You've been asked to write a LinkedIn recommendation for a colleague, and you're staring at a blank text box wondering where to start. Sound familiar?
Here's the uncomfortable truth: most LinkedIn recommendations are forgettable. Phrases like "Jane is a fantastic team player with great communication skills" get skimmed and ignored by hiring managers. But a well-crafted recommendation — one that tells a specific story and paints a vivid picture — can genuinely move the needle on someone's career.
This guide shows you exactly how to write a LinkedIn recommendation for a colleague with real examples, before-and-after rewrites, and fill-in-the-blank templates for four common relationship types: manager, peer, direct report, and cross-functional partner. By the end, you'll be able to write something that actually gets read.
Why Generic LinkedIn Recommendations Fail (And What Works Instead)
Before we get to the templates, let's talk about why most recommendations fall flat.
Hiring managers and recruiters scan LinkedIn profiles quickly. When they reach the recommendations section, they're looking for evidence — proof that this person can do what their profile claims. Generic praise provides zero evidence.
Before (generic — fails):
"Marcus is an incredibly talented product manager. He's hardworking, detail-oriented, and a true team player. I highly recommend him for any role."
Every word of that is positive. None of it is useful. There's no context, no story, no proof.
After (specific — works):
"Marcus led the redesign of our onboarding flow during a period when we had zero engineering bandwidth. He ran 12 user interviews himself, synthesized the findings into a prioritized roadmap, and shipped a solution in six weeks that reduced churn by 18%. If you need a PM who can move fast without breaking things, Marcus is your person."
Same person. Completely different impact.
The formula that works every time: Context + Specific Action + Measurable Result + Forward-Looking Endorsement.
Now let's apply that formula to four different colleague relationships.
How to Write a LinkedIn Recommendation for a Manager: Template + Example
Recommending a former manager requires a different lens than recommending a peer. You're speaking to their leadership style, how they developed you, and how they handled pressure. Hiring committees evaluating managers care about these things deeply.
The Fill-in-the-Blank Template
I reported to [Name] for [X years/months] on the [team/department] team at [Company]. What set [him/her/them] apart as a manager was [specific leadership quality — e.g., the ability to give direct feedback without making you feel small].
One moment that sticks with me: [brief 2-3 sentence story about a specific challenge, decision, or moment that demonstrates their leadership]. Because of [Name]'s [approach/decision/coaching], [specific outcome — e.g., our team hit our Q3 targets despite losing two engineers mid-sprint / I got my first promotion / we turned around a failing client relationship].
If you're looking for a leader who [specific type of manager they are — e.g., creates psychological safety while still holding a high bar], look no further. I'd work for [Name] again in a heartbeat.
Before & After Rewrite
Before:
"Sarah was an amazing manager. She always supported her team and had great leadership skills. I learned so much from her."
After:
"I reported to Sarah for two years on the Growth team at Meridian. She had a rare skill: she could tell you your work wasn't good enough and somehow make you want to try harder rather than give up.
During our product launch in Q1 2025, our go-to-market strategy fell apart three weeks before launch when our primary channel partner backed out. Sarah didn't panic. She ran a two-hour working session, restructured our entire launch plan, and personally called five backup partners to lock in a deal within 48 hours. We launched on time and hit 110% of our first-month revenue target.
If you're looking for a leader who stays calm when things go sideways and brings out the best in her team under pressure, Sarah is exceptional. I'd work for her again without hesitation."
How to Write a LinkedIn Recommendation for a Peer Colleague: Template + Example
Peer recommendations are the most common type, and they're often the most generic. The key here is specificity about how you worked together and what made this person stand out from the other smart people on the team.
The Fill-in-the-Blank Template
I worked alongside [Name] for [X years/months] at [Company], where we were both on the [team name] team. While everyone on our team was talented, [Name] consistently [specific differentiating quality — e.g., found ways to simplify problems everyone else was overcomplicating].
I saw this firsthand when [2-3 sentence story about a specific project or situation you worked on together]. [Name]'s contribution — specifically [what they did] — led to [concrete result].
