LinkedIn is making it easier for us to recognize members of our network for their skills and expertise with the rollout of one-click Endorsements. We can now endorse the skills that are connections have listed on their profiles, or even recommend one that’s not listed there yet.
Endorsements are different from recommendations. Recommendations are like reference letters where we can describe how we’ve worked with someone, and talk about their strengths and what it’s like to work together.
Here’s how it works:
Go to the profile of one of your connections. You’ll see a blue box at the top that asks, “Does NAME have these skills or expertise?” and a list of skills. Each skill has an “X” next to it so if that person does not have the skills and expertise, you can click the check mark and that skill no longer appears. You can also type a new area of expertise that you want to endorse.
The new Endorsements feature is designed to give more credibility to the skills and expertise of our connections.
Jan Wallen is a speaker, author LinkedIn strategist who speaks for and works with salespeople who want to generate more leads and sales with LinkedIn. She gives motivating workshops, does laser-focused 1-to-1 coaching and writes customer-centric LinkedIn profiles so your buyers can’t wait to work with you. She wroteMastering LinkedIn in 7 Days or Less, and her new book Lead Generation and More Sales with LinkedIn will be available soon.
As long as we use it genuinely, everything should be ok. But if someone abuse the feature, the endorsement feature will be not only meaningless but misleading.
Thanks for the article highlighting endorsements. I agree with Kent regarding the potential misuse. Recommendations and video-based endorsements would be more effective because they are authentic and people are attaching their likeness and personal words to support someone else they believe in.
You’re welcome, Catharine. You’re right — recommendations and video endorsements give a more in-depth view of someone than the endorsements. Each one communicates a different message, so the person reading both the recommendations and the endorsements will have more of a 360-degree view of the person. Someone who is considering hiring or working with the person will look at both the recommendations and the endorsements, and make their decision. The way I see it, the recommendations can amplify and expand on the list of endorsed skills, and tell the person’s story in more depth.
Kent, you have a good point. So far in what I’m seeing and hearing from my business associates and followers, the endorsements are genuine and accurate. My policy and recommendation is to endorse the skills that I know personally that the other person has.