The Professional Gift That Pays Forward
Most professionals know that LinkedIn recommendations are valuable. They add credibility to a profile, provide social proof of your capabilities, and differentiate you from candidates whose profiles have no third-party endorsement.
What fewer professionals appreciate is the strategic value of writing recommendations for others.
When you write a genuine, well-crafted recommendation for a colleague, a direct report, a manager, or a client you do three things simultaneously. You strengthen your professional relationship with that person. You demonstrate your own communication and leadership skills to everyone who reads it. And you invest in a professional community where reciprocal support is the norm.
The best LinkedIn recommendations are not generic endorsements. They are specific, vivid, credible accounts of someone’s genuine capabilities and contributions — written in a way that makes the reader feel confident about engaging with that person.
This guide shows you exactly how to write one.
What Makes a LinkedIn Recommendation Genuinely Valuable
Before the templates understand what separates an excellent recommendation from a mediocre one.
Most LinkedIn recommendations are some variation of: “I had the pleasure of working with [name] and they are a fantastic professional. They are hardworking, dedicated, and a great team player. I would highly recommend them to anyone.”
This type of recommendation is almost worthless. It is generic — it could apply to anyone. It contains no specific evidence. It gives the reader no reason to believe it. And it signals that the writer did not invest enough effort or thought to write something genuinely useful.
A genuinely valuable recommendation has four qualities.
Specificity
It references specific projects, specific skills, specific situations, or specific achievements — not generic statements that could apply to any professional anywhere.
Evidence
It backs up its claims with concrete examples. Not “she is an excellent communicator” but “she presented our quarterly results to an audience of two hundred senior stakeholders with no notes — handling every question confidently and concisely.”
Credibility
It clearly establishes your relationship with the person — how long you worked together, in what capacity, and what you directly observed. This context makes the recommendation credible.
Genuine voice
It sounds like a real person wrote it — not a corporate template. The best recommendations have specific details and authentic reactions that could only come from someone who genuinely observed the person’s work.
The Structure of an Excellent Recommendation
Opening — establish your relationship and credibility
How do you know this person? In what capacity did you work together? For how long? This context immediately establishes your credibility as a witness to their capabilities.
Core paragraph — their most impressive quality with specific evidence
What is the single most impressive thing about this person professionally? Describe it specifically — with a concrete example that demonstrates it rather than simply asserting it.
Second quality or contribution — with evidence
A second specific quality or contribution that adds dimension to the picture.
Overall assessment — confident and genuine
A clear, confident statement about this person’s overall professional quality and your endorsement of them.
Closing — who would benefit from working with them
Specifically who would most benefit from working with this person — the type of organisation, role, or challenge they are most suited for.
Templates for Every Relationship Type
Template 1 — Recommending a Direct Report
“I managed [Name] for [time period] at [Company] and I can say with genuine confidence that [he/she/they] is one of the most capable [job title / type of professional] I have had the privilege of working with.
What sets [Name] apart is [their most impressive quality]. When [specific situation or challenge arose] [Name] [specific thing they did and how]. The result was [specific outcome with numbers where possible]. This was not a one-off performance — it was representative of the standard [he/she/they] consistently maintained.
Beyond [first quality] [Name] is [second quality]. [Specific example demonstrating second quality].
Any organisation that has the opportunity to bring [Name] onto their team should do so without hesitation. [He/She/They] would particularly excel in [specific type of role or organisation] where [his/her/their] ability to [specific capability] would be a genuine asset.
I recommend [Name] without reservation and would welcome the opportunity to speak further with anyone considering working with [him/her/them].”
Template 2 — Recommending a Manager or Senior Colleague
“I had the privilege of working directly with [Name] for [time period] during [his/her/their] tenure as [their role] at [Company]. The experience shaped my approach to [relevant area] in ways that continue to influence how I work.
[Name]’s most distinctive quality as a leader is [specific leadership quality]. [He/She/They] [specific example demonstrating this quality]. What made this particularly impressive was [what made it notable — the circumstances, the outcome, the approach].
[Name] also has [second specific quality — perhaps a technical skill, a relationship capability, or a strategic quality]. [Specific example].
If you are looking for a [type of professional] who brings [specific combination of qualities] to the people and organisations they work with I would recommend [Name] without hesitation. [He/She/They] made me better at my job and I am confident [he/she/they] would do the same for any team fortunate enough to work with [him/her/them].”
Template 3 — Recommending a Peer or Colleague
“I worked alongside [Name] for [time period] at [Company] where we collaborated closely on [type of work]. In that time I developed a genuine appreciation for both [his/her/their] professional capabilities and [his/her/their] qualities as a colleague and collaborator.
[Name] is exceptional at [specific capability]. I saw this most clearly when [specific situation]. [He/She/They] [specific action]. The outcome — [specific result] — was a direct reflection of [his/her/their] [skill or quality].
What I valued equally was [Name]’s [interpersonal or collaborative quality]. In a team environment where [describe the challenge or context] [Name] consistently [specific positive behaviour].
Any team would be fortunate to have [Name] as a colleague. [He/She/They] brings [specific combination of qualities] that makes the work better and the team stronger. I recommend [him/her/them] enthusiastically.”
Template 4 — Recommending a Client or Business Partner
“I have had the pleasure of working with [Name] in [his/her/their] capacity as [their role] at [their company] for [time period]. In that relationship [Name] has consistently demonstrated the qualities that make a client or partner genuinely exceptional to work with.
