Ugh, they want a LinkedIn testimonial!

LinkedIn recommendations are a great tool for showcasing your work performance and helping colleagues show theirs. However, what should you do if someone asks you for a recommendation and you’re hesitant to give it? Lindsay Tigar, writing at The Ladders, offers this advice:

Avoid recommendations you don’t really mean. If the only thing you can say about someone is something bad, don’t give a recommendation at all.

Gently decline someone you don’t remember. If it’s been too long or you barely knew the person, politely suggest they ask someone who’s better and more recently acquainted with their work.

Resist the urge to do it just because it’s a friend. If you can’t honestly vouch for this person on the job, decline the invitation.

Only write honest, positive recommendations. Be sure you stand behind everything you write; if you can’t, politely turn the invitation down.

— Adapted from “What to do when you don’t want to give a LinkedIn recommendation,” Lindsay Tigar, The Ladders.