Recommendation link.A dialog box that shows a preview of the recommendation appears.3 You can choose to either Dismiss, Ask For a Revision, or Add to Profile.
4 If you need to request a change, click Ask for a revision.
5 Type the reason you are requesting a change.To make it as easy for the person as possible, you may want to copy his or her previous recommendation, make the change yourself, and paste the recommendation into the messaging section.
6 Click Send.It may seem insulting and wrong to request a replacement, but it’s an important thing to do. You don’t want to publish a recommendation filled with typos. That would defeat the purpose of the recommendation.
7 If the recommendation looks great, click Add to Profile.
Reordering recommendations
Recommendations are listed in the order they were received on your LinkedIn profile. The two most current recommendations sit at the top visible to your reader, and a link to see more leads to the complete list of recommendations you have received. I’ve heard from people who stopped accepting recommendations because they want a specific recommendation to remain at the top of their profiles and they don’t want another lesser recommendation to take the top spot.
At one time, you could indeed reorder recommendations so a prized recommendation could remain in the top visible position. Unfortunately, with the latest interface change, you can no longer reorder recommendations.
Because it is no longer possible to reorder recommendations, please do not let that stop you from getting recommendations. Yes, a fantastic recommendation will be replaced by another on your profile, but all recommendations are visible when a person clicks “See more.” Besides, you never know when an even better recommendation will be received that blows that old prized recommendation out of the water!
Removing recommendations
Careers change, people change, and sometimes, a recommendation you accepted a long time ago may not be a recommendation you want on your profile today. Although it’s not possible to delete recommendations, you can prevent them from showing on your profile. Here’s how:
1 Open your LinkedIn profile.
2 Scroll down and click the pencil (edit) icon next to the Recommendations section.The Manage recommendations window appears.
3 Change the toggle to Hide for a recommendation you wish to remove, as shown in Figure 3-11.
4 Click Save.
FIGURE 3-11: Removing a recommendation from your profile.
Recommendations that have been hidden can be found in the Manage Recommendations section. Just click the Hidden recommendations link at the bottom of the page. If you hide a recommendation, don’t worry: The other person is not notified that the recommendation was removed.
Recommending others
Everyone knows it’s important to get recommendations, but it’s also just as important to give recommendations to other people. Think about it. You want to brand yourself as a leader and executive. Leaders and executives don’t just get recommendations, they give them!
Most people only provide recommendations when asked. Instead, give recommendations out of the goodness of your heart. Make it a part of your professional life. Once a month, look back and determine who did good by you. Who inspired and impressed you? Without anyone asking, send a glowing recommendation. You might be surprised by the good things that happen when all that karma comes back to you.
Here’s an example of a self-promoting recommendation:
As a Financial Advisor, I work with many small business owners, helping them reach their financial planning goals. I frequently refer Jill Schwettie to my clients that need a small business advisor. The feedback my clients provide me regarding Jill is always very positive. Jill’s marketing advice has been instrumental in helping me expand my business. When you are ready to take your business to the next level, reach out to Jill.
People who read this recommendation may find themselves not only impressed with the person recommended, but also curious about the person providing the recommendation. Remember, the power of LinkedIn recommendations is the ability to click to learn more about the person providing the recommendation, and when you provide a well-written recommendation, a person may click on your profile to learn more about you, the recommender.
Here’s how to give a recommendation:
1 In the LinkedIn search bar, type the name of the person you want to recommend and click the search button.A list of profiles matching the name appears.
2 Open the profile of the person you want to recommend by clicking the search result.
3 Click the More… button located in the intro section and select Recommend, as shown in Figure 3-12.A dialog box appears that walks you through the recommendation process, as shown in Figure 3-13. The first thing you must do is state how you know the person and the person’s position at the time.
4 In the How do you know the person’s Relationship field, choose your relationship to the person.You have numerous options. Read through the list carefully and choose the relationship that most closely echoes yours.
5 In the Position at the Time field, click the drop-down list to choose the position of the person you are recommending.The drop-down list contains a listing of the person’s experiences as listed on his or her LinkedIn profile.
6 Click the Next button.
7 In the next dialog box that appears, write the recommendation for the person.Be careful not to include any notes to the person you don’t want others to see, and don’t make any typos!
8 Click the Send button when you are ready to send your recommendation.LinkedIn displays a banner at the bottom of the page that lets you know the recommendation was sent successfully.
FIGURE 3-12: Providing a recommendation.
FIGURE 3-13: Filling out the recommendation form.
