4 Ways Recommendations Can Get You Hired

A well-written LinkedIn recommendation from a former boss or peer...

1.) Can win over the hiring manager for that job you really want.

2.) Can be italicized and placed at the beginning of your cover letter so it stands out and gets the attention of the busy hiring manager, HR manager or recruiter.

3.) Can win over anyone reading your LinkedIn profile.

4.) Can help to convert that interview into an offer if you share that well written recommendation during the interview.

Notice I said can, not will. It all comes down to how the recommendation is written.

When I interviewed five years ago for my current role my cover letter looked like this.

Each italicized quote came from a LinkedIn recommendation.

The bosses who wrote these recommendations understood how important recommendations can be in someone's career.

Because these individuals had also been hiring managers they understood what hiring managers look for when considering candidates for an open position.

I go over these 'Hiring Manager's Secrets' in my first book, Job Hunting Secrets (from someone who's been there). To recap,

During the interview the hiring manager's first priority is to determine whether you are truly a candidate for the position. They do that by getting to know you so they can answer the questions below for themselves.

1.) Can You Do The Job?

2.) Will You Like The Job Enough To Stay There?

3.) Can We Stand To Work With You?

If the hiring manager determines that you are in fact a candidate, the next question in their mind is, How do you compare to all of the other candidates?

The candidates that stand out communicate...

1.) How They Made Money For Their Employers.

2.) How They Saved Money For Their Employers.

3.) How They Increased Productivity At Their Employers.

4.) How They Made A Difference at Their Employers.

It is rare for a candidate to have all four of these qualities. At the same time, if you don't have one of the first three qualities, it is imperative that you show how you either made a difference at past employers or at least how you are different from other candidates. Well-written recommendations can do this for you.

Hiring managers are going to care more about what your former bosses put in their recommendations. That's not to say that your peers' recommendations won't be valuable. It is to say, hiring managers know that few people know you better than the people you worked for.

In addition, hiring managers also know that our former bosses are usually at a higher level than our peers and therefore are less likely to stretch the truth. For not only are you being judged but they are being judged by what they've written.

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How Do I Do What You're Suggesting?

First, Don't Confuse Recommendations With References

Historically, references played a critical role when moving from one position to another. While references are still important and still needed, LinkedIn Recommendations, can do more than references ever did.

Hiring managers have to request references from you and then call that person. With LinkedIn recommendations, no calls are required. Job seekers preparing for the next interview should always strive to have detailed recommendations on their LI profile from both former and current bosses and peers they've worked closely with.

My Old Recommendation Strategy

In the past, when I sent a recommendation request, it looked like this:

Dear ____,

I would greatly appreciate it, if you would recommend me.  

If I am out of work in the future, the words in your recommendation could determine whether I get interviews and therefore whether I get hired again.

I’ve read the most effective rec’s are based on your personal experience and call out the individual’s strengths.

Here are some qualities you may want to include in the rec -

versatility, analytical skill, process orientation, project management, business planning, creative problem solving, thoroughness, continuous improvement, mastery of complex issues, initiative, strong communication skills, perseverance and innovation.

Thank you,

Clark

Where My Old Recommendation Strategy Fell Short

Between 2006 and 2016, I sent 130 rec requests and received 54 recommendations.

13 of the recommendations were excellent. 5 were from bosses. 2 were other members of upper management I had worked with. 6 were peers who I had worked closely with.

32 I would describe as good.

4 were OK

5 were not posted because they were not well-written or did not send a strong message.

I am glad that I asked my bosses as I shared their recommendations with Hiring Managers in interviews. I included them in cover letters, as I noted above, and put a few in my LI Summary.

At the same time, I also got a couple recs like this one that were never posted.

? I found Clark to have the following qualities when we worked together: versatility, analytical skill, process orientation, project management, business planning, creative problem solving, thoroughness, continuous improvement, mastery of complex issues, initiative, strong communication skills, perseverance and innovation. 

When I looked at the verbiage I received, it made me wonder if a change in strategy might be needed. You think?

My New Recommendation Strategy

While I will continue asking for recommendations from current bosses, former bosses, members of upper management I had worked with and peers; going forward, I will follow the advice, Jessica Smith, aka the Resume Butterfly, provided in her excellent post, 'How to Give — and Get — LinkedIn Recommendations'[1].

Specifically, I will include a draft rec, which the recommender can use as is, edit or, if they prefer, write their own.

A draft recommendation can be particularly helpful, if it has been a while since you worked for your boss. Because whatever you can do to help your former boss remember what you did will help them write a stronger rec for you.

Here is an example.

A former boss asked me to create a report that had never been created before. If I were to ask her for a recommendation, here is what it would look like:

Dear ____,

I would greatly appreciate it, if you would recommend me.  

Given your busy schedule, I provided a draft recommendation, which you can use as is, edit or write your own.

