What endorsements are and where they come from

An endorsement is a public statement from someone else — usually someone with relevant experience or standing — that confirms you have a particular skill, credential, or quality. The person endorsing you is saying they have direct knowledge of your work or character and are willing to attach their name to that claim.

Endorsements come from people who have worked with you, supervised you, taught you, or otherwise observed your abilities firsthand. They are not the same as references, which are typically private conversations between an employer and someone you name. An endorsement is a visible statement, often posted on a professional platform like LinkedIn, included in a portfolio, or published as a testimonial on a website.

The value of an endorsement depends entirely on who gives it. An endorsement from someone widely known in your field carries more weight than one from a peer. An endorsement from a former employer or client carries more weight than one from a classmate. The specificity also matters — "John is a hard worker" is weaker than "John built the database system that reduced our processing time by 40 percent."

Key Takeaways

  • Endorsements must come from people with direct knowledge of your work, not from strangers or people you ask to endorse you in exchange for an endorsement back.
  • The strongest endorsements come from former employers, clients, teachers, or collaborators who can point to specific work you did together.
  • You can request endorsements directly, but the person must be willing to give one honestly — a forced or generic endorsement damages your credibility.
  • Building a track record of completed projects, visible work, and professional relationships is the foundation that makes endorsements possible.
  • Different fields and platforms have different endorsement norms — LinkedIn endorsements work differently than client testimonials or academic letters of recommendation.

Building relationships that lead to endorsements

Endorsements do not appear out of nowhere. They come from people who know your work well enough to vouch for it. The first step is to do work that is worth endorsing — complete projects, solve problems, deliver results that other people can see and measure.

Work visibly when you can. If you are a designer, build a portfolio of finished work. If you are a developer, contribute to open-source projects or publish code samples. If you are a consultant, document case studies or ask clients for permission to describe what you did for them. If you are a manager, help your team succeed in ways that are visible to people outside your when ready circle. The more people who see your actual work, the more people can speak to it credibly.

Maintain contact with people you have worked with. This does not mean constant networking or forced relationship-building. It means staying in touch with former colleagues, managers, clients, and collaborators in a natural way — a LinkedIn connection, an occasional email, attendance at industry events. When you ask for an endorsement months or years later, the person will remember you and your work more clearly if you have stayed loosely connected.

How to ask for an endorsement directly

You can ask someone directly for an endorsement. The key is to make the request specific, straightforward to say yes to, and honest about what you are asking.

Identify the right person. Choose someone who has direct knowledge of the skill or quality you want endorsed. If you want an endorsement for project management, ask a former manager or a client you managed a project for — not a peer who worked alongside you. If you want an endorsement for technical skill, ask someone who reviewed your work or collaborated with you on it.

Make the request specific. Instead of "Will you endorse me on LinkedIn?" say "I am building my professional profile and would value an endorsement for my work on the X project we did together in 2022. You saw firsthand how I handled the timeline and the client communication." This reminds the person of the specific work and makes it easier for them to write something genuine.

Give them an out. Do not pressure someone into endorsing you. If they decline or seem hesitant, accept that gracefully. A reluctant endorsement is worse than no endorsement at all because it reads as insincere.

Endorsements on LinkedIn and professional platforms

LinkedIn has two endorsement features: the Skills section, where connections can click a button to endorse you for specific skills, and Recommendations, which are longer written statements.

Skills endorsements on LinkedIn are low-friction — a connection can endorse you with a single click. These accumulate quickly but carry less weight individually because they require no thought or verification. They are useful as a signal that multiple people recognize a skill, but they are not a substitute for detailed recommendations.

Recommendations are more valuable. These are written statements that appear on your profile and can be seen by anyone viewing it. A recommendation from a former manager saying "Sarah led our product redesign and increased user retention by 25 percent" is far more credible than fifty skill endorsements for "product management."

To get recommendations on LinkedIn, you can request them directly through the platform. Write a note to the person explaining what skill or project you want them to comment on, and ask if they would be willing to write a recommendation. Many people will, especially if you have worked closely together. You can also offer to write a recommendation for them first — this often prompts reciprocal recommendations, though you should only do this if you can write something honest.

Endorsements from clients and customers

If you work with clients or customers, testimonials and case studies are a form of endorsement. These are particularly valuable because they come from people who paid for your work and have a direct stake in whether it was good.

Ask clients for permission to use their name and describe the work you did for them. You can ask this in writing after the project is complete: "I would like to include a brief case study of our work together on my website. Would you be comfortable with me naming your company and describing the results we achieved?" Many clients will say yes, especially if the results were positive.

If a client offers unsolicited praise, ask if you can quote them or use their testimonial. Capture their exact words when possible — a real quote is more credible than a paraphrase. Include their name, title, and company if they are willing to be identified.

For service-based work, platforms like Google, Yelp, Trustpilot, and industry-specific review sites allow clients to leave public reviews. You cannot write these yourself, but you can ask satisfied clients to leave a review. Make it straightforward by providing a direct link to your review page and a straightforward request: "If you were happy with our work, we would appreciate a review on Google."

Endorsements in academic and credential contexts

Letters of recommendation from teachers, advisors, or mentors serve as endorsements in academic and early-career contexts. These are typically required for graduate school, scholarships, or competitive fellowships.

Ask for a letter of recommendation well in advance — at least three to four weeks before the important date. Provide the person with the details they need: the important date, the program or opportunity you are explore for, a copy of your resume or CV, and a brief note about why you are explore and what you hope they will emphasize.

Choose recommenders who know your work well. A professor who taught you in a class where you excelled, a research advisor you worked with closely, or a supervisor who saw you grow in a role can all write strong letters. Someone who barely knows you will write a generic letter that does not help.

What to do if you do not have endorsements yet

If you are early in your career or changing fields, you may not have a long list of people who can endorse you. This is normal and does not disqualify you from opportunities.

Start by doing work that is visible and documented. Complete projects, build a portfolio, contribute to open-source work, write about what you know, or volunteer in ways that produce tangible results. Each piece of work is a potential foundation for an endorsement later.

Seek out mentors and collaborators who can observe your work. This might be a manager, a senior colleague, a teacher, or a client. The relationship does not have to be formal — it just needs to be real enough that the person sees your work firsthand.

Build your professional network gradually. Attend industry events, join professional associations, participate in online communities related to your field. These connections may not endorse you when ready, but they create the possibility of future endorsements as you work together or your reputation grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pay someone to endorse me?

No. An endorsement that is paid for is not credible and can damage your reputation if discovered. Endorsements must be genuine statements from people who actually know your work. If someone is willing to endorse you only for money, that is a sign the endorsement is not worth having.

What if someone asks me to endorse them in exchange for an endorsement back?

You can decline. A mutual endorsement where neither person has actually worked with the other is not credible. If you have genuinely worked together and can write an honest endorsement, do it. But do not endorse someone just to get an endorsement in return.

How many endorsements do I need?

Quality matters far more than quantity. Three detailed, specific endorsements from credible people are worth more than twenty generic ones. Focus on getting endorsements from people who can speak to your actual work rather than collecting as many as possible.

Can I use endorsements from people I have not worked with recently?

Yes, but the more recent the work, the stronger the endorsement. An endorsement from someone you worked with five years ago is still valuable if the skill is still relevant. If you have not worked with someone in a decade, a more recent endorsement from someone else may carry more weight.

What if someone gives me a bad endorsement or recommendation?

On LinkedIn, you can decline a recommendation before it appears on your profile. For other platforms, you may be able to request that a review be removed if it violates the platform's policies. If the endorsement is honest but unflattering, you have the option to not display it or to respond professionally if the platform allows it.