Beyond the work itself, [Name] is the kind of colleague who [relationship/culture quality — e.g., gives credit generously, asks the question everyone else is afraid to ask, or shows up for teammates when things get hard]. Any team would be lucky to have [him/her/them].
Before & After Rewrite
Before:
"David is a great engineer and an even better person. He's always willing to help and brings positive energy to the team."
After:
"David and I were both senior engineers on the Platform team at Cloudbase for three years. On a team full of strong technical minds, David stood out for one thing: he could explain complex systems to non-technical stakeholders without dumbing anything down.
This mattered enormously during our infrastructure migration in late 2024. David volunteered to lead the cross-functional communication effort — something most engineers avoid. He ran weekly syncs with Product and Finance, wrote plain-language status updates that actually got read, and bridged a gap that had caused two previous migration attempts to stall. We completed the migration on schedule, and the VP of Product specifically called out David's communication work in the all-hands.
David is the rare engineer who makes the whole system — technical and human — run better. I'd want him on any team I'm part of."
How to Write a LinkedIn Recommendation for a Direct Report: Template + Example
Writing a recommendation for someone you managed is a vote of confidence that carries significant weight. Hiring managers know you've seen this person's work up close, under pressure, and over time. Your job is to speak to their growth trajectory and what they're capable of — not just what they've done.
The Fill-in-the-Blank Template
I had the pleasure of managing [Name] for [X years/months] at [Company]. [He/She/They] joined the team as [starting role/level] and [specific growth milestone — e.g., quickly took on responsibilities well beyond that scope].
The project that best captures [Name]'s abilities is [project name or brief description]. When [context/challenge], [Name] [specific actions they took — be concrete]. The result: [measurable outcome]. What impressed me most wasn't just the outcome — it was [quality that made the outcome possible, e.g., the way they navigated stakeholder pushback / their ability to learn a new skill on the fly].
[Name] is ready for [next level role]. If you're building a team that needs someone who can [key capability], I recommend [him/her/them] without reservation.
Before & After Rewrite
Before:
"Priya was one of my best direct reports. She's smart, driven, and always delivered quality work. I highly recommend her."
After:
"I managed Priya for 18 months at Lumen Analytics, where she joined as a junior data analyst. Within six months, she was functioning as a mid-level analyst and had taken on a project scope I'd typically reserve for seniors.
The clearest example: Priya inherited a broken reporting pipeline that had frustrated three previous analysts into handing it off. Rather than patching it, she rebuilt the entire thing from scratch using dbt — a tool she taught herself over two weekends. The new pipeline cut reporting time from four days to four hours and became the template we used for three subsequent clients.
Priya is ready for a senior analyst or analytics engineering role. She's a self-directed learner who doesn't wait to be handed a solution — she builds one. Any team that hires her will wonder how they managed without her."
How to Write a LinkedIn Recommendation for a Cross-Functional Partner: Template + Example
Cross-functional recommendations are underrated and underused. When you recommend someone from a different department — say, a designer recommending an engineer, or a marketer recommending a finance partner — it signals something powerful: this person earns trust across organizational boundaries.
The Fill-in-the-Blank Template
I partnered with [Name] on [project/initiative] at [Company], even though we sit on different teams — [your team] and [their team]. Cross-functional collaboration can be notoriously difficult, but working with [Name] was [specific positive quality — e.g., one of the smoothest partnerships I've had in my career].
[Name] brought [specific skill or perspective from their domain] that [your team] couldn't have provided ourselves. When [specific challenge or moment], [Name] [specific action]. That contribution [concrete result or impact].
What made [Name] exceptional to work with wasn't just [their technical skill] — it was [interpersonal/collaborative quality]. [He/She/They] [specific behavior that demonstrates this quality]. I'd seek out [Name] as a collaborator on any future project without hesitation.
Before & After Rewrite
Before:
"Jordan was great to work with on our product launch. He's collaborative, responsive, and really understands the business."
After:
"Jordan and I partnered on the Apex product launch in early 2026 — he was leading from the Finance side while I was running Marketing. Cross-functional projects at that scale usually involve a lot of friction, but Jordan made it feel like we were on the same team (because he genuinely treated it that way).