When Clark worked for me, I asked him to create a report measuring the financial impact of the Stop-Loss. No one had ever done this before. When we discussed his progress, I always gave him an easy out if he felt it could not be done, but he never took me up on my offers.

He worked closely with a subject matter expert on the topic. The report took time, as there was a lot to understand. In the end, Clark produced exactly what the CFO and I were looking for. We never understood the financial impact of the Stop-Loss and now we do. As a result, we can now make wiser, more informed decisions.

I was impressed by what I saw in Clark. He did not care that others had not succeeded before him. In fact, he seemed to revel in the challenge. He likes taking the effort to understand complex things. As a result, what was once a problem is no longer a problem.

Perhaps, what impressed me most about Clark was his perseverance. It did not matter that it was taking a long time. He persisted and ultimately succeeded.

Given my experience with Clark, I believe he would be a valuable addition to any team.

If I am out of work in the future, the words in your recommendation could determine whether I get interviews and therefore whether I get hired again.

Thank you,

Clark

While the new strategy will be more time-consuming, it will result in better recommendations.

One thing to keep in mind as you request recommendations: Since it is highly likely that recommenders will use much if not all of your draft recs, strive to create draft recs that are different from each other. Otherwise, your recommendations may start to look too similar which can shed doubt on their authenticity and value.

The Power of a Boss's Recommendation

To reinforce my earlier point, a boss's recommendation is one of the most powerful things you can put in front of a hiring manager.

Hiring managers are in a difficult position. Unless someone has referred you, they know next to nothing about you.

Boss's recommendations are valuable because

• They give hiring managers insight into what they can expect if they hire you. 
• No one knows what an employee can do better than a former manager.
• A manager will only write what she is certain about. After all, her reputation is on the line. She will not say person X is great when person X is not great. 

Avoid Posting Weak Recommendations

No matter what you might think, it is exceedingly rare that anyone will know you did not post their rec. If they write a rec, they assume you posted it.

It is much better to never display a poorly written rec than to post it and make the person who is reading your profile question your wisdom and decision-making ability.

Consider this, if a poorly written recommendation appears as the first recommendation in your profile, do you think others will continue to read your profile to look for a good recommendation? No. They'll go on to the next candidate.

A Quick Note About Cover Letters & Recommendations

There are those who will tell you, 'Recommendations have no place in a cover letter.'

If this was 1970, I would agree with them, but it's not. The internet changed everything. You're lucky to get anyone's attention. So, if you can include strong recommendations at the beginning of your cover letter you will stand out. That is how people get hired and that is all that matters. :)

How To Actually Request That LinkedIn Recommendation

LinkedIn is always improving so if you read this post months or even weeks from now it's possible that the process will be different. As of the time I am writing this post, here is the process:

1.) Go to the profile of the person who you're going to ask to recommend you. (You need to be connected to this person, that is, you need to be a first-degree connection.) You will know you're a first degree connection, if you see '1st' to the right of their name, as you see below. If you're not connected, you'll need to send them a connection request.

2.) Click the 'More...' button directly below the picture and name of your connection.

3.) After clicking 'More...', click 'Request a Recommendation,' as you see below.

4.) After clicking 'Request a Recommendation,' the dialog box below appears. In the insert below, I went to a former supervisor's LinkedIn profile. After requesting the recommendation, I was prompted to select how I knew the person. I selected '__ managed you directly.' and I then selected my position at the time.

5.) After clicking 'Next,' you will see the dialog box below,

6.) At this point, you can leave the default message that you see above. Or, you can edit the message, as I did. As you can see, I deleted the default message and copied the recommendation request that you read above in the 'My New Recommendation Strategy' section.

7.) Next, you will click send.

8.) Because, not everyone goes on LinkedIn regularly, I strongly recommend calmly and gently reaching out, ideally by phone but if that is not possible then by email so they realize you've asked for their help. This is a time when you want to invest as much as possible in this relationship by speaking with them as long as you believe they actually want to speak with you and then explaining the reason for your call.

If additional instructions are needed...

If you want to know the best way to ask for a rec on your Iphone, Android or any other device, within LinkedIn, click on your small round profile picture near the top of the page which has 'Me' underneath it. Select 'Help Center.' A search bar will appear. Enter, 'how to request a recommendation.' That will give you everything you need.

Best wishes in your job search. Remember, this is a strategy that pays off and therefore is worth the effort you will put into it.

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Clark Finnical is the author of the first job hunting book written by a veteran job seeker.

Job hunting books were solely written by HR managers and recruiters in the past. Their books told you, ‘How to succeed in their world.'

"Job Hunting Secrets"   was written by a five-time job seeker who has walked in your shoes.

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If we're not connected, I'd love to connect. Here's my profile.

 

[1] Jessica Smith. The Resume Butterfly. https://resumebutterfly.com/how-to-give-and-get-linkedin-recommendations/ (Accessed 6-9-2018)