LinkedIn Ratings, Endorsements and Recommendations

Do you want to beef up your LinkedIn profile and build up a bit of credibility around what you do? No problem.

How you approach this could leave you looking bad to all those people you are connected to unless you exercise a bit of skill and social savvy.

Let’s break down your options when it comes to building credibility on LinkedIn:

1. Ratings via myBizCard.co

This site is simple to use. First you visit https://mybizcard.co/

Then, you click a button and give them access to ALL your information…

Then they populate a canned email like this one below guaranteed to make you look like a hero and blast it out to your network.

Not so fast grasshopper.

Social networks are meant to be social.

That means if you are sending this to me and your 500+ other LinkedIn connections you have just made a very tactical error. The majority of these people have NO CLUE as to the professional rating you deserve.

All you have done is left them wondering why your judgment is so poor to even ask for a rating.

2. Skills and Endorsements

LinkedIn has added a simple and easy way for you to give someone an endorsement based on the skills they have in business.

This seemed like a good idea except for the fact that LinkedIn started populating these big blue boxes on your profile and most people just keep clicking add without even considering whether the endorsement is appropriate.

Clients ask me all the time why people are endorsing them for things they don’t even do! Good question. Why would someone do that?

If you are going to endorse someone, make sure you pay attention and select skills that are applicable to them and what they really do – otherwise your good gesture is not of much use to them.

3. Recommendations

This is my favourite part of LinkedIn. This is where you can go and write a real legitimate recommendation for someone.

The problem here is simple: People email their entire list of connections, all at the same time and ask to be recommended instead of asking your customers when the time is right.

Stop asking people to recommend you when they haven’t done business with you.

Start writing GOOD recommendations for people whom you have done business with. Unlike ratings and endorsements, a good recommendation is of tremendous value to you when it is well written and comes from a credible source.

Notice I have received 28, and I have given 27. If you haven’t recently given someone a recommendation that really deserves it, go do it.

Be detailed, specific and show the outcome or benefit they provided you.

LinkedIn is a tremendous professional networking tool when used appropriately. Stop getting caught up in the hype of a five star rating and how many endorsements you can get and focus on building solid relationships.

Relationships are the pathway to future business opportunities. Don’t underestimate their power. <- Tweet This!

Have you received a request from someone to recommend or endorse them on LinkedIn but aren’t really sure what the difference is or when you should do this? I set the record straight in this video below.