Guide · Branding
LinkedIn Recommendations: Examples, and How to Ask for One
How to request a recommendation without it being awkward, a structure for writing one that is specific enough to be believed, and examples for managers, peers and clients.
A good LinkedIn recommendation names one specific thing the person did, what changed because of it, and what it was like to work with them — in about 80 to 150 words. That is the whole formula. The examples below follow it, and you can adapt any of them in a few minutes.
The reason most recommendations fail is not tone. It is that they are interchangeable. "Jane is a hard-working, results-driven team player" could be written about anyone, which means a reader learns nothing about Jane. Specificity is what makes a recommendation read as true.
How LinkedIn recommendations work
| Detail | How it works |
|---|---|
| Who can write one | Your 1st-degree connections |
| Where to request | Your profile's Recommendations section → "Ask for a recommendation" |
| What you choose | The person, how you know them, and which role it relates to |
| Before it appears | You review it and can accept, ask for changes, or decline |
| After it appears | You can hide it from your profile at any time |
Menu labels move around between app versions; the Recommendations section on your own profile is the reliable starting point.
How to ask for a LinkedIn recommendation
Ask people who saw your work up close and recently — ideally within the last year or two. A former manager from a decade ago can still write a good one, but their memory will be vague, and vague is exactly what you are trying to avoid.
The trick that makes a request painless for the other person is to do half the work for them. Remind them of the project, mention one thing you would love them to speak to, and give them an easy out. People are far more likely to write something good when they do not have to reconstruct the context from scratch.
Hi Sam — I'm refreshing my LinkedIn profile and would really value a short recommendation from you. You saw the most of my work on the onboarding redesign last year, so anything about how we cut setup time, or how I worked with the support team, would be ideal. No pressure at all if you're stretched — and happy to return the favour.
Specific project, one suggested angle, an easy exit, and an offer. Four sentences.
How to write a recommendation people believe
Step 1
Open with how you know them
One line: "I managed Priya for two years at Acme" or "Tom was our agency lead on three launches." It frames everything else and answers the reader's first question.
Step 2
Name one specific contribution
A project, a decision, a problem they solved. One concrete example beats five adjectives every time.
Step 3
Say what changed
The result, in plain terms. Use a number only if you actually know it — an invented-sounding figure undermines the rest.
Step 4
Describe working with them
How they communicate, handle pressure or treat colleagues. This is what hiring managers are really reading for.
Step 5
Close with a clear endorsement
"I'd hire her again tomorrow" is stronger than "I highly recommend her for any future endeavours."
I managed Priya for two years on Acme's growth team. The clearest example of her work is our pricing page rebuild: she ran the research, argued (correctly) against the option I preferred, and shipped a version that customers stopped complaining about within a week. She's the rare analyst who is just as good in a room as in a spreadsheet — calm, direct, and generous with credit. I'd hire her again without hesitation.
Tom and I sat on neighbouring teams at Northwind for three years, and he was the person everyone quietly went to when a release was in trouble. During our 2.0 migration he wrote the runbook the whole company ended up using. He explains complicated things without making anyone feel slow, which is rarer than it should be. Any team would be lucky to have him.
We hired Lena to rebuild our brand identity ahead of a funding round. She delivered on a tight timeline, pushed back when our brief was muddled, and gave us a system our in-house team could actually use afterwards — not just a logo. Communication was clear throughout and there were no surprises on the invoice. We've already referred two other founders to her.
Before you send or accept a recommendation
- Says how the writer knows the person in the first line
- Mentions at least one specific project or moment
- Avoids stacked adjectives — "dynamic, passionate, results-driven"
- Any numbers are real and checkable
- Roughly 80–150 words; long enough to be specific, short enough to be read
- Attached to the right role on the profile
How many recommendations do you need?
There is no magic number, and nobody counts. Two or three strong, recent, specific recommendations do more than fifteen generic ones — and a profile with fifteen generic ones starts to look like a mutual-appreciation society.
Aim for a spread: one from someone you reported to, one from a peer, and one from someone you served — a client, a stakeholder or someone you managed. That combination tells a reader you are good to work for, with, and above. Refresh them when you change roles; a recommendation for a job you left six years ago still counts, but it says less about who you are now.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I ask for a recommendation on LinkedIn?
- Go to the Recommendations section on your profile, choose "Ask for a recommendation", pick the connection, say how you know them and which role it relates to, then add a short personal message.
- What should a LinkedIn recommendation say?
- How the writer knows the person, one specific contribution, what changed as a result, what they are like to work with, and a clear endorsement — in about 80 to 150 words.
- Can I edit or remove a LinkedIn recommendation?
- You cannot edit someone else's words, but you can ask them for a revision, and you can hide any recommendation from your profile.
- Who can write me a LinkedIn recommendation?
- Only your 1st-degree connections. Connect with the person first if you are not already connected.
- How long should a LinkedIn recommendation be?
- Roughly 80 to 150 words. Long enough for one concrete example, short enough that a recruiter actually reads it.
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