What Are LinkedIn Endorsements?
Endorsements are when someone in your network clicks the "+" button on one of your listed skills to confirm you have that skill. It's a lightweight form of social proof — like a thumbs up for your professional abilities.
Endorsements are NOT recommendations. Recommendations are written testimonials. Endorsements are single-click skill validations. Both matter, but they serve different purposes.
Why Endorsements Matter
1. LinkedIn Search Rankings
LinkedIn's algorithm considers endorsements when ranking profiles in search results. More endorsements on relevant skills = higher visibility when someone searches for those skills.
2. Social Proof
When a prospect visits your profile and sees "99+ endorsements for Sales Strategy," it builds instant credibility — even if they don't know who endorsed you.
3. Skills Validation
Endorsements signal which skills your network associates with you. If 50 people endorsed you for "Cold Email" but only 3 for "Social Media Marketing," your profile clearly communicates your strength.
4. Profile Completeness
Having endorsed skills contributes to LinkedIn's profile strength meter. A "complete" profile gets more visibility.
How Endorsements Work
Adding Skills to Your Profile
- Go to your profile → scroll to Skills section
- Click "Add a new skill"
- Type the skill name — LinkedIn suggests options
- Add up to 50 skills (but focus on your top 10-15)
- Pin your top 3 — these appear prominently and get the most endorsements
How Someone Endorses You
- They visit your profile
- They scroll to the Skills section
- They click the "+" next to a skill
- Done — one click, no text required
Endorsement Visibility
- Your top 3 pinned skills show endorsement counts publicly
- Other skills show counts when expanded
- You can see WHO endorsed you for each skill
- You can hide endorsements you don't want displayed
How to Get More Endorsements
Strategy 1: Endorse Others First
The reciprocity principle works. When you endorse someone, they get a notification and often endorse you back.
The play:
- Go through your connections list
- Endorse 10-20 people per day for relevant skills
- Many will reciprocate within days
Target: Endorse people in your industry who are likely to have relevant skills on their profiles.
Strategy 2: Ask Directly (But Naturally)
After a successful project or collaboration, ask:
"Hey [Name], really enjoyed working together on [project]. Would you mind endorsing me for [specific skill] on LinkedIn? Happy to do the same for you."
When to ask:
- After completing a project together
- After receiving positive feedback
- When someone compliments your work in a conversation
- During natural networking moments
Strategy 3: Optimize Your Skills List
People can only endorse skills you've listed. Make sure your skills reflect what you want to be known for.
Do:
- List skills that match your target role or industry
- Pin your 3 most important/marketable skills
- Include both broad skills (Marketing) and specific skills (LinkedIn Advertising)
- Remove skills that don't serve your goals
Don't:
- List skills you don't want clients/employers to associate with you
- Keep outdated skills (unless you still want to be found for them)
- Have more than 20-25 active skills (dilutes the signal)
Strategy 4: Keep Your Profile Active
Active profiles get more profile views, which leads to more endorsements. Post content, comment on posts, send connection requests — all of this drives traffic to your profile.
Strategy 5: Engage in Your Niche
When you're visible in your professional community — posting about your expertise, commenting on relevant content, sharing insights — people naturally think of you when they see the endorsement prompt.
Managing Your Endorsements
Reorder Your Skills
Your top 3 skills get the most visibility:
- Go to Skills section → pencil icon
- Drag skills to reorder
- Put your most important/most endorsed skills at the top
Hide Unwanted Endorsements
If someone endorses you for a skill you don't want highlighted:
- Go to the skill
- Click the endorsement count
- Toggle the visibility off for specific endorsers
Remove Skills
If a skill doesn't serve your goals:
- Skills section → pencil icon
- Click the X next to the skill
- This removes the skill AND all its endorsements
LinkedIn Skills Assessment (Badges)
LinkedIn offers skill quizzes for certain skills. Passing adds a "Verified" badge to that skill.
How to take one:
- Go to Skills section
- Look for skills with a "Take quiz" option
- Complete the timed multiple-choice assessment
- Pass (top 30%) → badge added to your profile
Available for: Excel, Python, JavaScript, Photoshop, SEO, Google Analytics, and 100+ other skills.
Worth doing? Yes — verified badges make your endorsements more credible and you rank higher in recruiter searches.
Endorsements vs Recommendations
| Endorsements | Recommendations | |
|---|---|---|
| Effort | One click | Written paragraph |
| Specificity | Skill-level only | Detailed context |
| Credibility | Moderate (easy to give) | High (requires effort) |
| Quantity | Aim for 20+ per key skill | 5-10 total is strong |
| SEO impact | Yes (search ranking) | Less direct |
| Best for | Search visibility, quick credibility | Deep trust-building |
Strategy: Get endorsements for search ranking. Get recommendations for conversion (when someone is seriously evaluating you).
How Endorsements Help Your Outreach
When you send a connection request or message, the recipient checks your profile. Endorsed skills create instant credibility before you've said a word.
Handshake automates the outreach that drives people to your profile:
- Connection requests at scale — more people viewing your endorsed skills
- Profile optimization — combined with endorsements, your profile converts visitors into connections
- Automated sequences — follow up after they see your credibility
Build the credibility. Let Handshake deliver the traffic.
FAQ
How many endorsements should I aim for?
50+ on your top 3 skills is a strong signal. 99+ (the display cap) is ideal. For other skills, even 5-10 endorsements add credibility.
Can I endorse someone I've never worked with?
Technically yes — LinkedIn doesn't prevent it. But endorsements from people who've actually worked with you carry more weight in the viewer's mind.
Do endorsements expire?
No. Once given, endorsements remain unless the endorser removes them or you delete the skill.
Can I see who endorsed me?
Yes. Click the endorsement count on any skill to see the full list of people who endorsed you.
Should I endorse people back out of courtesy?
Only if you genuinely believe they have that skill. Mass-endorsing everyone cheapens the system and your credibility.
Endorsements build credibility. Outreach builds pipeline. Handshake automates LinkedIn growth so your endorsed profile reaches the right people.