How To Ask For Recommendations

When you are ready to spice up your profile on LinkedIn to gain your next opportunity, one of the most effective ways is the recommendation.  And one thing many of us are not very good at is marketing ourselves.

There is a large body of work in organizational theory and behavior, primarily focused on marketing and how to sell, about how recommendations from connections are one of the most important piece of data we use to make decisions.  So to impress a potential colleague, having targeted recommendations is key.  For your most recent positions, you should have 2-3 recommendations each.  And ideally, each recommendation should highlight a different key aspect of your performance.  This provides a blanket of skill coverage which any potential hiring manager can find what they are looking for.  Here is the recipe I am starting to follow.

First, potential employers care about what you can do for them, which boils down to your accomplishments.  Answer these four questions (which should be on your profile and resume already):

1. What was the problem?  
2. What did you do?
3. What was the outcome?  
4. How was it measured?

Do this little exercise for every significant problem and accomplishment you had at the firm.  Second, for each one, identify 5-10 people that could provide a recommendation for this accomplishment.  You may need more or less as not everybody will respond.  

Third, send your request for recommendation.  You can do this by editing your profile, and hover the mouse over the down triangle next to the Edit Profile button, and select Ask To Be Recommended.  When you write your recommendation, you want to help your connection out by suggesting the targeted accomplishment or skill you wish them to highlight.  You will have a chance to review their comment before approving, even send it back with suggestions if necessary.  But some suggested highlights to focus on I have found are usually welcome.

Lastly, you need to approve the recommendation.  LInkedIn will send you a note when it is received, and you can approve or reject it at this time.  Don't feel you have to show a recommendation that doesn't show you in the best like.  Send it back, or simply don't put it on your profile.  A lack of recommendations is better than a poor or average one.  Also, don't be afraid to show multiple recommendations for the same targeted accomplishment.  I haven't found this to be a detriment to my profile quality.

The only other thing to discuss is office politics, which play an important role in recommendations.  At one of my prior firms there was a significant culture of fear where my connections said they wouldn't provide recommendations for concern on how the company would view it.  Each situation is individual, but be sensitive to the office politics.  And should you leave the firm for a new opportunity be sure to resend the recommendation request.  That colleague may be more willing after your separation.

Good luck!  And any additional advice or suggestions please comment below!

W.