Linked In Recommendations

To what extent do you think your Linked In recommendations of others, and others' recommendations of you reflects on you?

An old colleague requests a recommendation - you kind of know him/her, but not well. Or maybe you know him/her, but don't respect his/her work. Do you recommend? An incompetent ex-colleague offers a well-articulated recommendation for you. Do you accept?

NO !

Don't do it.

Maintain a high bar for your recommendations so that they mean something. Turn down requests for recommendations for anyone who you wouldn't hire yourself - into your own department, or, better, into your own company. I think the latter is a pretty good rule of thumb.

Don't accept recommendations from people who you would not recommend yourself. The volume of recommendations is not important; it's the quality - both from how well they are articulated and from the standards of the source of the recommendation.

I was thinking at one point of asking someone for a recommendation. This person has a title that would have made for an impressive recommendation. Then I saw that she recommended a person for whom I did not have high regard. I decided against asking. Why? My recommendation would have been devalued by the other recommendation. Granted - not many others would have known or understood... but... I would have known. And others' may have learned.

I want to be recommended only by people for whom I have the highest regard and who I would have no hesitation recommending.

And I want to be recommended by folks who have recommended others who have achieved a high bar of performance.

And I insist on only recommending those who I feel I can honestly promote - based on my interactions and experience.

You too, should maintain high standards in your approach to recommendations.