[Name] approaches [the relevant work] with [specific quality — unusual clarity, genuine partnership, strategic depth]. [Specific example]. This made our collaboration significantly more productive than the typical [type of relationship].
[He/She/They] also brings [second quality] to everything [he/she/they] does. [Specific example].
I would enthusiastically recommend [Name] to any professional or organisation looking for [what this person does or what they bring]. Working with someone who combines [specific qualities] the way [Name] does is genuinely rare.”
Template 5 — Recommending Someone for a Specific Role Type
When someone has asked for a recommendation specifically to support their job search in a particular direction tailor your recommendation to speak directly to their fit for that type of role.
“[Name] and I worked together for [time period] at [Company] where [he/she/they] served as [their role]. I am writing this recommendation specifically to speak to [his/her/their] readiness for [target role type] — a transition I believe is both natural and compelling given what I observed of [his/her/their] capabilities.
During our time together [Name] consistently demonstrated [quality most relevant to target role]. [Specific example that is most relevant to the target role]. This experience — combined with [his/her/their] background in [relevant area] — gives [him/her/them] a perspective that would be genuinely valuable in [target role type].
[Second quality relevant to target role]. [Specific example].
I believe [Name] would excel as [target role] particularly because [specific reason connecting their background to the demands of the role]. I recommend [him/her/them] enthusiastically for this type of opportunity.”
How to Write a Recommendation When You Have Been Asked
Most LinkedIn recommendations are written in response to a request. Handling that request well — producing something genuinely useful rather than a rushed generic endorsement — requires a specific approach.
Step 1 — Ask for a brief
Before writing anything ask the person to send you a brief — what role or opportunity they are pursuing, what they would most like the recommendation to highlight, and any specific projects or achievements they would like you to reference.
Most people feel awkward asking for this — but a recommendation written with this context is dramatically better than one written without it.
Step 2 — Reflect on your genuine observations
Think specifically about what you have observed of this person’s work. What is the single most impressive thing you have directly witnessed? What specific situation or project best demonstrates their capabilities? What quality of theirs has most benefited you or your team?
Step 3 — Write the specific first
Start with the most specific, concrete example you can recall. Build the recommendation around this specific evidence rather than starting with the generic assessment and trying to find examples to support it.
Step 4 — Use the templates as a structure — not a script
The templates above provide structure. Fill them with your genuine, specific observations — not with language copied directly from the template. A recommendation that sounds like a template is almost as unhelpful as no recommendation at all.
Using AI to Write LinkedIn Recommendations
AI is particularly useful for writing LinkedIn recommendations — helping you structure your genuine observations into a compelling, well-written endorsement.
The recommendation AI prompt:
“Please help me write a LinkedIn recommendation for [name]. Here is the context:
My relationship with them: [how you know them — manager, colleague, client, direct report]
Time period: [how long you worked together]
Their most impressive quality I directly observed: [describe specifically]
A specific example that demonstrates this quality: [describe the situation and outcome]
A second quality I observed: [describe]
An example of this second quality: [describe]
What type of role or opportunity this recommendation is supporting: [if known]
Overall assessment: [your genuine overall view of this person]
Please write a genuine, specific, credible LinkedIn recommendation that:
— Clearly establishes my relationship and credibility as a witness
— Leads with specific evidence rather than generic praise
— Sounds like a real person wrote it — not a template
— Is approximately 150 to 200 words
— Would genuinely differentiate this person to someone reading their profile”
Review the output and personalise with specific details that only you would know. Add the exact words, the specific numbers, the particular context that makes the recommendation genuinely yours rather than AI-generated text with your name on it.
How to Request a LinkedIn Recommendation
Requesting a recommendation requires the same care as writing one. A poor request produces a poor recommendation — or no recommendation at all.
The recommendation request message:
“Hi [Name] — I hope you are well. I am updating my LinkedIn profile and I wondered if you would be willing to write a recommendation for me based on our work together at [Company]. I completely understand if you are too busy or would prefer not to — please do not feel any obligation.
If you are willing I would be really grateful. To make it as easy as possible I wanted to share a brief context:
— I am currently looking for [type of role / staying in current field]
— The qualities I would most hope you might speak to are [two or three specific qualities most relevant to your current goals]
— The project I think best demonstrated [relevant quality] was [specific project]
Thank you so much for considering this. Your recommendation would mean a lot to me.”
This message does three things that dramatically improve the quality of recommendations received. It makes it easy to say no — which paradoxically increases acceptance rates. It gives clear context about what would be most useful. And it suggests a specific project — which gives the writer a starting point and produces more specific recommendations.
Recommendation Checklist
Before submitting any LinkedIn recommendation:
Clearly establishes how you know the person and for how long ✅
Leads with a specific quality rather than a generic endorsement ✅
Includes at least one concrete example with specific details ✅
Includes a second quality or contribution ✅
Provides a genuine overall assessment ✅
Specifies who would benefit from working with this person ✅
Is 150 to 200 words — long enough to be substantive, short enough to be read ✅
Sounds like a real person wrote it — not a template ✅
Has been proofread — no errors ✅
Final Thoughts
A great LinkedIn recommendation is a genuine professional gift — one that adds real value to someone’s profile and real warmth to your professional relationship with them.
It takes fifteen to twenty minutes to write well. And it is one of the most generous, most remembered professional gestures available to you — particularly when it arrives without being requested.
Invest in writing excellent recommendations for the people whose work you genuinely admire. Invest in requesting them from the people who know your work best. And watch the quality of your professional network — and your LinkedIn profile — improve as a result.
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