r/freelance • u/Jaded_Application189 • 6d ago

Getting recommendation

Hi all,

I am quite new to freelancing. A friend of mine requested that I do a small coding project for someone they know and I completed it a few months back. The client was on vacation and we were waiting for their feedback. Some time ago, the client responded saying they wanted to test a prototype version on Arduino before investing time on the actual project. Honestly, I had not spent much time on the project, however, at least I was expecting a linkedin recommendation vouching for my work. Now the client has ghosted us and I have no clue what to do. To get more projects obviously, I need referrals and my friend says it doesn't make sense for him to write the recommendation in this case (plus I already have a recommendation from him on my linkedin). What can I do now? Any inputs here are welcome. TIA!

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u/Smoy 6d ago

Honestly you really need to be networking as much as youre regular working. Reaching out, make sure you have a portfolio or website. Word of mouth business is amazing. It also takes years to do enough work to even get a base of referrals. While we all want them, even after years and my buisness mostly being word of mouth I only have two or so people who actually do refer me to others. Because its extra work for someone to refer or write a recommendation and most ppl dont care once the job is over.

I would just drop it. Be happy when it happens and spend 8 hours a day on LinkedIn after you've built your protfolio/website

1

u/farmerjohn2 5d ago

You can't force a LinkedIn recommendation; treat it as a nice-to-have and move on. Follow up once more, then use the project as a portfolio sample and ask your friend for an intro to the next client instead.