LinkedIn Endorsements Look before you Click!

I really want to take a few moments and stress how much the endorsements on LinkedIn frustrate me!

Many people seem to be confused/puzzled/weirded out by the ‘endorsements’ on LinkedIn.

When you log into the platform, and look someone up,   it will often show you a blue box that appears at the top of the page below the menu bar that asks you to endorse people for a variety of skills. These are not necessarily any of the skills that individual has listed on their profile. Herein lies the issue. It will also show you the list of skills people have endorsed you for that are currently not part of your skill set. When you already have your 50 limit, what do you do?

You have the opportunity to list 50 skills or expertise in your profile.  As many of us wear different hats and have a variety of skills, it is best to use the entire list. That was you should get endorsed for the skills you actually possess, in the niches that matter to you.

Which brings us to the issue that I find so frustrating.  It seems that LinkedIn will randomly, add 4 people at a time to the blue box asking you to endorse them for a skill. I have seen any number asking to endorse people for skills I know are not within their wheelhouse. The unfortunate thing is that the bottom of the box it says endorse all. Sadly, many people do this hoping to get rid of the blue box. They did not read the skill for each of the 4 people, and had they looked at each one they may have been confused by some of the skills that were shown for certain people.

I now have 83 new skills for which I cannot use the endorsements.