In the past week or so I received another Linked In email from a “connection” to endorse them and recommend them for their Linked In profile.
The problem with that? I don’t really know them. Yeah, I’m connected with them but only on Linked In. We are not connected on any other SM platform, we never engage one another, until now, I’ve never received an email or DM from this person. EVER!
Here is the email:
Dear Susan,
I’m sending this to ask you for a brief recommendation of my work that I can include in my LinkedIn profile. If you have any questions, let me know.
Thanks in advance for helping me out.
Ms. X (not her real name)
I was tempted to respond with, “My only question is, ‘What would you like me to write?’”
Instead, I responded with:
Dear Ms. X,
While I appreciate the connection with you and the request to recommend you, I am going to have to decline. I cannot, with a clear conscience, do that. Not without knowing you or your work to the degree where I would feel comfortable doing so.
I do wish you well.
You may be thinking “That is totally rude of you, Susan.” But I say, NAY!
How could I pull something out of the air and recommend someone that I hardly know. That’s like recommending a doctor, dentist, lawyer or whatever, to one of your friends without first-hand knowledge or experience of them or their services. It just doesn’t make sense.
Social Media is about engagement. Engaging and staying connected throughout our platforms. We are hanging out on a weekly, sometimes daily basis. We hear about each others businesses, what’s going on with each other, in our worlds, (children, family, pets) and we know, trust and hopefully like our community. Our trusted network. THEN, we can in good conscience, recommend them to our other friends.
This is the only way these things work.
Check out Laurie Ruettimann’s post on Linked In Recommendations. I love it. And, I totally agree.
By the way, do Linked In recommendations really make a difference? I’d love to hear from you, especially from you Recruiters and HRÂ practitioners……
(stay tuned for “5 Reasons Why I Hate Linked In” coming soon)
Photo Credit: The Anti-Social Media
When I view LI profile that has recommendations from clients, peers, managers or reports at a company that clearly indicate quality of work and workplace relationships, it calls my attention. When I see them from social media buddies who have never engaged the individual professionally – and there are far too many cases of it (some people have 10′s of these recommendations on their profiles) it indicates the individual does not understand the meaning of valid recommendations and or doesn’t have valid or real recommendations – they just social butterflies without substantive accomplishments that are recommendable. that’s the impression I am left with.
That’s great to hear and totally makes sense. Unless we have spent time working alongside folks, know their work ethic, how they “getterdone” than how can we in good conscience recommend them? Thanks Karla.
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Your example has me with my head in my hands (except not just this second else I couldn’t type eh…). I’m amazed that people who don’t have working experience with others would ask for a recommendation, some people.
I think they have their place when they reflect a genuine relationship. I think your reply to Ms X was not rude, it was spot on. Nicely done.
Thanks Doug. I’m always amazed at what people continue to do on Social Media (and in person)…..never a dull moment. Thanks for the comment and stopping by to give your few cents