The moment that stood out: three weeks before launch, our budget model had a major assumption error that would have caused us to underprice our enterprise tier. Jordan caught it in a routine review, flagged it immediately, and stayed on a call with our pricing team until 9pm to rebuild the model correctly. We adjusted the pricing before launch and it directly contributed to our ARR coming in 22% above forecast.
Jordan is the kind of finance partner who makes the people around him better — not by gatekeeping, but by sharing his expertise generously. If you get the chance to work with him, take it."
How to Structure Any LinkedIn Recommendation: The 4-Part Framework
Regardless of the relationship type, every strong recommendation follows the same structure. Here's a quick reference:
1. Establish your credibility (1-2 sentences) Who are you, how long did you work together, and in what context? This gives the reader a reason to trust your opinion.
2. Name the standout quality (1 sentence) What is the one thing that made this person different from everyone else at their level? Be specific — not "hardworking" but "the ability to ship polished work under impossible deadlines."
3. Tell the story (3-5 sentences) Pick one project, challenge, or moment. Describe the situation, what they did, and what happened as a result. Numbers are gold here — percentages, timelines, revenue figures, whatever you have.
4. Forward-looking close (1-2 sentences) What role or type of opportunity are they ready for? Would you work with them again? End with something that makes the reader want to meet this person.
Common Mistakes That Undermine a Strong LinkedIn Recommendation
Even well-intentioned writers sabotage their recommendations with a few recurring mistakes:
Writing in superlatives without evidence. "The best engineer I've ever worked with" means nothing without a story to back it up.
Making it about yourself. The recommendation is about your colleague, not your journey working with them. Keep the focus on them.
Being too long. The sweet spot is 100-200 words. Longer recommendations get skimmed. Every sentence should earn its place.
Forgetting to mention the relationship. Readers want to know how you know this person. Always open by establishing context.
Copying a template verbatim. The templates in this guide are starting points. The specific details — the project name, the number, the moment — have to come from you. That's what makes it real.
If you're regularly writing LinkedIn content for yourself or others, tools like Writio can help you draft and refine professional content faster — including recommendations, posts, and profile copy — without losing your authentic voice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a LinkedIn recommendation for a colleague be?
The ideal length for a LinkedIn recommendation is 100-200 words. That's long enough to tell a meaningful story but short enough to hold a reader's attention. If you're struggling to fit everything in, cut the adjectives and keep the specifics. A tight 120-word recommendation with one concrete story will always outperform a rambling 350-word tribute full of vague praise.
What should I include in a LinkedIn recommendation for a colleague I only worked with briefly?
Even if you only worked with someone for a few months, you can write a strong recommendation by focusing on one specific project or moment rather than trying to summarize a long working relationship. Lead with the context ("During the six months we collaborated on the Horizon rebrand..."), tell the story of that specific experience, and be honest about the scope of your time together. A focused, honest recommendation is more credible than an inflated one.
How do I write a LinkedIn recommendation for a colleague example when I don't remember specific numbers?
If you don't have exact metrics, use qualitative specifics instead. Instead of "increased revenue by 20%," you might write "turned around a client relationship that had been flagged as at-risk for two quarters" or "shipped a feature that became the most-requested item on our product roadmap." Specificity doesn't always require numbers — it requires concrete, observable details that show rather than tell.
Is it okay to use a template for a LinkedIn recommendation?
Yes, as long as you customize it with real details. The fill-in-the-blank templates in this guide are frameworks, not finished products. The structure (context → standout quality → story → close) is proven, but the specific project, the outcome, and the personal observation have to come from your actual experience with this person. A template with real details beats a blank page every time.
How do I ask a colleague to write me a LinkedIn recommendation?
The most effective approach is to make it easy for them. When you reach out, briefly remind them of a specific project you worked on together, mention the type of role or opportunity you're pursuing, and offer to share any details that would help them write it. Some people even provide a rough draft or bullet points. Tools like Writio can help you draft a polite, professional request message that doesn't feel awkward or transactional.