An endorsement is the lightest proof LinkedIn offers: one click, no words. Useful, but easy to overrate. It helps to see it next to the other two things on your profile that say what you are good at.
| A listed skill | An endorsement | A recommendation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who adds it | You | A 1st-degree connection | Someone you worked with |
| Effort | Seconds | One click | A written paragraph |
| What it shows | What you say you do | That someone agrees with the label | How you did the work, in their words |
| Weight with a careful reader | Low on its own | Light | The strongest of the three |
So endorsements sit in the middle. They make a skill look backed by real people, especially when the endorsers are former teammates or clients a reader recognizes. They do not show what you did with that skill. For that, you need a recommendation, and the guide on how to ask for a LinkedIn recommendation shows how to ask for one people actually write.
Questions people ask
Who can endorse me?
Your 1st-degree connections, on skills you have added to your profile. People outside your network cannot. See connection degrees if the levels are unclear.
Do endorsements help me show up in search?
LinkedIn has not published how much endorsements count. What is clear is that skills help LinkedIn understand what you do, and recruiters often search by skill. So the bigger win is choosing the right skills in the first place. Endorsements on top add a light layer of social proof for the human who lands on your profile.
Why does LinkedIn show some endorsers and not others?
LinkedIn highlights a few people next to each skill, and those tend to be people relevant to you, such as colleagues or others in your field. You do not choose which names appear first.
Should I endorse people so they endorse me back?
Endorse skills you have actually seen someone use. People often return the favor, but trading clicks for the sake of it adds little, and a profile full of endorsements from strangers in unrelated fields can look odd.
Can I hide or turn off endorsements?
Yes. Your settings let you choose whether people can endorse you, and you can hide individual endorsements from your profile.
How do I get endorsements on the skills that matter?
Put the skills you want to be known for at the top of your list, since those get the most attention. Remove old or off-target skills that dilute the rest; how to add skills on LinkedIn covers which ones to keep. Then, if you want to ask, pick a few colleagues who know your work and name the one or two skills you mean.
A better way to say thanks
When someone endorses you and you would like to return the favor with more than a click, write them a short, specific recommendation instead. The free Recommendation Writer drafts one for a manager, peer or client, and there are fill-in versions in our recommendation templates. While you are tidying your skills, it is a good moment to check your headline matches them; the Headline Generator can help.