Why endorse skills on linkedin

These skills provide a quick look at your job-specific abilities — things you do that might transfer to a new position. People you know and have worked with can validate your skills by endorsing them on your profile. If they agree that you have that skill, they can endorse that skill with a single mouse click. Any LinkedIn member can endorse your skills — current and former co-workers, bosses, even others in your industry.

By the way, an endorsement is different from a recommendation — which LinkedIn also offers. An endorsement is a one-click action, where a recommendation is a written reference, a paragraph or two long.

Both endorsements and recommendations are valuable, but endorsements are easier for others to make. The most important endorsements are for those skills that matter most to a potential employer. Know that LinkedIn organizes your skills into a handful of major categories; some potential employers may find certain types of skills more valuable than others.

For most LinkedIn users, Industry Knowledge is the first skillset listed — and, for many employers, the most important. These skills tell a potential employer how experienced you are in a particular industry. Endorsements for these skills are key — especially when they come from others in the industry.

Interpersonal Skills matter to many employers, as well. These show that you know how to work well with others, communicate well, and display management and leadership traits. A skill without endorsements can stand out like a sore thumb. This displays your profile page.

You can select from one of the suggested skills or use the search box to find another. You can list up to 50 skills. If the person has more skills listed, click See More Skills to view them all. Since endorsements come from other LinkedIn users, how do you get your connections to endorse your skills? First, you must have the proper skills listed. The skills you list on LinkedIn should reflect skills you actually possess.

For example, if you have general marketing skills, you might want also want to list Marketing Communications, Marketing Management, Digital Marketing, Online Marketing, and Marketing Strategy.

Next, you need to draw people to your profile to endorse those skills. One of the best ways to do this is to endorse the skills of other people. Recommendations are not just for those actively job searching, though. Once the section is added to our profile, you can start working on getting those endorsements added!

How to Endorse and Get Endorsements on LinkedIn LinkedIn endorsements add validity to your online resume by backing up to your work experience. Paige Liwanag. Click on the stars below to rate this article to help us improve the quality of our content. Close Search. Search for:. From connecting with co-workers, acquaintances, and other industry colleagues to working with recruiters and applying to jobs , LinkedIn is a hub of activity.

That means you should be utilizing all features that LinkedIn has to offer — which includes LinkedIn endorsements. LinkedIn endorsements are a simple way for your colleagues and connections to recognize your expertise in a specific field with just one click.

These seemingly simple endorsements can elevate you and your profile above the other thousands of people on LinkedIn vying for the same career path as you. For example, a study by the Avid Careerist found that you will rank more highly in LinkedIn search results if you have a greater number of endorsements for the skill a recruiter is seeking. With LinkedIn endorsements, your connections can endorse the skills that you included in your profile with just one click.

Meanwhile, a LinkedIn recommendation is a written testimonial that is added to your profile by a connection who took the time to write out why you are a professional worth working with. Recommendations add more value to your profile than the one-click endorsements — but both are still necessary for a successful profile.

Since LinkedIn's collaborative features were released, several million people received endorsements from colleagues they never thought to ask. Here are a few steps to optimize your endorsements and return the love. Think like a salesperson. Determine which of your technical skills and core competencies are most important to your industry and relevant to your current job goals. List these skills first, from most important to least important. This is a road map for people to endorse the correct talents.

Start with your closest colleagues, since these are the people who you know the best and are most likely to return the favor. For these colleagues, endorse the skills you've seen them demonstrate in the workplace and they will be sure to reciprocate.

After endorsing your closest colleagues, endorse the skills of those you met at important functions or during your time spent at work, such as clients, vendors, or freelancers. This is the trickiest of all techniques: how to ask for endorsements on your LinkedIn profile. You want people to acknowledge your skills and strengths, but you don't want to come off as begging for disingenuous endorsements.

Gently remind them of your contributions, and ask them to offer comments on the project in the form of skill endorsements.