Use the power of LinkedIn Endorsements to take your career to a whole new level
What’s not to love about the new LinkedIn Endorsements? With this new feature, you can add more credibility to your profile, increase your chances of landing a job and take your career to a whole new level. It can also help you promote your brand and give something back to your valued connections ? all with a single click of a button. Does it get any better than this?
However, the no-brainer aspect of giving endorsements may also render it worthless ? if you don’t know how to use it right. So, what should you do to get the most from LinkedIn Endorsements? Here are some suggestions that you may find helpful:
Use Endorsements to foster deeper engagement. Endorsing your connections for an expertise he or she may want to be known for or for one that can help strengthen a personal brand may definitely work in your favor. Who knows? This may just pave the way for a more meaningful working relationship in the future.
Don’t accept every endorsement you receive. Why shouldn’t you? Well, you may not believe it, but accepting every endorsement that comes your way may not actually be good for you. Think of your LinkedIn profile as a billboard that highlights your best work today and the things you would rather do more of in the future. As such, it shouldn’t list the things you are competent at but don’t want to do any longer. With this in mind, you should really be more careful in accepting endorsements. You may also choose to hide endorsements that do not fit into your overall career agenda.
Don’t just reciprocate the favor. It is nice to be endorsed for a skill or expertise you want to highlight in your profile but should you start giving endorsements just because you received one? Wouldn’t this be a futile attempt on your part? Well, not necessarily ? especially if you will be recommending the person in an area he or she is truly good at. If you are not doing it in this context and are reciprocating the favor just because you received one, then the exercise becomes meaningless. ??
Don’t endorse someone for a skill set you cannot personally vouch for. Do not endorse people for skills that you cannot guarantee. A lot of people are surprised that they are being endorsed for a skill or expertise they didn?t even know they had.
Say thanks. Thank those who endorsed you by asking them if there is something you can do for them or by writing a meaningful recommendation that they can post in their profile.
Without a doubt, LinkedIn Endorsements can help you further your career in more ways than one if you know how to use it properly. If you want to add some more tips to this list, please feel free to do so.
