What Do You Think Of LinkedIn Endorsements and Recommendations?

This is icon for social networking website. This is part of Open Icon Library’s webpage icon package. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 175 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.

I am a big fan of LinkedIn and use it on a regular basis. It has been a great tool for networking and has led to multiple business opportunities which is a big part of why I maintain an active presence there.

The description above should help answer questions for those of you are unfamiliar with it. The link I provided is to my personal profile page which I might add is always under development.

My grandfather once asked me to explain why I “tinker” with it and my response was that it is not unlike most essays, there is always a way to say it better. Not to mention that there are lots of other reasons to adjust it.

Sometimes personal objectives change, new skills are developed and or LinkedIn makes changes to profile pages that warrant adjustments on our part.

Make Your Resume/CV Come To Life

One of the best and most important reasons to use it is to make your resume/CV come to life. It is a chance to try to add substance and layers so that you can distinguish yourself from other people. If you are looking for employment this is of paramount importance.

LinkedIn provides a number of tools to help you do this including recommendations and endorsements. Christopher Penn has a post about the two in which he asks and answers the question of which is better.

I have questions about the validity of both.

Scratch My Back and I’ll Scratch Yours

I have been on Linked In for approximately three years now. During my time I have received multiple requests from people I know to provide recommendations about their work with the understanding that if I did they would reciprocate.

It is not a concept I am comfortable with. If I haven’t worked with you I am going to be reluctant to offer more than general superlatives about you. I will focus on what I know about you from personal experience.

If I say you are a master goat herder that is because I have watched you do it. When I say there is no one better at extinguishing fires on the Cuyahoga River it is because I have seen you put out those flames.

No one is served by creating fake or inflated recommendations. Yet it happens all the time which makes it harder to evaluate what is real and what is not.

What About Endorsements?

There is a similar challenge to the endorsements of a person’s skills. When you list them on your profile your first generation connections can provide endorsements that say you are an expert content marketer with a great social media skills and are a fine writer.

Based upon the experiences with recommendations it is hard not to wonder about whether some of the endorsements that are given out are deserved or just “gifts.’

Buyer Beware

This doesn’t mean you should throw out the baby with the bath water because many of the recommendations and endorsements that have been issued have merit to them and are well deserved.

It is just another case of making sure you take the time to conduct an evaluation based upon more than just a profile. Sometimes what you see on paper/screen is far different than what you get when you speak with a candidate.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Please let me know in the comments.

(Visited 70 times, 1 visits today)
Tweet12
Pin
Share
12 Shares

By Joshua Wilner

Hi, I am Josh Wilner and I am happy that you have decided to visit my corner of cyberspace. I am a writer/marketer/friend and family man. My professional background includes more than twenty years in working with businesses to help them do a better job of connecting with their existing and prospective customers. More specifically I have worked with companies of all sizes from the Fortune 500 to the new start up to help them build, develop and grow their social media and marketing plans. I love spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy music, reading, writing, playing sports and laughing.

8 comments

  1. JMAZ – Baltimore – I became curious about what motivates people’s behavior and attitudes, and what is the secret formula to success. As a result I got my hands on every piece of material that I could find to answer these questions. I have immersed myself with knowledge and experience for over 19 years pertaining to the fields of Psychology, Personal Development, Spirituality, Physical Health and Vitality, and Metaphysical Studies. I have read over 700 books, 1000s of blog posts and listened to over 100 audio programs pertaining to personal growth. I’ve made tons of mistakes along the way but more importantly I learned from them.
    Justin says:

    Hi Josh,
    I often scratch my head when I get a request to write a recommendation for someone that I know almost nothing about. Sure, If I have a relationship with someone online and they ask for a recommendation than I have no problem with that.

    Take Care.

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Josh says:

      Hi Justin,

      Exactly. It seems a bit odd to be asked to write a recommendation for someone you know next to nothing about. If our words are going to mean something we have to find a way to make sure they have some weight attached to them.

      Reply

  2. Hi Josh

    A bit like Jens, I have a LinkedIn profile but that’s about it.

    I’ve made a few connections with people but I’m not really sure what I’m doing with it to be honest. I guess I need to pay more attention to it like I have been doing with Pinterest of late and see what it takes me.

    Reply
  3. Brian Meeks – Martelle, Ia – I'm the author of the Henry Wood Detective series, the Secret Doors series, A Touch to Die For, and Underwood, Scotch, and Wry. I can be found at http://extremelyaverage.com
    Brian D. Meeks ( says:

    I think LinkedIn is great, but I don’t take advantage of the groups like I used to. I’m sort of disinterested in the whole endorsement thing. I don’t care if someone is endorsed or has endorsed me. I’m not saying it is good or bad, it is just how I look at it now until I’m convinced otherwise.

    I’ve gotten to where I am consistent at managing Twitter and FB. They are both habits of my day. I’m trying to add G+ to the habit mix, but each new platform takes some time and dedication. I don’t want to trade G+ for one of the others, just add it, but eventually the day runs out of hours. I feel the same way about Linkedin. I see the value, but I haven’t been able to wedge it into my attention span.

    Reply

  4. I’m not really active on LinkedIn. I have a profile and I visit once in a while. But that’s about it. I like the endorsements, but I can see how people can use it a dishonest way. Have you joined any groups?

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Josh says:

      Hi Jens,

      Yes, I’m part of quite a few. Some are very useful.

      Reply

  5. Hi Joshua

    I’d prefer to go in for due diligence on my part before accepting any of the endorsements.If People who know me in and and out and won’t have any hidden agenda won’t do this to me to say the least.

    At times the chain is bit longer and nobody is sure about the candidate, people who know me will surely present THE facts.

    But these are surely the best case scenarios but I have seen few recommendations so bad that those have been virtually thrown out.

    I prefer to tell the facts before recommending anyone.

    Thanks
    Sapna

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Josh says:

      Hi Sapna,

      We are on the same page about the facts. I don’t like being asked to give a recommendation about anything unless I am confident about what I am saying. If our word is our bond than we need to do what we can to protect and moments like this have an adverse affect upon our ability to do that.

      Reply

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Exit mobile version