How to Endorse Someone on LinkedIn (Desktop and App)

Endorsing someone on LinkedIn is one of the quickest ways to say thank you to a colleague, a freelancer you've hired or a business contact who helped you out. It takes a single click, it shows on their profile, and it often prompts them to return the favour.

There are a couple of rules about who you can endorse and which skills, and they explain why the button sometimes isn't there. I'll go through LinkedIn's steps for computer and phone, what the other person sees, and how to make endorsements part of building real relationships rather than a click-for-click game.

Endorsing a connection's skill on LinkedIn from a computer

1. Go to the profile of the person you want to endorse. They need to be a 1st-degree connection.
2. Scroll down to the Skills & endorsements section.
3. Find the skill you want to vouch for. If they list more than three skills, click Show more to see the rest.
4. Click the Add icon to the left of that skill.

That's it. The endorsement is saved straight away.

Endorsing someone in the LinkedIn mobile app

1. Open the 1st-degree connection's profile in the app.
2. Scroll to the Skills & Endorsements section.
3. Tap See all at the bottom of the section if they have more than three skills.
4. Tap the Add icon next to the skill you want to endorse.

Who you can endorse on LinkedIn, and for what

LinkedIn's help describes endorsements as a way to recognise your 1st-degree connections' skills. Two rules follow from that:

• You can only endorse people you're directly connected to. If you'd like to endorse someone, connect first.
• You can only endorse skills already listed on their profile. You can't add a new skill for them.

LinkedIn also says that if you use the site in English, you can endorse several skills at once.

What the other person sees when you endorse them

What happens	According to LinkedIn's help
On their profile	Your name and picture appear beside the endorsed skill
By email	They get an email, if they've opted in
Skill order	The most-endorsed skills move to the top of the section
Changing your mind	You can remove an endorsement you've given

That skill order point is worth knowing. Endorsing someone's most relevant skill helps push it to the top of their list, which is what visitors see first.

Endorsements versus LinkedIn recommendations

People sometimes mix these up. An endorsement is a one-click nod to a single skill. A recommendation is a written testimonial in your own words about working with them, which says far more than a click can. Endorse freely; save recommendations for people whose work you know well enough to describe in a paragraph.

Using LinkedIn endorsements to build business relationships

For small business owners and freelancers, endorsements are a gentle way to stay on someone's radar. A few ways I'd use them:

• After a project, endorse the supplier or freelancer for the skill they used for you.
• When a connection starts a new role, endorse the skill most related to it.
• After a helpful call, endorse the person's expertise and follow up with a short thank-you message.
• Endorse your team members, so their profiles reflect the work they do for your business.

Endorse honestly. If you click Add on skills you've never seen someone use, it waters down what the endorsement means. If you're keeping track of contacts like this, my round-up of the best CRMs that work with LinkedIn can help you remember who's who.

Endorsements also feed into how your own profile looks when people visit. If you're working on your presence more widely, my LinkedIn marketing strategy guide covers the bigger picture.

Which LinkedIn skills are worth endorsing first

If someone lists a long string of skills, you don't need to endorse them all. Start with the one you've seen them use most for you. If you hired a designer for a logo, endorse their branding or design skill, not the generic one near the bottom. If a colleague ran a great workshop, endorse their training or presenting skill.

This is more useful to them than a scatter of clicks. Because LinkedIn moves the most-endorsed skills to the top, a handful of accurate endorsements from people who've worked with them helps their profile show what they're best at, and that's what a future client or employer will notice first.

And think about your own list while you're there. If your top skill on display isn't the one you want to be hired for, tidy the skills you list so your connections endorse the right ones.

Asking for LinkedIn endorsements without being awkward

You can't force anyone to endorse you, and you shouldn't try. The most natural approach is to endorse others for skills you've seen them use and let reciprocity do its thing. If you'd like to nudge things along, make sure the skills on your own profile are the ones you want to be known for. People can only endorse what's listed.

If you can't endorse someone on LinkedIn

1. Check you're connected. Only 1st-degree connections can be endorsed.
2. Check the skill is listed on their profile. You can't add one for them.
3. Click Show more or tap See all if the skill is hidden below the first three.
4. Refresh the page or update the app if the Add icon doesn't appear.
5. If they haven't added any skills yet, there's nothing to endorse. A friendly message suggesting they add a few is a nice touch.

If you want the full set, start at the LinkedIn Help: 28 Guides to Profile Views, Impressions, Algorithm and Account Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I endorse someone on LinkedIn?

Go to your 1st-degree connection's profile, scroll to Skills & endorsements, find the skill and click the Add icon next to it. On mobile, tap the Add icon in the same section.

Can I endorse someone I'm not connected to on LinkedIn?

No. LinkedIn endorsements are for 1st-degree connections, so connect with the person first.

Can I endorse a skill that isn't on someone's profile?

No. LinkedIn's help says you can only endorse skills already listed on the profile.

Does LinkedIn tell people when I endorse them?

Your name and picture appear next to the skill, and the person gets an email if they've opted in.

Can I take back a LinkedIn endorsement?

Yes. LinkedIn's help says you can remove an endorsement you've given.