How to ask for a LinkedIn recommendation, with messages to copy
The short answer. Ask someone who worked with you closely, send the request through LinkedIn's own recommendation feature and add a short note that names the project or quality you would like them to mention. Offer to write one for them in return. Two or three specific recommendations are worth more than ten vague ones.
Who to ask
The best recommendation comes from someone who can describe a piece of your work, not someone with the biggest title.
- A manager you reported to. Recruiters read these first.
- A peer who worked on the same project.
- Someone who reported to you, if you have led people.
- A client or partner who depended on your work.
They need to be connected to you on LinkedIn, so send a connection request first if you are not.
How to send the request
- Open your own LinkedIn profile.
- Find the option to request a recommendation. It sits in the Recommendations section or under “Add profile section”.
- Choose the person, how you know them and the role you held at the time.
- Write a personal note. The default text is easy to ignore.
- Send it.
LinkedIn moves these menus around now and then. If you cannot find the option, search LinkedIn’s help pages for “request a recommendation”.
What to write in your note
Keep it short, say why you chose them and name one thing they could mention.
To a manager
Hi Kavita, I hope all is well. I am looking for my next role and would value a short recommendation from you on LinkedIn. You saw my work on the vendor onboarding project more closely than anyone. If you could mention how we cut the onboarding time, that would mean a lot. No pressure if now is a bad time.
To a peer
Hi Arjun, would you be open to writing me a short LinkedIn recommendation? We shipped the payments release together, so you know how I work under a deadline. Happy to write one for you as well.
To a client
Hi Ms. Fernandes, thank you again for the last two years of work together. I am updating my LinkedIn profile and would be grateful for a few lines about the catalogue project. It would help me a great deal.
To someone who reported to you
Hi Sneha, I am putting together recommendations for my profile. As someone who worked in my team, your view would carry a lot of weight. A few lines on what it was like to work with me would be wonderful.
When it arrives
Read it before it goes live. You can choose to show it on your profile or keep it hidden. You can also ask the writer to revise it if a fact is wrong. Thank them either way.
If they write one that says very little, it is fine to keep it hidden. A thin recommendation does more harm than none.
Give one back
Write a recommendation for them, unprompted. It is the simplest way to say thank you. It also keeps the relationship alive for the next time you need them.
A recommendation is not the same as a reference
A LinkedIn recommendation is public, short and almost always glowing. Recruiters know that, so they treat it as a good sign rather than evidence. A reference is private, more detailed and includes what someone could do better. Recruiters usually ask for references near the end of the process.
Both help. Our guide on how to ask for a reference covers the second.
Where GoodWord fits and where it does not
GoodWord sits between the two. Like a recommendation, you can send it at the start. Like a reference, it is detailed, it names areas to grow and nobody can edit what the referee wrote. Each reference is confirmed from the email address you gave. See a sample report.
It does not replace your LinkedIn recommendations. Keep collecting them. They sit where recruiters already look.