Wednesday, May 23, 2012

LinkedIn Recommendations: An Advertising Studio Manager's Insight

By Ernie Arias 

"Credit to the fullest the good qualities to be found in others, even though they may far outshine your own." William M. Peck


A LinkedIn recommendation has more value than just a Like, sharing or commenting on any of the other social networks. As a matter of fact, if you think about this, it's the equivalent of all three social media metric markers in one single post. Let me explain, when you recommend someone it's always a positive comment about an individual's performance (like and comment) and when you post it, you're actually sharing it to all your contacts (share). Not to mention that once you post a recommendation and the recipient approves, it gets embedded on both of your profiles permanently (of course, unless you withdraw it). So we're talking about a triple combo of a share, a like and a comment with no expiration date!! Get the idea!

Motivation Through Recognition

The other great value of a recommendation via LinkedIn is that it's by far the cheapest, and one of the most appreciated, ways of performance recognition. Unfortunately, it's also so underrated and underutilized because of the misconception of identifying salary raises as the only way to recognize employees, and perhaps some more traditional individuals are just concerned about using the mainstream media and going public with it. But you can't imagine how good it feels to get a simple word of praise, compliment, pat-on-the-back or a LinkedIn recommendation (BTW, it's free). It's such a great motivation knowing that your effort has been recognized by your boss, your peers or anyone within your working environment. It works like fuel, igniting you to accomplish more and greater things within your company.

The True Essence of a Recommendation

Recommendations have been traditionally requested by individuals, either when quitting a job, or when being laid off for reasons not related to performance. It's usually called a recommendation or reference letter, depending on to whom the letter is addressed. These type of references are also requested by Human Resources departments and managers at any level involved in the hiring process. As a studio manager, I've both received and requested references about job candidates, and I've observed there's something in common: There is a non-written code between managers about the trustworthiness of these references and recommendations. Your professional reputation and integrity are simply on the line if you're ever caught lying about an employee's past performance.

We can clearly see three very distinctive aspects in a LinkedIn recommendation, starting with how it's perceived from a social media point of view; the amazing motivational power it has, which can be utilized by managers and HR in their reward programs; and the qualitative value of being trustworthy by adhering to its true essence.

Tips From The Experts

Most social media experts advise that before you ask for something you first have to give something, and the same principle applies to LinkedIn recommendations. Many following this tip are trading or swapping recommendations with fellow professionals. The truth of the matter is, regardless how you get a recommendation, it better be trustworthy. Having several recommendations could make any LinkedIn profile look good. However, you need to keep in mind that what really counts—it's not a social media metric algorithm (Klout, Peerindex, Kred, etc.) scrawling your profile. Instead, it's a pair of human eyes reading and assessing the content that will enable you to land the job. Quality over quantity!!

_____________________________

Your opinion is greatly appreciated and if you liked this article, please use the share buttons below to spread the word.
Thanks,

Ernie Arias

21 comments:

  1. Nice post. Hiring Managers and Clients can also read the the recommendations and vet out the "He/She is Nice" versus sincere, "Did a Great Job". It's important, to show sincere "substantial" recommendations

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    1. That's right Steve. HR personnel and hiring managers want to see relevant information in those profiles. It'd be really productive if managers incorporate LinkedIn recommendations as part of their reward and motivation programs.

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  2. When my husband was job searching before he landed his job at Dell, he was asking for recommendations from previous people that he had worked with: customers, employers and coworkers. LinkedIn is an invaluable tool for attracting the eyes of head hunters. He was careful to make sure that the people that he requested them from were sincere individuals that actually had experience working with him. He is also cautious about leaving recommendations. It's his reputation at stake, too, right?

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    1. Thank you very much for your comment and for sharing your husband's story with us Alicia. It relates a lot with the article!

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  3. This is such a brilliant post primarily because I was just discussing this with my former supervisor few weeks back. As I was updating my skills and qualifications on LinkedIn, I realised that my profile would stand out provided I receive some key recommendations from my ex-colleagues. However, what's sad is that some people take this form of request trivial. Which is why it becomes a nuisance or rather embarrassing to keep reminding them about it.

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    1. Thanks for your comment Naveen. I hope you get those key recommendations!

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  4. Excellent tips and the post was very informative!

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    1. I'm really glad to know that my concern is shared by many LinkedIn users and this article at least creates some awareness. Thank you very much for your comment Sathish!!

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  5. Thanks for sharing this useful info.keep updating same way.

    Cheers,
    Ramesh Roy
    Social Media Agency Canada

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  6. I am quite agree with your view. I get genuine information in linkedin.
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