Recommendations and Reviews: Should You Include Them on Your Resume?
16 min read
Recommendations and Reviews: Should You Include Them on Your Resume?
Your resume is the most important tool in your job search toolkit. To maximize its potential, you need to ensure that it properly conveys your potential value to any employer.
Naturally, you will want to include every bit of relevant information that sells that message. But what about important testimonials like recommendations and reviews? Should they be included in your resume as well? After all, what could be more compelling than an endorsement from those who have worked with you in the past?
In the following guide, we will take a look at why including recommendations or reviews on a resume may be a bad idea and how you should display them instead. Let’s take a look at some of the core considerations here, plus an easy way to strengthen your application.
Don’t include recommendations or reviews on a resume
While recommendations and reviews are important, you should never include them in any resume. Sure, that might seem counterintuitive. But there are some very good reasons for omitting them from that essential document. Let’s take a look at some of the things you may not have thought about when it comes to including these additional snippets.
Recommendations and reviews take up valuable space
Resume real estate is highly valuable. The most important reason for leaving recommendations and reviews out of your resume is that they take up space that you could put to better use. You need to be selective when deciding what to include.
Remember, your resume is supposed to focus on showcasing your qualifications and potential value as an employee. To do that, you need to highlight your skills, experience, and achievements. More importantly, you need to do that in a condensed format that is no longer than two pages. Use that space wisely.
Recommendations and reviews may not be necessary
Of course, there’s a good chance that the employer may not even want recommendations and reviews. Many of today’s companies understand that employers are increasingly reluctant to provide useful testimonials – largely due to fears about lawsuits.
As a result, companies that want such references will generally ask for them. If they don’t, there’s no benefit to providing that extra information. More importantly, even if they do ask for them, there are better ways to present those endorsements. Take the time to consider how you want to convey your professional talents to the hiring manager here.
Recommendations and reviews can dilute your resume’s message
Recommendations and reviews won’t strengthen your resume message anyway. While they may reflect how previous employers viewed your work, they won’t answer the company’s most basic question: “Is this person right for this job?”
In fact, including those endorsements may detract from your overall focus on qualifications, achievements, and potential value. When you are writing your resume, you want to make sure that every piece of information is important. Start throwing in extras — such as reviews and recommendations — and your reader may lose focus on the main point.
The solution: Use LinkedIn, not resume recommendations
Want to showcase your reviews and recommendations? We are not suggesting that you ignore them entirely. Those endorsements do have value, after all. Your resume is just not an appropriate place to share that information.
Fortunately, there is a platform that can provide a perfect way to share those endorsements with potential employers and others: LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is the ideal forum for showcasing your recommendations and reviews. You already know how to showcase your skills here. So why not add something extra? You can rely on your LinkedIn page during a job search as a supplement that enhances your resume with recommendations.
How to list recommendations and reviews on LinkedIn
Wondering how to showcase resume recommendations on LinkedIn? It’s easier than you might imagine. You may already have your resume on LinkedIn or at least have a stable profile. Either way, curating a strong review section is a breeze.
Let’s take a look at the steps that you need to take to get this part of the process right:
Step 1: Gather LinkedIn recommendations
LinkedIn allows you to show off reviews from previous employers. You can request recommendations from your connections in three easy steps:
Go to their profile page
Click ‘More’
Then click on ‘Request a recommendation’
LinkedIn will then send them a notification to say that you have asked them to write a brief review of your work.
You should only ask professionals with whom you have worked directly. For example, you might ask your old manager or a team leader to write you a quick testimonial. Ahead of sending them the request, consider what response you are likely to get here. Ensure that your resume recommendations are relevant to the position you’re seeking. You also want to be certain that you’re only directing attention to truly positive reviews.
Step 2: Draw attention to your reviews
Want to make sure that the hiring manager doesn’t miss your resume recommendations? Okay. First up, you should polish your LinkedIn summary and perhaps include quotes from your resume recommendations within that text if they add value. For example, you might say the following at the top of your LinkedIn profile:
“I was honored to have Alpha Corp Marketing Director Tom Thompson praise my ‘innovative strategic mind and commitment to excellence as team leader.’”
The reader can then scroll down to the bottom of the page where your resume recommendations are listed. Think of this approach like giving the hiring manager a sneak peek of what’s to come. If they are simply scanning your profile, this mention means that they are more likely to go down to the end to see the reviews there.
Step 3: Create a custom URL on LinkedIn
You can mention your LinkedIn resume recommendations on your next application. To do so, you will need to create a custom LinkedIn URL that you can cite in your contact information. For example, you can add your first and last name to the end of the URL instead of a bunch of numbers. It will look like this: www.linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname/.
Follow the advice from LinkedIn on how to create your own custom URL in seconds. If you have a popular name, chances are your ideal URL is already taken. That’s okay. Simply make sure the URL you choose is professional and easy to understand. Don’t try to do anything too creative, as you could put the hiring manager off.
Step 4: Feature your URL on your resume
You want the hiring manager to check out your LinkedIn (and see your resume recommendations!). So, the next step is to include your LinkedIn URL after your email address in the contact information section of your resume. That way, when they are checking out your application, they can dig deeper and take a look at your LinkedIn profile too.
Step 5: Mention your resume recommendations
While you may not want to add the verbiage from the resume recommendation to your application, you can mention them. One of the easiest ways to draw attention to your LinkedIn testimonials is to talk about them in your cover letter and perhaps include a brief quote from one of those endorsements.
What if your employer requests resume recommendations?
It is rare that an employer will ask for resume recommendations. However, sometimes, they will include a request for references in a job listing. There is a right and a wrong way to respond to this type of request.
Some job seekers may be tempted to respond by including resume recommendations on the document itself. Resist that temptation. Instead, continue to rely on your LinkedIn profile for recommendations and reviews. You can direct the employer to your profile if needed.
In addition, you may choose to create a separate list of references that you can send along with your cover letter and resume. Three professional references are standard in those cases. Include the person’s name, job title, company, phone, and email address. You should let your reference know that you will be doing this ahead of sending out your resume. It’s also a good idea to give your references an idea of the job you’re applying to and how you want them to respond to the reference request.
A right and wrong way for everything, including references
Resume recommendations can provide a great boost to your efforts to land an interview and job. However, there’s a right way and a wrong way to showcase those endorsements, and your resume is definitely the wrong choice. Use LinkedIn to better highlight those references and focus your resume on selling your qualifications, skills, and achievements.
It takes a certain level of finesse to turn a hiring manager’s head. Use our free resume review toolnow and make sure that your application is hitting the mark.
Recommended reading:
Professional References and The 4 Best People to Use
Your resume is the most important tool in your job search toolkit. To maximize its potential, you need to ensure that it properly conveys your potential value to any employer.
Naturally, you will want to include every bit of relevant information that sells that message. But what about important testimonials like recommendations and reviews? Should they be included in your resume as well? After all, what could be more compelling than an endorsement from those who have worked with you in the past?
In the following guide, we will take a look at why including recommendations or reviews on a resume may be a bad idea and how you should display them instead. Let’s take a look at some of the core considerations here, plus an easy way to strengthen your application.
Don’t include recommendations or reviews on a resume
While recommendations and reviews are important, you should never include them in any resume. Sure, that might seem counterintuitive. But there are some very good reasons for omitting them from that essential document. Let’s take a look at some of the things you may not have thought about when it comes to including these additional snippets.
Recommendations and reviews take up valuable space
Resume real estate is highly valuable. The most important reason for leaving recommendations and reviews out of your resume is that they take up space that you could put to better use. You need to be selective when deciding what to include.
Remember, your resume is supposed to focus on showcasing your qualifications and potential value as an employee. To do that, you need to highlight your skills, experience, and achievements. More importantly, you need to do that in a condensed format that is no longer than two pages. Use that space wisely.
Recommendations and reviews may not be necessary
Of course, there’s a good chance that the employer may not even want recommendations and reviews. Many of today’s companies understand that employers are increasingly reluctant to provide useful testimonials – largely due to fears about lawsuits.
As a result, companies that want such references will generally ask for them. If they don’t, there’s no benefit to providing that extra information. More importantly, even if they do ask for them, there are better ways to present those endorsements. Take the time to consider how you want to convey your professional talents to the hiring manager here.
Recommendations and reviews can dilute your resume’s message
Recommendations and reviews won’t strengthen your resume message anyway. While they may reflect how previous employers viewed your work, they won’t answer the company’s most basic question: “Is this person right for this job?”
In fact, including those endorsements may detract from your overall focus on qualifications, achievements, and potential value. When you are writing your resume, you want to make sure that every piece of information is important. Start throwing in extras — such as reviews and recommendations — and your reader may lose focus on the main point.
The solution: Use LinkedIn, not resume recommendations
Want to showcase your reviews and recommendations? We are not suggesting that you ignore them entirely. Those endorsements do have value, after all. Your resume is just not an appropriate place to share that information.
Fortunately, there is a platform that can provide a perfect way to share those endorsements with potential employers and others: LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is the ideal forum for showcasing your recommendations and reviews. You already know how to showcase your skills here. So why not add something extra? You can rely on your LinkedIn page during a job search as a supplement that enhances your resume with recommendations.
How to list recommendations and reviews on LinkedIn
Wondering how to showcase resume recommendations on LinkedIn? It’s easier than you might imagine. You may already have your resume on LinkedIn or at least have a stable profile. Either way, curating a strong review section is a breeze.
Let’s take a look at the steps that you need to take to get this part of the process right:
Step 1: Gather LinkedIn recommendations
LinkedIn allows you to show off reviews from previous employers. You can request recommendations from your connections in three easy steps:
Go to their profile page
Click ‘More’
Then click on ‘Request a recommendation’
LinkedIn will then send them a notification to say that you have asked them to write a brief review of your work.
You should only ask professionals with whom you have worked directly. For example, you might ask your old manager or a team leader to write you a quick testimonial. Ahead of sending them the request, consider what response you are likely to get here. Ensure that your resume recommendations are relevant to the position you’re seeking. You also want to be certain that you’re only directing attention to truly positive reviews.
Step 2: Draw attention to your reviews
Want to make sure that the hiring manager doesn’t miss your resume recommendations? Okay. First up, you should polish your LinkedIn summary and perhaps include quotes from your resume recommendations within that text if they add value. For example, you might say the following at the top of your LinkedIn profile:
“I was honored to have Alpha Corp Marketing Director Tom Thompson praise my ‘innovative strategic mind and commitment to excellence as team leader.’”
The reader can then scroll down to the bottom of the page where your resume recommendations are listed. Think of this approach like giving the hiring manager a sneak peek of what’s to come. If they are simply scanning your profile, this mention means that they are more likely to go down to the end to see the reviews there.
Step 3: Create a custom URL on LinkedIn
You can mention your LinkedIn resume recommendations on your next application. To do so, you will need to create a custom LinkedIn URL that you can cite in your contact information. For example, you can add your first and last name to the end of the URL instead of a bunch of numbers. It will look like this: www.linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname/.
Follow the advice from LinkedIn on how to create your own custom URL in seconds. If you have a popular name, chances are your ideal URL is already taken. That’s okay. Simply make sure the URL you choose is professional and easy to understand. Don’t try to do anything too creative, as you could put the hiring manager off.
Step 4: Feature your URL on your resume
You want the hiring manager to check out your LinkedIn (and see your resume recommendations!). So, the next step is to include your LinkedIn URL after your email address in the contact information section of your resume. That way, when they are checking out your application, they can dig deeper and take a look at your LinkedIn profile too.
Step 5: Mention your resume recommendations
While you may not want to add the verbiage from the resume recommendation to your application, you can mention them. One of the easiest ways to draw attention to your LinkedIn testimonials is to talk about them in your cover letter and perhaps include a brief quote from one of those endorsements.
What if your employer requests resume recommendations?
It is rare that an employer will ask for resume recommendations. However, sometimes, they will include a request for references in a job listing. There is a right and a wrong way to respond to this type of request.
Some job seekers may be tempted to respond by including resume recommendations on the document itself. Resist that temptation. Instead, continue to rely on your LinkedIn profile for recommendations and reviews. You can direct the employer to your profile if needed.
In addition, you may choose to create a separate list of references that you can send along with your cover letter and resume. Three professional references are standard in those cases. Include the person’s name, job title, company, phone, and email address. You should let your reference know that you will be doing this ahead of sending out your resume. It’s also a good idea to give your references an idea of the job you’re applying to and how you want them to respond to the reference request.
A right and wrong way for everything, including references
Resume recommendations can provide a great boost to your efforts to land an interview and job. However, there’s a right way and a wrong way to showcase those endorsements, and your resume is definitely the wrong choice. Use LinkedIn to better highlight those references and focus your resume on selling your qualifications, skills, and achievements.
It takes a certain level of finesse to turn a hiring manager’s head. Use our free resume review tool now and make sure that your application is hitting the mark.
Recommended reading:
Written by
Charlotte Grainger, Editor & Content Writer, Charlotte Grainger, Editor & Content Writer
Charlotte Grainger is a freelance writer living and working in Sheffield, UK. She has a passion for career development and loves sharing tips and advice. Follow her on Twitter
