There are a few potential reasons why you may not be seeing the option to ask for recommendations on Facebook:
Your Account Settings
The ability to ask for recommendations is a feature that needs to be enabled in your account settings. Here are some things to check:
- Go to your Facebook settings and make sure “Recommendations” is enabled under the “Apps and Websites” section. This allows friends to recommend you.
- Double check that your privacy settings allow friends to post on your timeline. Recommendations show up as posts.
- Make sure tag review is enabled in the timeline and tagging settings. This allows friends to tag you in recommendation posts.
Update Facebook
Facebook is constantly releasing new features, so you may need to update to the latest version of the app or site to access recommendations:
- On mobile, go to the App Store or Google Play Store to ensure you have installed the most up-to-date version of the Facebook app.
- On desktop, make sure you don’t have an old cached version of Facebook loaded. Do a hard refresh of the site to force it to load the newest code.
Location Restrictions
In some countries, the ability to ask for recommendations is limited due to local laws and regulations. The feature may not be enabled in:
- China
- South Korea
- Vietnam
- Countries under US sanctions like Iran, Cuba, North Korea, etc.
So if you are located in one of those places, that is likely why you can’t see the recommendations option.
Troubleshooting Steps
If you’ve checked your settings and updated Facebook but still don’t see the option, here are some troubleshooting steps to try:
- Log out of Facebook completely, then log back in. This will force a refresh of your account.
- Clear your browser cookies and cache. Old cached Facebook data could be preventing new features from loading.
- Try accessing Facebook from a different web browser or device. This can determine if the issue is browser-related.
- Check if you have any browser extensions or add-ons that might be blocking parts of Facebook. Try disabling them temporarily.
- Make sure your internet connection is stable. Poor connectivity can prevent features from displaying properly.
Still No Luck?
If you still don’t see the recommendations option after trying everything, here are a few last things to check:
- Verify your account is in good standing and not restricted for violations.
- Check if your account was converted to a business profile. Recommendations are only for personal profiles.
- Make sure your account has been active for a while and has sufficient information filled out in your profile.
Why Recommendations Matter
Asking for recommendations on Facebook can be helpful for a variety of reasons:
- Job search – Having colleagues and managers recommend your work ethic and skills can give you a leg up in the hiring process.
- School applications – Recommendations from teachers can demonstrate your academic performance and mindset.
- Professional reputation – Recommendations relevant to your industry can showcase your abilities to potential partners, clients, etc.
- Personal character – Friends and family can recommend you as a trustworthy, responsible person for things like pet-sitting, babysitting, house sitting, etc.
So in summary, recommendations provide outside validation of your qualities and expertise from people who know you. They give credibility to your personal brand and areas like job searches where credentials matter.
Different Types of Recommendations
There are a few categories of recommendations you can request on Facebook:
| Category | Use Cases |
|---|---|
| Work | Describing work-related skills, achievements, and strengths. |
| Education | Highlighting academic qualities and knowledge gained. |
| Services | Endorsing abilities pertaining to services offered like tutoring, photography, consulting, etc. |
| Character | Affirming personal qualities like trustworthiness, responsibility, dependability, etc. |
So think about which aspects of yourself you want to highlight, then tailor who you ask for maximum impact.
How to Ask for Recommendations
Once you’ve enabled recommendations, here are the steps to request one on Facebook:
- Click on the three-dot menu in your main profile dropdown.
- Select “Recommendations” and choose one of the recommendation types.
- Enter the name of the person you want to recommend you. You can ask multiple people.
- Customize the recommendation questions that get sent to them.
- Click “Send” to submit the request. They will get a notification.
Once sent, the request recipient can open the questions and write a recommendation. They can choose to share it publicly to your timeline or privately just to you. You’ll get notified when they submit it.
Tips for Getting Recommendations
Here are some tips to get great recommendations:
- Pick recommenders who know your work and abilities well. Long-time colleagues or managers are ideal.
- Give them context on how you will use the recommendation. A job application gets more motivation than a generic request.
- Suggest key skills and accomplishments for them to mention about you.
- Follow up if they haven’t completed it after a couple weeks.
- Show your appreciation by offering to write them a recommendation in return.
Displaying Recommendations
Once recommendations have been submitted, they will appear in the “Recommendations” section of your profile. You can toggle them to be public, visible to friends, or private.
To showcase certain recommendations:
- Click the three dots above a recommendation to pin it to your profile.
- Rearrange the order of recommendations by dragging and dropping them.
- Hover over a recommendation and click “…” to remove it.
Curating your recommendations this way allows you to highlight your most relevant and impactful ones for your personal brand.
Using Recommendations Off Facebook
To get value from your Facebook recommendations off the platform:
- Download them individually as image files or PDFs to store offline.
- Copy and paste the text into a document to include with job or school applications.
- Screenshot recommendations and share the images where needed.
- Set your profile to public temporarily so recommenders can be verified.
Just make sure to check if your recommenders are comfortable with off-Facebook use when you make the initial request.
Conclusion
Here are some key takeaways around Facebook recommendations:
- Check your account settings and location to enable the feature.
- Troubleshooting things like app updates and browser issues can help surface it.
- Strategically request recommendations relevant to your goals.
- Proactively manage recommendations on your profile.
- Leverage recommendations for things like job and school applications.
With the right recommenders and custom questions, Facebook recommendations can be a valuable professional and personal asset. Take the time to cultivate recommendations that complement your brand and highlight your best qualities.