By the tiswa editorial team, from the official sources listed at the end of this guide. How we write our guides
A LinkedIn recommendation is a short written statement from someone who worked with you or taught you, and it appears on your profile for anyone who visits. For a student with no work history it is valuable, but the right request is what turns the idea into a real recommendation. This guide covers who to ask, how to ask, and how to write a recommendation for someone else honestly.
The rules to know before you ask
- You can only request or give a recommendation to a first-degree connection. Connect first, then ask.
- Recommendations are requested in your primary profile language only. If your primary profile is in English, ask in English.
- You can have only one open request to the same connection at a time. Do not send another until they respond.
- The relationship cannot be changed after the recommendation is sent. If you chose the wrong one, the person must delete it and you must request again.
- An email address cannot be added as a recommendation. The person needs a LinkedIn profile.
- The person who receives the recommendation chooses whether it is displayed, so do not pressure them.
Who to ask
Ask someone who knows your work: a lecturer who taught you and whose project you worked on, a supervisor from a placement you completed, or a classmate who led the project team with you. Many people ask a well-known figure who never saw their work, and the result is a generic recommendation that helps nobody. A specific recommendation from someone who remembers what you did is far stronger than a famous name who does not know you.
How to ask, step by step
- Open their profile
Go to their profile, choose More, then the option to request a recommendation. You can also open the recommendations section of your own profile and start from there. Labels can differ between the app and the desktop site, but the route is similar.
- Choose the relationship
Select the relationship precisely: lecturer, supervisor, or classmate. Remember that it cannot be changed after sending, so check it before you send.
- Write a short message
Use the template below and name the project, course or placement specifically. The more specific the message, the easier it is for the person to write something useful.
- Say what you want
Ask for one clear aspect, such as your ability to work in a team or the quality of your analysis in a project. A general recommendation takes longer and helps you less.
- Follow up gently
If they have not replied after a few days, send one short reminder. Do not send repeated messages or press them with a deadline.
Request template
Hello [Name], I am now preparing my professional profile on LinkedIn, and I remember the [project name] project in [course name] that we worked on together. Would you be willing to write a short recommendation that mentions [specific skill or aspect], if you feel it is deserved? If that is not suitable, I completely understand. Thank you for your time.
How to write one for a peer
If someone asks you for a recommendation, write it only after you are sure you know their work. A good recommendation describes a specific situation, explains what the person did, and ends with a sentence that sums up their value in the work. An honest recommendation is stronger than general praise, and the reader notices the difference immediately.
I worked with [Name] on [project, course or placement]. What stood out most was [specific quality, such as how they organised the work or solved problems]. For example, when [specific situation from the work], they [what they did and how it helped the team]. I would recommend working with them on [type of opportunity], because [one clear reason].
Why recommendations help a student
A recommendation does not replace experience, but it gives the reader evidence from a third party. Students need that evidence more than most, so link your recommendations to specific projects that also appear in your projects section. The CV guide for students shows how to connect the experience you describe with what others say about it.
If you have few recommendations, or many
- If you have no recommendations yet, that does not mean your profile is weak. It builds over time, and your projects and certificates do similar work.
- Never buy recommendations or request them from fake accounts. It breaks the rules, and it harms your reputation before anything else.
- Review the recommendations you have written yourself, and edit or delete any that no longer reflect your relationship with the person.
When someone recommends you
When someone writes a recommendation for you, you do not decide whether it appears, because the person who received it chooses that. Send them a personal thank you that mentions what helped you in working with them. That is much better than a generic reply. If you are getting ready for a co-op placement, the co-op training guide explains how to use your profile during the search.
When to ask
Do not ask on the first day after you connect. Ask once the person has seen your work, after a finished project, a placement or a shared activity. A request made at the right time is far better than an early one where they know nothing about you. If the work together ended on good terms, the request is usually welcome.
Choose the primary language first
Recommendations are requested in your primary profile language only, so choose that language based on the employers you are targeting. The steps for a second-language profile are in the two-language profile guide, and the wider setup is in the LinkedIn for students guide.
Asking a placement supervisor
When you ask a placement supervisor, focus on the week or project you completed with them, and name a concrete result if there was one. For example: you produced a report that helped the team review an internal process. If no concrete result exists, say clearly what you learned from them. Supervisors write more when they find a point they remember clearly, and they struggle to write about work they cannot recall.
Three checks before you send
Before you press send, check three things: is the relationship chosen carefully, is the project or course named, and is the message short and easy to answer? If all three are yes, you are asking in a way that respects the time of the other person, which is what makes a request more likely to be accepted. The job interview questions guide helps you talk about the same work with confidence once the recommendation is in place.
