A few days ago, one of my star employees asked me to give her a LinkedIn testimonial. My knee-jerk reaction to her request was, “of course I will, you’re wonderful!” But then my manager brain started to talk to me. It said such things as, “maybe she’s looking for another position” and “perhaps she has a recruiter waiting in the wings to take her away from you!”

I realized that I had to stop listening to my manager’s brain, and follow my own advice. As a job search coach, I am constantly advising (encouraging…nagging) my clients to get as many testimonials as possible but as someone who sees the importance and value of LinkedIn, I tell my non-job seeking clients and associates to do the same. Testimonials are important to a person’s LinkedIn profile and a testimonial from a boss holds even more weight. So I tell everyone to attempt to get a testimonial from your boss, whether you are trying to flee her, or if you are hoping to work with her forever.

Testimonials are great, but not all of them are created equal. A good testimonial is well-thought out, and gives plenty of details. An example of a bad testimonial: “Sam is really good at his job and I really enjoy working with him. His clients really like him and all of his projects were completed on time and under budget.” Shudder. Let’s see if we can improve on that a bit: “Sam has been a star player since day one, bringing in all of the contracts that others failed to close. When he was on vacation, two of Sam’s clients refused to deal with anyone else in our office because they see him as a crucial partner. No other account manager in our department has reached that level of client loyalty. He continuously works within given parameters, but has also been known to stretch a budget or two. However, each time that happened, the ROI was at least twice as expected, which turned those risks into smart strategies. If I were starting a company today, Sam is one of three people I’d take with me.” See the difference?

So, back to my dilemma. Putting my fragile ego aside, I will happily oblige my employee and any other ResuMAYDAY employee that asks for a testimonial. They’re all superb and have more than earned their accolades. I just have to repeat to myself “it doesn’t mean they are looking to jump ship” as I craft my complimentary words.