Your LinkedIn “Skills” section is easy for a recruiter or potential client to skim over, but a great recommendation is impossible to ignore. This guide provides top LinkedIn recommendation examples that offer the specific, story-driven social proof needed to validate your expertise. We’ll move beyond generic praise like “she’s a great team player” and break down the exact formula for crafting endorsements that tell a compelling story about your value. By the end of this article, you will understand how to both ask for and write recommendations that build tangible professional credibility, turning your profile from a simple resume into a powerful case study of your impact.
Think of it this way: your LinkedIn profile is the story you tell about yourself. Your recommendations are the chapters written by other people, providing the social proof that makes your story believable. A weak recommendation is forgettable background noise. “John is a great team player and a hard worker.” That tells us nothing. It’s the equivalent of a restaurant review saying, “The food was edible.” It’s a wasted opportunity.
A powerful recommendation, on the other hand, is specific, enthusiastic, and paints a picture. It tells a mini-story of a challenge, an action, and a result. It brings your skills to life and transforms you from a list of bullet points into a living, breathing professional who gets things done.
The Anatomy of a Killer Recommendation
Before we get to the examples, let’s break down the DNA of a recommendation that truly works. Whether you’re writing one or asking for one, it should contain these four key elements:
- The Hook & Context: Start with a strong, definitive statement that grabs the reader’s attention and clearly states how you know the person. This establishes your credibility to even give the recommendation.
- The Specific Superpower (with a Story): Don’t just list skills. Pick one or two “superpowers” the person has and illustrate them with a specific example or a short story. This is the heart of the recommendation. Instead of saying they’re a “good communicator,” describe a time they explained a complex topic to a client and saved the deal.
- The Tangible Impact: Connect their superpower to a result. How did their action benefit the team, the project, or the company? If you can, use numbers or quantifiable outcomes. This moves the recommendation from subjective praise to objective proof of value.
- The Enthusiastic Closing: End with a strong, forward-looking statement that summarizes their value and gives an unequivocal endorsement. Make it clear you’d work with them again in a heartbeat.
Now, let’s see this anatomy in action with some detailed examples for different professional relationships.
Example 1: From a Manager to a Direct Report
This is one of the most powerful recommendations a person can have. It provides a top-down validation of their skills, work ethic, and results.
The Scenario: A marketing manager writing for a content strategist, Sarah, who has been promoted and is moving to a new company.
Recommendation Text:
“It is a rare pleasure to manage someone as sharp, proactive, and genuinely creative as Sarah. I had the privilege of being her direct manager for over three years at Acme Solutions, during which time I saw her grow from a talented writer into a truly formidable content strategist.
Her standout quality is her ability to turn dry, complex data into compelling stories that drive real business results. I remember one project in particular where we were struggling to generate leads for a new, highly technical SaaS product. While the rest of us were stuck, Sarah dove into our user analytics, identified a key pain point that we had completely overlooked, and single-handedly developed a webinar and follow-up E-book concept around it.
The result? That single campaign she architected ended up generating over 300 MQLs in one quarter, exceeding our team’s goal by 65% and becoming the blueprint for our product launches going forward.
Sarah is not just a content creator; she is a strategic thinker, a collaborative team player, and a professional who takes profound ownership of her work. She would be an incredible asset to any marketing team, and I would hire her again in a second. She has my highest recommendation.”
Why This Works: This example excels by combining a strong, personal hook with a specific, memorable story. The quantifiable results (300 MQLs, 65% over goal) transform praise into proof, and the closing statement—”I would hire her again in a second”—provides an unequivocal endorsement.
Example 2: From a Colleague to a Peer
Peer recommendations are fantastic for highlighting collaboration, reliability, and specific in-the-trenches skills that a manager might not see day-to-day.
The Scenario: A senior developer writing for another developer, Mike, who they worked closely with on a major project.
Recommendation Text:
“I worked alongside Mike on the ‘Project Phoenix’ migration, one of the most complex and high-pressure projects our engineering team has ever tackled, and I can honestly say we wouldn’t have gotten it done without him.
Mike’s title was Senior Developer, but he was really the ‘Chief Problem-Solver’ of the team. His ability to remain calm and methodical under pressure is legendary. There was a moment at 2 AM during the final deployment when a critical, unexpected bug appeared that put the entire launch at risk. While the rest of us were panicking, Mike calmly dove into the legacy code, systematically isolated the issue, and architected a brilliant, clean fix in under an hour. He didn’t just solve the problem; he communicated it clearly to the whole team, turning a moment of chaos into a moment of confidence.
He’s not just a brilliant coder; he’s an incredible collaborator who is always willing to jump in and help a teammate, and he never lets his ego get in the way of finding the best solution. Any development team looking for a reliable, highly skilled, and unflappable engineer needs to talk to Mike.”
Why This Works: The vivid, high-stakes story makes his skills tangible. By showcasing not just his technical ability but also crucial soft skills like grace under pressure and clear communication, it paints a complete picture of a valuable team member.
Example 3: From a Client to a Service Provider/Freelancer
For freelancers and consultants, client recommendations are pure gold. They are direct testimonials of the value and return on investment you provide.
The Scenario: A small business owner writing for a freelance brand strategist, Maria.
Recommendation Text:
“Working with Maria was, without a doubt, one of the best business investments I’ve ever made. Before we hired her, our company’s branding was a scattered, inconsistent mess. We knew what we did, but we had no idea how to communicate our value to the world.
Maria didn’t just come in with a cookie-cutter solution. She took a deep, immersive dive into our business, interviewing our team and even some of our customers. She has a unique talent for listening and extracting the ‘why’ behind a business. The brand strategy and messaging guide she delivered wasn’t just beautiful; it was incredibly insightful and, most importantly, usable. It gave us a clarity we hadn’t had in years.
Since implementing her strategy six months ago, we’ve seen our web traffic increase by 40%, and our lead conversion rate has nearly doubled because we are finally attracting the right kind of customer.
If you feel stuck and need someone to bring clarity, strategy, and creative energy to your brand, you cannot do better than Maria. She delivered far more value than we ever expected.”
Why This Works: It uses a powerful “before and after” framework and is loaded with specific ROI metrics (“40% traffic increase,” “conversion rate doubled”), making it incredibly persuasive for other potential clients who are facing similar problems.
How to Ask for a Recommendation That Doesn’t Suck
Knowing what a good recommendation looks like is half the battle. The other half is asking for it effectively.
- Don’t Use the Generic Button: Never, ever just click the “Request a recommendation” button with no context. It’s impersonal and puts all the work on the other person.
- Ask Personally: Send a direct message or an email first. Reconnect, remind them of a specific project you worked on together, and then make your ask.
- Make It Insanely Easy for Them: This is the most important step. Don’t say, “Hey, can you write me a recommendation?” Say, “Hey, would you be open to writing a brief recommendation for me? I’m particularly hoping to highlight my work on [Project X] and my skills in [Skill Y] and [Skill Z]. Of course, please only write what you’re comfortable with, but I wanted to provide a starting point.” This takes the guesswork out of it and helps them write a much more specific and impactful endorsement.
- Offer to Reciprocate: A great way to ask is to give first. Write a thoughtful recommendation for them, and then in your personal message, mention you’ve done so and would be grateful if they would consider returning the favor if they have time.
A great recommendation is a story of your professional value told through someone else’s voice. It’s one of the most powerful, and often underutilized, assets on your LinkedIn profile. Don’t leave it to chance. Be intentional about curating recommendations that tell the stories you want your future employers and clients to hear.
