LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies. Donna Serdula

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СКАЧАТЬ endorsements

      Are you not receiving endorsements from your connections? Sometimes all it takes is a nudge. Rather than sit and stare at your lonely Skills & Endorsements section, get proactive and send your connections an email. Send a simple LinkedIn message to a few of your close connections and ask them to endorse you. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil!

      Following are two sample messages to send to connections with whom you recently finished a project or whom you’ve recently endorsed. The first is an example of requesting an endorsement after finishing up a project or other work with a client:

        If you were happy with my work I performed at Widgets, Inc., would you be so kind as to endorse me on LinkedIn?

        It’s just a simple click of a button. The skills and expertise I would like to be endorsed for are Project Management, Leadership Team Building, and SEO.

        All you need to do is visit my profile and scroll down to the Skills & Endorsements section located at the bottom of my profile.

       Here’s the link to my profile: www.linkedin.com/in/todonna.

      The next is an example of requesting an endorsement using the power of quid pro quo:

        I just endorsed you for Project Management and Leadership Strategy on your LinkedIn profile.

        If you’re comfortable with it, would you do the same for me?

       There’s 50 skills to choose from. All you need to do is visit my profile: www.linkedin.com/in/todonna.

      When your connections do endorse you, make sure you reach out and thank them. Call them on the phone or send them a message via LinkedIn. Use LinkedIn as an excuse to get in touch. This is a great way to continue to network and forge strong relationships.

      In addition to endorsements, there’s another longer-form way for connections to add their two cents about you: recommendations. Keep reading to find out more about this type of testimonial.

The Importance of Recommendations

      Recommendations are testimonials that appear on your profile, showing your reader you are trusted and admired within your network. Recommendations are given by first-degree connections and provide citation to your value and abilities and make your profile more credible.

      If you are a job seeker, recommendations from your current or past employer and colleagues sets you apart from other job applicants. When your goal is branding or reputation management, a strong list of recommendations from VIPs and leaders boasting your finer points provides evidence to your reader that you truly are a high performing, impressive professional. If you are promoting your business, products, or services, having recommendations from your current clients touting your strengths impresses your prospects.

      You may be thinking, “What’s the merit in a LinkedIn recommendation when every recommendation on LinkedIn is glowing?”

The power behind LinkedIn recommendations is it’s easy to find out how significant or insignificant the person is who wrote your recommendation by simply clicking on the person’s name and visiting his or her LinkedIn profile to learn more. It is not what the recommendation says that’s so important, it’s who wrote it. The short recommendation from someone in a high place is significantly better than the glowing recommendation from a colleague or vendor.

      Identifying people to recommend you

The best kind of recommendation comes from employers, VIPs, or customers. These are people with a lot of things on their plates. The fact they took time and wrote you a recommendation speaks volumes and proves that you truly did something important. Recommendations by colleagues and people in lateral or lower positions are useful, but not nearly as powerful. The quid pro quo recommendation, given out of duty, impresses no one. Check out Figure 3-9 to see the types of people you should ask for a recommendation.

      FIGURE 3-9: Order of recommenders by importance.

      Here are some questions to help you identify the right people to ask for a recommendation:

       Who have you helped?

       Who have you impressed?

       Who have you inspired?

       Who have you provided value to?

       Who has recently thanked you?

If you have a large list and don’t want to send a recommendation request to each and every one, here’s how to narrow the list:

       Who is on LinkedIn?

       Who has a large LinkedIn network?

       Who is active on LinkedIn?

       Who shares your target audience?

      When a person writes a recommendation for you, that recommendation is also listed on that person’s profile. By making sure the person has a large network and shares your target audience means more eyes on the recommendation, which might translate to additional opportunity for you.

      

You can only request recommendations from people who are on LinkedIn and connected to you. However, if you want to add a recommendation from a person who is not on LinkedIn or from someone who has passed on to the great beyond, you can scan the recommendation and add it to the experience as a multimedia file. Directions on adding multimedia files are found in Chapter 12.

      If you were unable to come up with a list, what are you waiting for? Go out and start impressing people, help others, and start participating in random acts of kindness.

      Asking for a recommendation

      Now that you have a list of people to ask for a recommendation, don’t let shyness get in your way. People love helping other people and you may discover that most people are honored that you asked them to recommend you.

      

The best and most successful approach when asking for a recommendation is not to simply request a recommendation, but provide the person with a recommendation already written for them.

      People often balk when I suggest providing a pre-written recommendation. The truth is, rather than being insulted, more often than not the other person is going to be overjoyed. The vast majority of people out there don’t have the time or ability to write you a strong recommendation. СКАЧАТЬ