You may have noticed a new panel on your LinkedIn profile where you can give and receive endorsements for skills and expertise.
This function was recently introduced by LinkedIn as a ‘one-click’ endorsement aimed at being a more user-friendly method of recommending your connections rather than the more formal ‘recommend’ feature.
Endorsements create opportunities to forge stronger bonds with your connections, and add credibility to their profiles. Getting an endorsement from a trusted contact enhances your profile as well.
While it is as an easier, more time-effective method, someone you may have met briefly at a networking event could endorse your skills on LinkedIn. So this feature lacks depths, and doesn’t replace the ‘recommend’ feature.
How to endorse
When you visit a profile you will notice a blue box at the top of the page pre-populated with a list of skills and expertise. You can simple click on the skills you want to endorse. If you know of other skills that aren’t listed, you can type them in manually.
After you have endorsed someone, you will be prompted to endorse skills for multiple connections at once, making it a quick and easy way to endorse your connections to other people.
If someone endorses you, you will receive an email notification. You can also view your own profile to see who has endorsed you and for which skills. You can remove skills and hide endorsements from specific LinkedIn users.
Viewers of your profile will also be able to see each of your skills listed and who has endorsed each skill.
Starting point
Take the time to review your skills and expertise on your profile and add new skills or delete ones that may no longer be relevant. Select the skills you want to highlight so your connections know which skills to endorse.
Rather than thinking about how you can get endorsements, think about who you can endorse first. Spend a couple of minutes looking through your connections and find people you would like to endorse. It’s likely that people will return the favour if someone has taken the time to endorse you.
To ensure you maintain your credibility, don’t endorse all of your contacts. If you do choose to endorse a connection, ensure it is someone whose skills and experience you know enough to put your reputation on the line by endorsing them.
If you want to add more depth to endorsing someone, write them a recommendation instead.
Catriona Pollard is the founder and director of CP Communications and the author of From Unknown To Expert.
