Cytron and Company

LinkedIn Endorsements Have Gotten WAY Out of Hand

I debated whether I should write this posting; the last thing I would ever want to do is offend someone who has good intentions.

Folks: LinkedIn Endorsements have gotten WAY out of hand.

A quick explanation. LinkedIn Endorsements are different from Recommendations. With an endorsement, anyone you have a connection to on LinkedIn can check a box to “endorse” your skills and knowledge in one or multiple areas. It’s as simple as having a conversation with someone and for me to say, “Mary is really great at raising money for foundations,” so I might check “nonprofit” or “fundraising” in her profile, for example.

I like the idea of endorsements very much, and while I have had some colleagues who know me and my abilities endorse my skills, an endorsement from someone I hardly know or haven’t worked with in 10+ years is a bit ridiculous.

Unlike Facebook where I know all of my friends, I really don’t know everyone I’m connected to on LinkedIn; the ones I don’t know are those who reached out to me because we’ve shared a mutual connection. In reality, none of these people have ever really tried to network with me by writing or calling me to talk. I would welcome those kinds of conversations, but they just don’t happen.

So why do people who are almost-complete strangers feel the need to rate my skills, even if I haven’t worked with them or it’s been a long time since I’ve seen them?

It’s the need to be noticed, of course – and to seem as if you’re participating in social media so you can raise your awareness and get more business.

OK people – I see you, but wouldn’t it be better – and I apologize for repeating myself – to reach out to me one-to-one to have a conversation to talk about our businesses, what we’re looking for and who we’re trying to connect to?

Maybe I missed this chapter in my Networking 101 book! Has technology so invaded our lives that we avoid connecting to people, let alone picking up the phone to have a conversation?

For those who have endorsed me and know me, thank you. However, the next time I’m endorsed by someone I don’t know very well, I really do want to be very Un-PC and fire back a note asking them how the heck they have any knowledge of my abilities.

Cytron and Company offers full service public relations, marketing and communications services for accounting, legal, medical, debt collection and other professional service industries, as well as a variety of consumer-based industries.
Scott Cytron  |  972.743.4671  |  scott@cytronandcompany.com            
Bryan Cytron  |  972.743.4300  |  bryan@cytronandcompany.com