LinkedIn recommendations for some former colleagues but not all

Question

At my previous place of work a lot of people had to leave, including me. We stay in touch. Of the people still working there some will probably have to look for new jobs soon.

A few of my former colleagues I intensively worked with were really really good at their job, both soft- and hard skills. I would like to post a recommendation on their LinkedIn, because they deserve it and also because they may need it.

However, i'm worried about the interpersonal component. We all keep in touch more or less and everyone looking for a job will be on LinkedIn, so they will see my recommendation. I do not want to hurt anyone's feelings or write recommendations for others only because they are nice people.

Is there any etiquette on this?

Answer 1

Just write the recommendations for the people you think deserve them. As for the others, they're all adults and they can handle it. Chances are, they won't even find out unless they have a habit of stalking other people's profiles. People who'd get upset about something like this probably aren't the kind of people you'd want as friends.

Answer 2

Rather than publicly posting recommendations for selected individuals, I would approach them privately and let them know that if they need a recommendation that you would be willing to give them one. It would then be up to them whether or not they want a recommendation and whether or not it would be public or private. I would not worry about people who you believe may have their feelings hurt, you are not obligated to please everyone you used to work with.

Answer 3

Is there any etiquette on this?

Not really. There is no etiquette that applies to every situation.

I know some folks who write recommendations for pretty much everyone they know. Sometimes, this appears to be in hopes of a reciprocal recommendation. As a hiring manager, when I see that happen, I tend to discount the recommendations for the candidate.

I know other folks who write recommendations for a select few.

And of course plenty of folks never write any recommendations at all.

Do whatever you are comfortable doing, and what you feel best suits your needs. Only you know how mature your connections are, and if they will feel overly hurt by not getting your recommendation.