LinkedIn Endorsements are a feature on the platform through which a user can legitimise and add to the credibility of the skills listed on your profile.
LinkedIn is used by individuals and businesses to build and establish professional connections and profiles.
Endorsements are a function on the LinkedIn platform that allow other users to verify that you really are good at the skills listed on your profile and for you to reciprocate this act.
What is LinkedIn used for?
LinkedIn is a professional networking site used by individuals to stay in touch with old and new colleagues, build professional connections and networks, and to look for experts or career opportunities in a specific field, industry, or company.
It is also used by businesses to expand their reach and build their brand’s presence with thoughtful content.
LinkedIn is known for being a platform that connects recruiters with skilled candidates and a platform where individuals looking for jobs in specific industries or jobs at a specific company can expand their professional network and connect with key individuals.
What are LinkedIn Endorsements?
Since the focus of the LinkedIn platform is predominantly professional development and network-building, it is important to build a profile on this platform that highlights your qualifications, skills and that makes you stand out from the other profiles on the platform.
LinkedIn Endorsements are a feature on the platform that allow other users who are part of your network to endorse the skills you have listed for yourself or your business on the platform.
This shows other users, recruiters, companies, and anyone on the platform that you legitimately have the skills that you claim to have.
There are many different skills that you can list on your LinkedIn profile and even in-platform quizzes that you can take to help you to narrow down which skills you should include on your profile.
Even with this, however, there are so many users and such a vast combination of the same skills in industries on the platform that endorsements can really help you stand out.
This external endorsement of your profile can increase your credibility and distinguish you from other users with similar skills.
If you choose to allow visitors on your profile to view your skills and endorsements, they will be able to see the skills you have listed, which of these skills have been endorsed by other users, and how many people have endorsed a specific skill on your profile.
Additionally to ensuring that you get as many endorsements as possible, you can also accept or decline endorsements or endorse the skills of users that you interact with on LinkedIn.
How to get as many endorsements as possible on LinkedIn
The most effective way of getting LinkedIn Endorsements on your profile is to endorse people that you have worked with in the past.
In most cases, if someone sees that you have added an endorsement to their profile, they will reciprocate by adding an endorsement to yours.
If you find that people do not reciprocate your endorsements, or you prefer a more direct approach, you can contact people that you have recently worked with and ask them to add an endorsement to your profile.
You can do this through the in-platform messaging or mailing features, or through regular communication channels such as emails, calls, or messages.
How to accept or decline endorsements on LinkedIn
When another user adds an endorsement to your profile, it is not automatically visible to everyone who can view your profile. In order for the endorsement to appear on your skills list, you need to accept the endorsement when you are notified about it.
Alternatively, you can also choose to turn off endorsements completely for your LinkedIn profile, by visiting the “Skills and Endorsements” section of your profile settings and disabling this feature.
If you only want certain skills on your profile endorsed, you can ensure that these skills are at the top of your list to increase the likelihood of these skills being endorsed.
How to endorse other users’ skills
Since adding endorsements to other users’ profiles is one of the most effective ways to get more endorsements added to your own, it is important to know how to endorse other users’ skills.
To do this, you need to go to the profile of the user that you want to endorse and scroll down to the “Skills and Endorsements” section of their profile.
Then, you can click on the plus button next to the appropriate skill. After you have filled out the form, they need to accept the endorsement for it to appear on their profile.