LinkedIn Recommendations That Prove Your Soft Skills

James Walker

James Walker writes about career transitions. London-based career enthusiast.

Visual representation of the voice · not a photographic portrait

Quick answer: LinkedIn recommendations prove soft skills because other people describe real situations in their own words. Ask people who saw you use the skill, name the skill and story you want them to mention, and point employers to those recommendations in your resume, cover letter, and interviews.↗ Share on X

LinkedIn recommendations prove your soft skills because they are written by other people, in their own words, about real situations. Anyone can type "great communicator" on a resume. A former manager writing "she calmed down our angriest client and kept the account" is proof. To make recommendations work, ask the right people, tell each one which skill and which story to mention, and then point employers to those recommendations in your resume, cover letter, and interviews.

Why do employers trust recommendations more than your resume?

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Soft skills are things like teamwork, communication, problem-solving, reliability, and leadership. They are hard to prove because there is no certificate for "stays calm under pressure."

A recommendation helps because:

• Someone else said it. It is not you praising yourself.
• It has a name and job title attached. The reader can see who wrote it and how they worked with you.
• It can include a story. Stories are what make a skill believable.
• It is public. People rarely write something false under their own name for anyone to read.

A hiring manager who reads three short stories about how you handled conflict will believe it more than one line on your resume.

Which soft skills should your recommendations cover?

Pick two or three skills that match the jobs you want. Look at five job posts in your target field and write down the soft skills that show up most.

Do not try to prove ten skills. Three strong ones, each backed by a story, beat a long list.

Who should you ask?

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The best person is someone who saw you use the skill up close. Job title matters less than how well they know your work.

1. A direct manager. Best for reliability, results, and leadership.

2. A coworker at your level. Best for teamwork and communication.

3. Someone you supervised or trained. Best for leadership and coaching.

4. A client or customer. Best for service, trust, and problem-solving.

5. A teacher or volunteer coordinator. Good if you are early in your career or changing fields.

Aim for three to five recommendations from different types of people. Recent ones, from the last few years, carry more weight.

How do you request a recommendation on LinkedIn?

1. Go to the person's profile, or your own profile.

2. Click More (or the three dots) and choose Request a recommendation.

3. Pick how you know them and what your position was at the time.

4. Write a personal message. Do not send the blank default.

5. Send it. When they write it, you get a notice and can choose to show it on your profile.

LinkedIn menus change from time to time. If you cannot find the button, search LinkedIn Help for "request a recommendation."

What should your request message say?

This is where most people go wrong. They send "Hi, can you write me a recommendation?" and get back something vague, like "Great to work with!"

Make it easy for them. Give a skill and a story. Here is a template you can copy:

Hi Maria, I hope things are going well at the clinic. I'm applying for patient coordinator jobs and would really value a short LinkedIn recommendation from you. If you're comfortable, could you mention how I handled the scheduling backlog in spring 2024 and how I kept patients updated while we fixed it? Two or three sentences is plenty. Thank you either way.

Why this works:

• It says why you are asking.
• It names one skill (communication under pressure) and one story (the backlog).
• It keeps the ask small: two or three sentences.
• It gives them an easy way to say no.

If they say they do not have time, offer to send a short draft they can edit. Many people accept this. Make sure the final words are theirs and true.

What does a strong recommendation look like?

Compare these two:

Weak: "John is a hard worker and a team player. I recommend him."

Strong: "When two of our drivers quit during the holiday rush, John rebuilt the delivery routes over a weekend and trained the new hires himself. We didn't miss a single delivery. He is the person I'd call when things fall apart."

The strong one shows problem-solving, leadership, and reliability without using those words. That is what employers want to see.

A good recommendation usually has:

• How the writer knows you
• A specific situation
• What you did
• The result
• A closing line on why they would work with you again

How do you use recommendations outside LinkedIn?

Recommendations do the most good when employers actually see them. Most recruiters will not scroll your whole profile, so bring the proof to them.

On your resume:

• Add your LinkedIn profile link at the top, next to your phone and email.
• Some people add one short quote under a job. Example: *"Rebuilt our delivery routes in a weekend and trained new hires." (Operations Manager)*. Use this sparingly: one or two quotes at most.

In your cover letter:

• Mention the story and the source. "My former manager wrote that I rebuilt our delivery routes over a weekend during the holiday rush. I'd bring that same calm to your team."

In interviews:

• When asked "Tell me about a time you solved a problem," tell the same story your recommender wrote about. Now your answer matches what is already public.
• If they ask for references, the people who wrote recommendations are often good choices. Ask them first.

On your profile:

• Turn on the recommendations you want visible and hide any that are weak or off-topic.
• Make sure your headline and About section mention the same skills your recommendations prove.

Should you write recommendations for others?

Yes. It helps in three ways:

1. People often return the favor without being asked.

2. Your recommendations for others show up on your profile too, which shows you notice and support coworkers.

3. Writing about others' strengths is good practice for describing your own.

Only write recommendations you mean. Keep them specific, just like the ones you want to receive.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Trading fake recommendations with friends who never worked with you. Recruiters can see the connection and dates.
• Asking ten people at once with the same message. It looks like spam and gets weak results.
• Having all recommendations from one job. Spread them across roles.
• Letting them get old. If your newest one is from many years ago, ask for a fresh one.
• Leaving generic ones visible. One great recommendation beats five vague ones.

What if you have no recent work history?

Maybe you took time off to care for family, or you are changing careers. You can still get useful recommendations:

1. Volunteer leaders. A food bank coordinator can speak to your reliability and teamwork.

2. Instructors from a recent course. They can describe how fast you learn and how you work in groups.

3. Freelance or side-job clients. Even small jobs count if the person saw how you handle problems.

4. Former coworkers from older jobs. A strong story from years ago still shows character. Just add at least one recent one when you can.

Your next step this week

Pick the two soft skills that show up most in the job posts you want. Then think of one person who saw you use each skill and one story they remember. Send each of them a personal request using the template above, with the skill and the story named. When the recommendations come in, add your LinkedIn link to your resume and practice telling those same two stories out loud for your next interview.

FAQ

How many LinkedIn recommendations should I have?

Three to five strong ones from different types of people, such as a manager, a coworker, and a client, usually work better than a long list of vague ones.

Is it okay to write a draft for the person recommending me?

Yes, if they ask for help or say they are short on time. Keep it true and specific, and let them edit it so the final words are theirs.

Can I hide a LinkedIn recommendation I don't like?

Yes. You can choose which recommendations show on your profile and hide ones that are weak or off-topic.