships also mean different perspectives. On top of that, it can show how closely the two people worked together, which indirectly affects how much reference value the recommendation has.
3. Include a message when making the request
When requesting the recommendation, I also sent a message. For example, I mentioned that I was about to make a job change. Besides expressing my appreciation to my manager and saying that I had grown a lot through the process, I also specifically brought up “the positive feedback my manager had given me before”. On one hand, this gives the other person some “material” to write about. On the other hand, it also reminds them of my contributions at work.
4. After the person finishes writing, you will receive a LinkedIn notification and decide whether to accept it
When you receive the LinkedIn notification, first read through the content. If everything looks fine, you can accept it. After you accept it, the recommendation will actually appear in the “Recommendations received” section of your profile.