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I am a junior developer in a medium sized team, and have been given a specific project for the term of my internship.

I have kept my supervisor/superior well abreast of my progress. At every step of the way they have complimented my efficiency and quality of work. Things like "wow, you did this much faster than I expected", "you're the best", "looks great!", "great job!".

As someone who will be going through a series of internships in the next few years, how can I capitalize on this? How can I phrase a request to my supervisor for them to;

  1. put an endorsement on my linkedin, or
  2. write a paragraph that I can put in a longform CV I make available to employers I apply to?

And what sorts of things should I ask my supervisor to include?

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  • Although you seem mostly interested in the human-relationship component of "how to ask" it's worth noting that linkedin has a built in tool for asking for recommendations (which perhaps you could use to good effect after having a conversation with your boss as recommended in the answers): linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/96/…
    – dwizum
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 16:31
  • I suppose I should have clarified that I am not currently connected with my supervisor on LinkedIn, although I suppose that is a first step and a relatively straight forward one.
    – jsarbour
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 17:47
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    @jsarbour Well, I would just ask them for the recommendation. If they agree, say you'll send them an connection request now and whatever is necessary after that and they can get to it when they have time.
    – user70848
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 19:09
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    No one takes these seriously just fyi
    – Max A.
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 20:04
  • @Max A. Thanks for the feedback. I was more looking for a paragraph to add to a longform CV that I keep available for all employers to look at, as part of a larger "comments and reviews" section, that includes things like this from many people, but someone else has edited my title. I'm not explicitly after linkedin
    – jsarbour
    Commented Jul 11, 2019 at 0:05

3 Answers 3

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As someone who will be going through a series of internships in the next few years, how can I capitalize on this? How can I phrase a request to my supervisor for them to;

put an endorsement on my linkedin, or write a paragraph that I can put in a longform CV I make available to employers I apply to? And what sorts of things should I ask my supervisor to include?

"Hey boss, I have enjoyed working with you and gaining valuable experience under your direction. Since you had a unique perspective of my progress on XYZ project, would you be willing to write an a few words about my work on LinkedIn?" Tailor as appropriate for you.

If they ask what to include, simply tell them to write "Whatever you genuinely feel represents my work", or something like that. Meaning, just let them write whatever they want and focus on their honest feelings.

Whatever they write on LinkedIn you should feel free to include on your CV; they don't need to write 2 recommendations.

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You can ask your colleague for a note on LinkedIn now, and ask him/her to be a long-term reference at the end of your internship.

Recommendations belong in recommendation letters or personal conversations between recruiters and past colleagues - not on your resume.

If you feel comfortable, there's no reason to delay asking for a LinkedIn comment from your supervisor now. These are usually brief, informal, and entirely composed by the commenter. Additionally, the comment can be revised if you or the commenter have updates at the end of the internship.

At the end of your internship, you can ask your supervisor directly if he/she would be willing to be a reference for you in the future. If he/she says yes, you should coordinate specific recommendation letters in the future - tailor your recommendations to the job you're applying to, not your past job.

Good luck in your internship and future job searches!

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  • I've heard that it is useful to have a general series of comments of praise available from people you have worked with. I keep a long form CV that lists everything I've done, alongside the more targeted resume that I submit in application packages (with a link to the CV), and was planning on putting it there. Your thoughts?
    – jsarbour
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 17:49
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    @jsarbour, I would use those as notes to craft a letter specific to the job to which you are applying. As the hiring manager, I'm most interested in a reference's assessment of how you would perform at the job you're being considered for. I'm less interested in how you performed a different job, especially if the role is very different (e.g., different level, different product, different tools, different team structure).
    – Jay
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 17:55
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    Additionally, see this question/answer for more on recommendations: workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/139053/…
    – Jay
    Commented Jul 10, 2019 at 17:57
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Wait till nearly the end of your internship and ask for a written recommendation. This way they can highlight your total successes and quality of work. Once they have given it to you, you can ask that if they have time to hit your linkedin page for a few endorsements.

It may be wise to keep a running log of projects and milestones you have completed so your superiors can use it as a reference for their recommendation.

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