LinkedIn endorsements are hated by many but I think they get a hard time unfairly. In this post I’m going to show you how to manage your LinkedIn endorsements and share my tips for using them effectively.
What are endorsements?
LinkedIn launched endorsements in 2012. Before they appeared the only way our skills could be validated was with recommendations. Recommendations act like job references or business testimonials, they are written by those you have worked with telling people why you are great. Obviously a recommendation is far more powerful than an endorsement but they are also a lot harder to get.
LinkedIn prompts people to endorse their connections for skills. To endorse someone you just click a button. It’s quick and simple and can be a good way to connect or reconnect with your network.
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How do you control what you are endorsed for?
I wrote this post when endorsements were new to LinkedIn showing how endorsements could be abused. The truth is it’s easy to manage your endorsements from your LinkedIn profile.
Here’s what you can do:
- If you have been endorsed and accepted endorsements for skills you don’t possess you can delete them.
- You can change the order of your skills on your profile
- You can choose to switch off endorsements
- You can switch off the prompt to endorse others
- You can switch off those email updates each time you are endorsed
- Perhaps the most interesting part of managing your endorsements is the ability to hide endorsements for specific skills from individuals or everyone. This could come in handy if you change your job or business and don’t want a less relevant skill showing as your most endorsed.
In this video I show you how to manage your LinkedIn endorsements from your profile page:
What are the benefits of LinkedIn endorsements?
- By endorsing someone you are reminding them about you. It’s a small ice breaker that when followed later by a message or email can help you build a relationship further.
- An opportunity to reconnect. If someone endorses you on LinkedIn it’s an opportunity to get in touch. Follow up with a thank you message and an invitation for a coffee or a chat.
- It gives profile viewers a snapshot of who you are. If you offer Facebook training and that’s at the top of your endorsements section it’s a reassurance that you are the right person for the job.
Your Turn
- Do you use LInkedIn endorsements?
- Do you find them helpful?
- What are the benefits / downsides of endorsements?
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You’ll have me flying through LinkedIn at this rate! I had no idea we could manage endorsements. Do you know if we move some to the top, are they more likely to appear in people’s streams asking for an endorsement? I’m wondering if I move community gardens up to the top for instance, if it will attract more clicks – it was at the end of the list.
Hi Dee, I tried that and didn’t see any difference in levels of endorsements. It may be worth lowering the level of some of your others (hiding endorsements). That may make a difference.
I took the plunge and deleted several, as well as ones that were similar eg garden and gardening – will see what happens.
I’ve pulled some out of the pile below to see if I would get more endorsements on them but not as much. I read a post recently that suggested having a maximum of five skills to be endorsed on – to emphasise your specialities. What do you think of that? I think having 15 rather the maximum is a good idea but wonder if 5 is too few?
In all honestly how many things are we really good at? How many matter to people who want to hire us? I do think having too many is a big mistake, how many is too many is up to the individual. Maybe concentrate on the ones you really want to be endorsed for and hide the rest until you need them again 🙂
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