What endorsements do and why you might send one

An endorsement on LinkedIn is a one-click way to confirm that someone has a skill they listed on their profile. When you endorse a person, their profile shows a small count next to that skill — "Java: 47" means 47 people have endorsed them for Java. You do not write anything, approve anything, or make any commitment; you are straightforward saying "I have seen this person use this skill" or "I know this person has this ability."

Endorsements are optional. LinkedIn suggests skills to endorse based on what people in your network have listed, but you control whether you send any. Some people use endorsements to support colleagues or former coworkers. Others ignore them entirely. There is no penalty for not endorsing anyone, and no one can force you to endorse a skill you do not believe in.

The main reason to endorse someone is professional courtesy — it takes three seconds and can help their profile stand out to recruiters or hiring managers who scan skill counts. If you have worked with someone and know they are genuinely good at something, an endorsement is a small, honest way to say so publicly.

Key Takeaways

  • Endorsements appear as a count next to each skill on a person's profile and take one click to send.
  • You can endorse someone only for skills they have already listed on their own profile — you cannot add new skills for them.
  • LinkedIn will suggest people and skills to endorse based on your connections, but you decide whether to send each one.
  • You can remove an endorsement you sent by visiting the person's profile and clicking the skill again to toggle it off.
  • Endorsements are public and visible to anyone who views that person's profile.

Finding the endorsement section on someone's profile

Open the profile of the person you want to endorse. Scroll down past their headline, summary, and experience sections until you reach the Skills section. This section lists all the skills they have added to their profile, usually in a grid or list format. Each skill appears as a clickable button or tag.

If the Skills section is not visible, the person may not have added any skills to their profile yet. In that case, you cannot endorse them — endorsements only work for skills the person has already listed themselves. You can still leave a recommendation or message them directly if you want to acknowledge their abilities.

Sending an endorsement

Locate the skill you want to endorse in their Skills section. Click or tap on the skill name. A checkmark or highlight will appear next to it, and LinkedIn will confirm that you have endorsed them for that skill. That is all — the endorsement is sent when ready.

You can endorse multiple skills on the same person's profile by clicking each one. There is no limit to how many skills you can endorse someone for, and you do not have to endorse all of them. Endorse only the skills you genuinely know they have.

If you are on a mobile device, the process is the same: find the Skills section, tap the skill, and the endorsement registers. The interface may look slightly different depending on whether you are using the LinkedIn app or the mobile website, but the action is identical.

Endorsements LinkedIn suggests to you

LinkedIn often shows you a list of suggested endorsements on your home feed or in a sidebar. These suggestions are based on your connections and the skills they have listed. You will see a person's name, their profile photo, and a skill they have listed, with a button to endorse them.

You do not have to endorse anyone LinkedIn suggests. If you do not know the person well or do not believe they have the skill, skip the suggestion. Endorsing someone you do not actually know or endorse for a skill you have not seen them use can damage your credibility on the platform.

If you want to stop seeing endorsement suggestions, you can adjust your notification settings, though LinkedIn will likely continue to show them in some form. The simplest approach is to ignore suggestions you do not want to send.

Removing an endorsement you sent

If you endorsed someone and later want to take it back, go to their profile and scroll to the Skills section. Click or tap the skill you endorsed again — the checkmark will disappear, and your endorsement is removed. The person will not receive a notification that you removed it, but the count next to that skill will decrease by one.

You might remove an endorsement if you no longer feel confident in someone's ability in that area, or if you endorsed them by mistake. There is no penalty for removing endorsements, and you can re-endorse the same person for the same skill later if you change your mind.

How endorsements appear on a profile

When people view someone's profile, they see the Skills section with a number next to each skill showing how many endorsements that person has received. The skills are usually sorted by endorsement count, with the most-endorsed skills appearing first. This helps recruiters and hiring managers quickly see which abilities the person is known for.

Endorsements are public — anyone who views the profile can see the count. However, LinkedIn does not show the names of the people who sent each endorsement unless you click into the skill to see more details. This means your endorsement is visible as part of the total, but not attributed to you by default.

Endorsements versus recommendations

Do not confuse endorsements with recommendations. An endorsement is a one-click confirmation of a skill. A recommendation is a longer written statement where you describe someone's work, abilities, or character in detail. Recommendations take more time to write but carry more weight because they include your specific thoughts and experience.

You can endorse someone without recommending them, and vice versa. Many people use both — a quick endorsement for skills, and a written recommendation for people they have worked closely with. Neither one is required, and both are entirely optional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I endorse someone who is not in my network?

Yes. You can visit anyone's public profile on LinkedIn and endorse them for skills they have listed, whether or not you are connected. However, it is more meaningful to endorse people you actually know or have worked with, since your endorsement carries more credibility if you have direct experience with their abilities.

Will the person know I endorsed them?

LinkedIn may send them a notification that they received an endorsement, but the notification usually does not say who sent it. If they click into the skill details, they can see a list of people who endorsed them, but they will not get a direct message from you about it.

Can I endorse someone for a skill they did not list?

No. You can only endorse skills that the person has already added to their own profile. If they have not listed a skill you think they have, you could message them and suggest they add it, but you cannot endorse them for something that is not on their profile.

What if someone keeps endorsing me for skills I do not have?

You can remove endorsements from your profile by going to your own Skills section and clicking the X next to any endorsement you want to delete. You can also hide the Skills section entirely from your profile settings if you do not want endorsements to appear at all.

Do endorsements hurt my credibility if I send them carelessly?

Endorsing people for skills you do not actually know they have can make you look less trustworthy. Recruiters and hiring managers may discount endorsements from people who endorse everyone for everything. Endorse thoughtfully and only for skills you genuinely know the person possesses.