“HOW DO YOU BUILD A CREDIBLE AND SALABLE LinkedIn PROFILE? Why Do You Need Recommendations?”

WHY RECOMMENDATIONS?

Short Answer: Your credentials count ginormously to provide credibility for your expertise. However, when you are being considered for a position where you are rendering specific services, such as any type of consulting, speaking, etc., what past clients say about your performance weighs in more heavily than anything you could possibly say about yourself. Recommendations or testimonials furnish that weight.

WHAT ARE RECOMMENDATIONS?

(BLOAT ALERT: This is the beginning of the bloated answer that consumes the rest of this blog.)

On LinkedIn, recommendations are important, to the extent that your profile will not be considered “complete” until you have at least 3. But LinkedIn’s notion of “recommendation” is more akin to what is known as a “testimonial” in the business community, not what we know as a recommendation.

Academic Recommendations. We’ve all had letters of recommendation written for us when we apply for a position or are being reviewed for promotion. They’re usually a couple of pages in length detailing our most amazing characteristics and accomplishments and structured according to the position or promotion criteria. That’s not a Linkedin recommendation.

LinkedIn’s Version. LinkedIn’s “Recommendation” is much shorter and has a specific purpose. It can range from 1 or 2 sentences to a long paragraph. The concept is: “What credible authorities say about your performance counts far more than what you could ever say.” This is consistent with the 360 degree multisource feedback model used in businesses to evaluate employees. Those in the best and, preferably, highest positions to observe what you do should be the ones to scribe the recommendations. They can document your dazzling performance. Here the emphasis is usually on the specific performance at one time or collectively over multiple experiences.

Who Should Write It? It can be a

(1) colleague or administrator in your department,
(2) the person who hired you to consult or speak, or
(3) a faculty or staff member, or student who was on the receiving end of your services.

People in different roles provide multiple perspectives on your performance. My recommendations on LinkedIn and my Website represent all of the above.

These professionals can describe what you do, how you do it, and the value and impact of your contributions. The last-named element is especially important. Does your work produce any visible results, change, or impact? When you leave, does the client say: Who was what's-his-name?" OR "Who was that masked woman." (NOTE: The person writing the recommendation MUST be a connection in your network; otherwise, it cannot be posted. Only that colleague can post it.)

What’s Next? I will take you through the steps to request, write, and post a recommendation. I have lost several recommendations because colleagues gave up on the process.

COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC