What is the value of endorsements on LinkedIn?

One person's opinion - I think endorsements will quickly loose there luster, because they will be abused. Endorsing is too easy. Just press a button.

Recommendations take effort. You can always read a recommendation and glean something, i.e. strength or weakness. Usually if person A asks person B for a recommendation and one is given, person B will request a recommendation back from person A, i.e. quid pro quo. In other words - do not ask for a recommendation unless you are willing to give one. People do not waste time writing a recommendation for someone that they really do not know. Clearly from my point of view, effort has a relationship to validity in recommendations.

However, if it only takes 10 seconds to endorse; I expect people will respond with 10 seconds, in kind without a second thought.

The purpose of Linkedin endorsements from the perspective of the Linkedin system is this, and it may suprise you.

In order to be found on Linkedin by someone who is not a direct or 2nd connection, you must have at a minimum 6 endorsements.

Why?

Because those searching are able to mark a checkbox that says "show me only those profiles with 5 or more endorsements", and all recruiters check that box.

Preference is given to paid accounts and those who have the 6 endorsements. If you have a free account, you will not be able to see very much on Linkedin, and if you have no key words in the text fields of your work history your profile will not be ranked high enough to be found.

This is the secret of linkedin that recruiters prefer that no one knows because as soon as everyone has 6 endorsements (quality doesn't matter) their accounts are freed up to be found by key word searches and the volume that recruiters deal with increases.

If you want to go closer to the head of the line you need 6 endorsements. If they happen to be quality endorsements all the better.

Legally however, no recruiter relies on any endorsement on linkedin for interview or reference check purposes.

If you endorse your buddy because they endorsed you, you will not be considered by most recruiters because they see that you understand how to game the system.

I learned all this from an executive recruiter.

The new skills endorsements are annoying at best.

Valerie, are you talking about "recommendations" or "endorsements"?

The skills setup is pretty generic but it is beneficial in terms of a "general" what is this person good at, and recognized by the community to be good at, or at least involved in.

I didn't know that about the 6 endorsements, that is quite interesting!