Someone could and very well might endorse me for “goat wrangling” on LinkedIn.

Obviously this is an absurd scenario. (However, as we learned from the tumblr Endorsement Bombing, not entirely uncommon.) While I may have wrangled a goat or two in my day, I wouldn’t say I was an “expert” by any means.

Sassy ninja goats cannot be wrangled.

As a freelancer, you may find yourself coming into contact and connecting on LinkedIn with all sorts of people, from all sorts of fields. One day you will have a random endorsement from a stranger who may or may not have ever met you in person.

Here are the stages of my reaction to a random endorsement:

1. Confusion

Who the hell is Stacy and why does she think I am adept at “Qualitative Research”?

2. Contemplation

I mean, I guess I kind-of get what that is after skimming the Wikipedia article.

**3. Acceptance **

Yep, I am a Qualitative researcher, totally. It’s a thing.

4. Hoping nobody ever asks you about that skill IRL

Do you think they can tell that I have no idea what I am talking about?!

Really don’t want to have that endorsement? Here’s what you can do to amend that, and make your LinkedIn profile what it should be: an honest and professional reflection of your actual skills and experience.

1. Go to “Profile” in the top navigation bar and choose “Edit Profile” from the drop down menu

2. Scroll down to Skills & Endorsements and click on the “Edit” button

3. You can choose to hide the endorsements you don’t want visible (you can always make them visible again at any time).

4. You can change the order of your endorsements so you can prioritize your best skills.

5. You can also choose how and if you are notified for endorsement and whether you want to be endorsed in the first place.

LinkedIn can actually be a useful resource for networking and finding gigs. However, it should be carefully cultivated and representative of who you are as a professional.

Freelancers, what’s the most random endorsement you have on LinkedIn?