UK LinkedIn Tips · 2026
How to Get LinkedIn Recommendations (UK 2026)
Why this matters
Recommendations are third-party validation that a CV alone can't provide. Profiles with 3+ recommendations get materially more recruiter messages than profiles with none. UK recruiters specifically scan recommendations for: who's vouching for you, what they say about you, and how recent the recommendations are. Old recommendations (3+ years) signal stale relationships.
Exact steps
- 1 Identify 5-8 ex-colleagues likely to write a strong recommendation
- 2 Send a direct LinkedIn message — not the generic LinkedIn 'request recommendation' button
- 3 Mention 1-2 specific things you'd want them to highlight
- 4 Offer to write one back if relevant
- 5 Make it easy: 'No pressure, no rush, 2-3 sentences is plenty'
- 6 Follow up gently after 2 weeks if no response
- 7 Aim for 1-2 new recommendations per quarter to keep them fresh
What good looks like
Hi Sarah, hope you're well. I'm refreshing my LinkedIn and wondered if you'd be willing to write a short recommendation? Specifically about the migration project we worked on in 2023 — I valued how you handled the stakeholder side and would love to capture that. No pressure, no rush, 2-3 sentences is plenty. Happy to return the favour if useful.
What bad looks like
Hi, can you write me a recommendation? Thanks. [Or using LinkedIn's generic 'Request Recommendation' template without personalisation.]
Common mistakes
- ✗Using LinkedIn's generic recommendation request — feels lazy
- ✗Asking too many people at once — flags desperation
- ✗Not specifying what you'd want them to mention — most people don't know what to write
- ✗Asking ex-employers you didn't get on with — usually produces lukewarm or no response
- ✗Asking too senior people who don't really know your work — generic recommendations look hollow
Recruiter pro tip
The strongest LinkedIn recommendations come from peers and ex-direct-reports, not just ex-managers. A recommendation from a peer ('worked alongside her on the X project') signals collaborative skill in a way manager recommendations often don't. UK recruiters notice this specifically. Aim for a mix: 1-2 ex-managers, 2-3 peers, 1 ex-direct-report if you've managed.
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