LinkedIn Endorsements: How to Get Them And Find A New Job

If you’re looking for a new job in digital learning, you’ve probably spent some time updating and optimizing your LinkedIn profile. You may have built out your bio, added some new skills, and maybe even asked for recommendations. But what about LinkedIn skills endorsements?

Many LinkedIn users don’t realize how powerful endorsements can be. They can help you stand out among other job candidates and reinforce your personal brand. If you’re hoping to find a new job, getting LinkedIn endorsements can give you that extra edge.

Before we talk about how to get LinkedIn endorsements and use them to your advantage, let’s take a closer look at why all of this matters in the first place.

LinkedIn Endorsements Matter

You might not be convinced that LinkedIn endorsements matter all that much. Why would a recruiter care if a coworker from five years ago thought you were a good communicator? But the truth is that skills endorsements offer social proof. Your LinkedIn profile is mostly controlled by you, but endorsements come from your network. You might say you have “design thinking” skills, but recruiters and hiring managers don’t have to take your word for it. They can see that other people you’ve worked with endorse your proficiency in design thinking.

If your profile is incomplete or you haven’t described your experience well, having a ton of endorsements probably won’t have much of an effect. But if you’ve optimized the rest of your LinkedIn profile, endorsements can give you the extra boost you need to land the interview.

How To Get Endorsements On LinkedIn

People in your LinkedIn network can endorse any of the skills already listed on your profile. You can get endorsements either by waiting for someone to endorse you or by asking for one (more on that in Step 2 below). Often, if you endorse someone, they’re more likely to return the favor. But you might want a more targeted approach. To understand why, we first have to talk about LinkedIn skills.

1. Choose Your LinkedIn Skills Selectively

If you type LinkedIn endorsements into a search engine, you’ll inevitably get at least one article on how to get maximum endorsements on every skill. That’s not necessarily the best strategy unless you’ve chosen your LinkedIn Skills thoughtfully.

With the opportunity to add as many as 50 skills to your LinkedIn profile, you might be tempted to throw in everything from Curriculum Design to Microsoft Word. But the ability to use Microsoft Word doesn’t really help you stand out. At best, it signifies basic digital literacy, so endorsements on it probably aren’t all that valuable.

Before you start asking for endorsements, make sure you’re including the skills that really showcase what you can do. LinkedIn’s list of skills companies need most is a great place to start. For more inspiration, take a look at the skills listed in job postings for the types of roles you’re seeking.

How (And Why) To Hide Endorsements

Even if you’re really good at something, you may not want that skill to have the most endorsements. For example, let’s say you’re hoping to transition from classroom teaching to curriculum development. If you’ve been a teacher for a long time, you may have 50 endorsements for “classroom management” but only 20 for “curriculum development.” That could send a mixed message to anyone looking to hire you.

In that case, you might want to hide some of your endorsements for classroom management. All you have to do is click on the skill in your profile. LinkedIn will open a window that allows you to display or hide endorsements given by each person. So you can showcase the one from the high-profile leader and hide the one from a random salesperson you’ve never actually met in person.

2. Ask For Endorsements From Connections

LinkedIn has a built-in way to ask for recommendations, but not endorsements. You have to get endorsements the old-fashioned way, by asking. Send a direct message to a connection asking them to endorse a specific skill.

Here’s a sample message you might send to request an endorsement:

Hi [name], could you spare a moment to endorse my LinkedIn profile for the [skill name] skill? You probably saw me use this when we worked together at/on [project or company name]. Thank you for your help, and please let me know if I can return the favor. Best, [your name]

The best time to send this message is right after you finish a big project or at the end of the semester when your work is still fresh in their mind. The second-best time is now. Just make sure the person you choose has worked with you closely enough to know whether you have the skill you’re asking them to endorse.

3. Include Endorsed Skills On Your Resume

The skills on your LinkedIn profile are part of your personal brand. They help reinforce the story you’re telling about your career and how you function professionally. You can complete this image by including your endorsed skills on your resume.

That doesn’t mean you have to list the number of endorsements next to each skill. Just make sure the skills are there so you present a consistent image across your LinkedIn profile and resume. That way, if an employer looks at both, they’ll see the same story on all platforms.

For more tips and tricks to optimize your LinkedIn Profile and make networking easier, download our Guide to LinkedIn for Digital Learning Professionals.