At first I thought that LinkedIn endorsements were a good thing. People can recognize those who have done good work for them relatively easily. Unlike recommendations where you need to write and submit a recommendation, all you have to do is click a button.
LinkedIn makes it easy, even sending you the button to click.
But, this is a case where it is so easy it is meaningless. The lesson is an extension of what we have learned in the agency world… Give something to clients for free, and it has no value. You may think of it as added value, but the client doesn’t pay for it, it just comes their way.
No effort, no value.
LinkedIn Endorsements are the same way. While I appreciates some of the endorsements I have received, the fact is, the overwhelming majority of them come from people who have not worked with me in a decade or more. And most of those who were more recent coworkers, are folks who were not in a position to know if I did well or not.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the sentiment that folks show by endorsing me. But, I have to temper my enthusiasm for LinkedIn endorsements with the underlying reality that anyone, at any level of connection can endorse anyone else. There is not filter, bar to get over, or systematic hurdle that would make someone not click the endorse button.
Based on the level of relevance for many of the endorsements I have, I can tell you that when I look at the endorsement of others, I completely discount them. No effort to give them. No value in having them.
Sorry to those who have endorsed me with good foundations. Unfortunately, its “baby out with the bathwater”.