Wonderful Coworkers Recommending

Some skeptics seem to think that LinkedIn recommendations are not worthwhile, but to me – they’re golden.

As I mentioned last post – if you’re connecting to people you know, the things they write will absolutely support you.

So let’s look…

First – the mechanics

I hate keeping words from a previous post, but you’ve got to see the big picture to understand why this is a favorite thing about LinkedIn for me.

Step 1 – connect to people you know and trust.

Step 2 – write great recommendations for a dozen of the best people you’ve ever had the opportunity to work with.

Step 3 – if you don’t get a half dozen responses without asking, ask a few of them to recommend you.

Don’t get heavy handed, a simple “Hey Linda, I’m working on my LinkedIn profile and realized a recommendation about our work together on the Acme Ginsu Knife project would help. Do you think you could do that in the next few weeks for me? Thanks a bunch in advance!”

For more on the mechanics, please check out the “Endorsements” category of posts found over to the right.

You first

Notice step 2 of the process above – you have to write recommendations for other people first.

That’s essential.

Do it soon;-)

But really – how can you ask people to recommend you when you haven’t taken the time to recommend others? I’m not even saying you have to recommend the people you hope will recommend you, but you have to go through the process and see what is involved.

Then if one of them has a hiccup, you’ll have an answer when they ask “what does it mean if…”

The best

If you connect to 100 people on LinkedIn, I’m expecting that 10-20 of those people will be the ones you really respect. Those are the “wonderful” ones that you want to be asking.

How great a recommendation would you expect from someone that merely saw you in the office each week?

“Brad seemed like a fine fellow.  I often saw him playing cards with other associates at lunch time.”

Make sense?

Viewing the video

And here’s the video, your comments on the youtube copy of “Favorite Linked Things” would be very much appreciated:-)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CajbCpS06_g]

To your continued success,

steve
—
Steven Tylock
http://www.linkedinpersonaltrainer.com