As you move beyond academia, recommendations that highlight your exceptional value shouldn’t just be retrospective statements on your earlier achievements. Treat them as critical opportunities to highlight specific contributions and experiences that communicate your value in the areas you will soon be applying yourself.

What is a LinkedIn recommendation?

LinkedIn Recommendations are testimonials written by a 1st-degree connection that highlight your professional skills, organizational style, work ethic, and accomplishments.

Because these testimonials are displayed directly on your profile, they’re a valuable tool for building credibility and establishing trust with target companies, recruiters, hiring managers, and others you might partner with.

While LinkedIn Recommendations are valuable at any stage, they are an especially useful tool for those who are moving beyond academia and bringing their significant body of knowledge, skills, experiences, and abilities into a new professional arena.

When asking for these recommendations, don’t stop at highlighting your past academic achievements. These are critical opportunities to highlight the specific contributions and experiences that speak to your value in other areas as well.

In making the most of this tool, you want to have a fairly clear idea of the target sector and the role(s) you are aiming for. (More on this below.)

Why are LinkedIn recommendations important?

Recommendations allow your colleagues to speak directly to an interested reader. They are also a form of social proof, providing a verifiable viewpoint into your professional reputation. And recruiters are known to scan profiles for recommendations to ensure a candidate’s résumé and experience are backed by real-world references.

How do I get recommendations?

You ask for them! You can ask directly, or make your request through LinkedIn. Go to the profile of a 1st-degree connection who you think would be happy to leave you a few kind words. Once there, click the three dots in a circle under their name; then click “Request a recommendation” and take it from there. Be sure to specify your relationship, add the position you held when you worked together, and include a personalized message.

You have full control: When someone writes you a recommendation, you’re notified and can choose to accept it as-is, dismiss it, or ask the sender to revise it before it goes live.

What should my LinkedIn recommendations say?

This is the key consideration for strategic use of a recommendation. Most colleagues will be happy to help, but what will they say? Some people are naturally eloquent and descriptive, but even confident recommenders may request specific details about the skills and accomplishments you’d like them to highlight.

If you’re transitioning out of academia and into a new field, carefully consider the competencies they should emphasize and a shared experience related to them. This makes it easier for them to write the recommendation, and increases the chance of receiving a compelling paragraph or two about your abilities, rather than a generic, “She was a pleasure to work with.”

If you’re still not sure what sector or roles you’re aiming for, contact us. We specialize in helping Humanists move beyond academia.

What can I do with recommendations?

You don’t have to do anything with them. They live on your profile and make an impression on every recruiter and connection who comes by.

But if you’re feeling adventurous, you can pull one (or part of one) to incorporate directly into a résumé or cover letter, where appropriate. You can also make LinkedIn posts highlighting the recommendation, creating additional visibility for you and your recommender. 

The other important thing to do with recommendations is to give them! Writing a recommendation for someone is an excellent way to support your colleagues, strengthen your network and increase the visibility of all involved.

Want to talk about how to pinpoint Recommendations candidates in your network, or how to write requests? Let us know – we’re aces at this stuff!