LinkedIn Endorsements
Scroll to the Skills section of almost any LinkedIn profile and you will see a row of names next to each listed skill — proof, in theory, that other people vouch for that ability. Those are endorsements, one of LinkedIn's oldest features and also one of its most misunderstood. Some people chase them aggressively; others ignore them completely. Neither approach reflects what endorsements actually do for a profile.
What are LinkedIn endorsements?
An endorsement is a one-click confirmation from a connection that you possess a specific skill listed on your profile. Unlike a recommendation, which requires someone to write a paragraph about working with you, an endorsement takes seconds — LinkedIn often even prompts connections with a suggested skill to endorse when they view your profile. Each skill on your profile can accumulate its own count of endorsements, and LinkedIn typically highlights your top three most-endorsed skills near the top of that section.
Do endorsements actually matter?
They matter more for perception than for algorithmic reach. Endorsements do not meaningfully influence LinkedIn's feed ranking the way comments or shares do, since they are a profile feature rather than a content engagement signal. Where they do matter is in the split-second judgment a recruiter, client, or potential collaborator makes when scanning your profile: a skill with dozens of endorsements from people in relevant roles reads as more credible than the same skill sitting at zero, even if both people are equally capable. It is a social proof signal, not a discovery mechanism.
How to build genuine, relevant endorsements
The most effective approach is also the simplest: endorse people whose work you have genuinely seen firsthand, and many of them will naturally return the favor over time. Reaching out directly to a handful of former colleagues, clients, or managers and asking them to endorse two or three specific skills — rather than a vague "endorse me for anything" — tends to produce endorsements that are both more numerous and more relevant, since you can guide them toward the skills that actually matter for the roles or clients you are trying to attract.
It also helps to periodically prune your skills list itself. LinkedIn allows dozens of skills to be listed, but a shorter list of ten to fifteen highly relevant ones, each with a meaningful number of endorsements, looks far more credible than fifty skills where most sit at zero or one. Reordering your list so the skills most relevant to your current goals sit at the top (LinkedIn lets you drag and reorder) ensures the endorsements that matter most are what a viewer sees first.
Endorsements vs. recommendations
It is worth being clear about the difference, since people often confuse the two. Endorsements are quick, skill-specific, and low-effort to give — great for volume and breadth. Recommendations are written, detailed, and typically describe a specific working relationship or project — far more persuasive on their own but much harder to collect. A strong profile usually has both: a healthy spread of endorsements across core skills, plus a small number of substantive written recommendations from people who can speak to your actual work.
A common mistake
Mass-endorsing everyone in your network indiscriminately, hoping for reciprocity, tends to backfire — it is easy to spot and does little to build the kind of genuine, targeted endorsements that actually influence how someone perceives your profile. A smaller number of thoughtful, specific endorsements from credible people in relevant fields will do far more for your credibility than a large number of generic ones.
Related terms in our Knowledge Hub
Frequently asked questions
Do LinkedIn endorsements affect the algorithm?
Not directly. Endorsements are a profile credibility signal rather than a feed engagement signal, so they do not boost how widely your posts get distributed.
How do I get more endorsements on LinkedIn?
Endorse people whose skills you have genuinely observed, and reach out directly asking specific connections to endorse particular skills rather than posting a general request.
What is the difference between an endorsement and a recommendation?
An endorsement is a quick, one-click confirmation of a specific skill. A recommendation is a written testimonial describing a working relationship in more detail, and carries more weight per instance.
Should I list every skill I have on LinkedIn?
No. A focused list of ten to fifteen relevant skills with real endorsements looks more credible than dozens of skills that mostly sit with zero or one endorsement.
