LinkedIn Endorsements are getting a lot of press lately. In part, this is because endorsements have provided LinkedIn with a new tool to boost engagement and activity to the site. However, there is also much debate among users as to the true worth of LinkedIn endorsements.
If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn lately, you’ll have noticed the request to endorse a connection’s skills when you view their profile. LinkedIn tells you that “now you can endorse your connections for their skills and expertise!” And “your picture will appear on their profile next to what you’ve endorsed.”
This sounds like a win-win for both you and your connection. But, before you click the Endorse button, take a minute to evaluate what you are doing.
LinkedIn populates multiple skills of the connection into one easy click. However, if you can’t personally vouch for a particular skill, it’s best to remove it from the endorsement box before clicking through. Removing the skills that you do not have experience in witnessing from the connection makes your endorsement of them more meaningful because it’s truer and more thoughtful. It also benefits you not to blankly endorse every skill because others will place more value in what you have to say.
For example, I could simply click Endorse for Jane as shown above. However, I really do not know her skills with Microsoft Word or Residential Homes. It would be best for me to remove these two skills before endorsing her for Landscape Design, Landscaping, and Garden (the three skills she showed when we worked together on a project).
Now that I’ve endorsed Jane for the three skills, my image appears on her profile under Skills & Expertise. Because my image doesn’t appear next to every skill listed, you get the notion that my endorsement is sincere (which it is) and not that I’m trying to dominate the LinkedIn landscape with my image.
So while LinkedIn has made it extremely easy to endorse someone, it’s advised to take a minute to evaluate your endorsement before clicking the button. It will be more meaningful to all parties involved.