The Value of a LinkedIn Recommendation

I have been a LinkedIn user for a few years now and I have to say that out of all the relationships I have established online LinkedIn has produced some pretty valuable ones. I was able to meet a @guarionex88 who has become a personal and business advisor. I met @guarionex88 through @lucymfel and was able to click with him almost instantly. Ramon (also known as @guarionex88 invited me to collaborate on his Friends of Puerto Rico Group on LinkedIn and little by little I realized the many things we had in common.

Collaborating with @guarionex88 has created a very unique bond in which @guarionex88 and his lovely wife Denise have become part of the family.

Even though LinkedIn has provided some relationships I have to say that it not many have had such great results like my relationship with @guarionex88. In life we come to realize we have very few friends and sometimes interacting online will allow us to find a few more. Online behavior also gives us an opportunity to understand people from another perspective. If getting good quality connections on LinkedIn is difficult the becomes even more difficult to get valid recommendation. Making LinkedIn recommendations even more valuable than your connections or actions on other platforms.

I really dislike when people who hardly know you request a LinkedIn recommendation. The whole purpose of giving one out is p to recommend someone who you think is outstanding and you have a very good opinion of them. In my case I give out a recommendations when I have worked with someone who has amazed me with excellent quality work either at clients, a vendor, or collaborating in an organizations.

Another approach should be recommending people when you can validate that they have done something outstanding like @chrisbrogan recommends on ELEMENTS OF A GOOD LINKEDIN RECOMMENDATION making sure you are very detailed and specific on what you are recommending them on.

If you work for a company or large organization verify what guidelines they have on giving out recommendations to employees. Some companies take a conservative approach and keep in mind that LinkedIn recommendations have been used in court for legal cases amongst an employee and employer.

Overall just make sure if you request a LinkedIn recommendation you know the person and they are willing to vouch for your talent or past work. Remember a good way to get a recommendation is writing one for someone who deserves one, maybe that person feels the same way about you.

Who can you can recommend Today via LinkedIn and give them a positive action to start a great day?

Posted in Business, Featured, Professional Development and tagged LinkedIn

7 Comments

Gabo Pagán on January 20, 2011 at 12:34 pm

Linkedin recommendations and any kind of sponsorship in the social web is something companies need to have established policies. I have been involved in many reengineering efforts that have resulted in layoffs and i have seen frequently how laid off employees requests recommendations from managers in other business units at their companies. Sometimes even their own ex managers who just laid them off days ago. You know where I am going with this. The managers think its harmless, they are maybe doing someone a favor. Their attitude changes when the employee returns all lawyered up suing the company. See, a Linkedin recommendation can be successfully argued is like a positive HR evaluation so laying off an employee and then giving a Linkein recommendation praising his work exposes the company to lawsuits. A simple corporate policy on social web interaction would prevent this type of situation, hopefully it will become standard once corporations see the value

Raul Colon on January 20, 2011 at 1:06 pm

Gabo,

Your point of view is very valid and I am on the same page. People in business on too many occasions act like there peers are harmless and are good friends.

I agree with you people need to start measuring the impact of ignoring this kind of scenario.

Thanks for reading the post and even more thanks for commenting.

Louis Pagan on January 20, 2011 at 1:45 pm

Great image to go along w/ post!

Raul Colon on January 20, 2011 at 2:04 pm

Louis,

Thanks… I was trying to think of something that aligned to recommendation.
Raul Colon on January 21, 2011 at 2:23 am

Thanks I thought it went well with the message of recommendation

Lauren Fisher on January 22, 2011 at 10:56 pm

I think LinkedIn recommendations often get overlooked, partly because I think people find it awkward to approach someone directly to ask for a recommendation! Some useful tips from you there and a reminder I have to use recommendations more!

Raul Colon on January 23, 2011 at 12:23 am

I think the best recommendations come when they are not requested. I made the mistake of requesting them as LinkedIn suggested many years ago and it got me ok reviews or people ignoring it. It is better to have unsolicited reviews that are of good quality.

I am glad it was useful to you! My best recommendation is to write a few recommendations for people you know they deserve them.

Gabo Pagán on January 20, 2011 at 12:34 pm

Linkedin recommendations and any kind of sponsorship in the social web is something companies need to have established policies. I have been involved in many reengineering efforts that have resulted in layoffs and i have seen frequently how laid off employees requests recommendations from managers in other business units at their companies. Sometimes even their own ex managers who just laid them off days ago. You know where I am going with this. The managers think its harmless, they are maybe doing someone a favor. Their attitude changes when the employee returns all lawyered up suing the company. See, a Linkedin recommendation can be successfully argued is like a positive HR evaluation so laying off an employee and then giving a Linkein recommendation praising his work exposes the company to lawsuits. A simple corporate policy on social web interaction would prevent this type of situation, hopefully it will become standard once corporations see the value
- Raul Colon on January 20, 2011 at 1:06 pm
  
  Gabo,
  
  Your point of view is very valid and I am on the same page. People in business on too many occasions act like there peers are harmless and are good friends.
  
  I agree with you people need to start measuring the impact of ignoring this kind of scenario.
  
  Thanks for reading the post and even more thanks for commenting.
Louis Pagan on January 20, 2011 at 1:45 pm

Great image to go along w/ post!
- Raul Colon on January 20, 2011 at 2:04 pm
  
  Louis,
  
  Thanks… I was trying to think of something that aligned to recommendation.
- Raul Colon on January 21, 2011 at 2:23 am
  
  Thanks I thought it went well with the message of recommendation
Lauren Fisher on January 22, 2011 at 10:56 pm

I think LinkedIn recommendations often get overlooked, partly because I think people find it awkward to approach someone directly to ask for a recommendation! Some useful tips from you there and a reminder I have to use recommendations more!
- Raul Colon on January 23, 2011 at 12:23 am
  
  I think the best recommendations come when they are not requested. I made the mistake of requesting them as LinkedIn suggested many years ago and it got me ok reviews or people ignoring it. It is better to have unsolicited reviews that are of good quality.
  
  I am glad it was useful to you! My best recommendation is to write a few recommendations for people you know they deserve them.