It has happened to us all. We look up from our desk or workspace to see a friend and co-worker exiting the building for the last time. It might be a peer, supervisor, or even someone you considered a mentor. You didn’t expect it, and he didn’t expect it. Your throat drops to your stomach, you wish there was something you could do.
In today’s socially connected world, there is something you can do. If the co-worker has a presence on Linked-In, and you haven’t done so already, you can post a recommendation to your former co-worker’s profile.
Linked-In’s recommendation features is one of social media’s most unique assists. Recommendations provide a separate and long-needed voice, illuminating and sometimes confirming facts presented in the traditional resume.
Many people debated the value of recommendations when Linked-In first became popular, questioning the sincerity of their prose. But as the network matured, recommendations have become part its fabric. There is nothing similar in all of social media.
Of course, you don’t have to wait till someone is out the door to post a recommendation. Linked-In prompts you to proactively seek recommendations, and encourages you to find other friends and co-workers for which you can post a good word. However, the actual recommendation request comes from the friend or co-worker themselves. If they don’t ask for one, send them a message offering your recommendation, and they can reply with a recommendation request.
It may not get your friend a job right off the bat, but it’s a bit more than just wishing luck in a quick e-mail or Facebook comment. I recently did this for a former co-worker in the waning days of 2009. Honestly, it was the best thing I did all year.
