It’s always nice when a colleague, boss, mentor, mentee, pal or other professional thinks you are awesome. It’s even nicer when they are willing to put their praise in lights for the entire world to see. The punch packed by each kudos can vary. So not every testimonial is created equal – and oftentimes, recipients aren’t sure what to do with their endorsements. Assessing whether to…and where to showcase them requires an understanding of the market mindset and the right judgment.

You have some terrific endorsements from former legal and business colleagues, but your resume is not the right platform to include them. Credentials, work history and substantive experience are the resume essentials for telling your professional story clearly and concisely. Remember, employers don’t read resumes they skim them…looking for the core of the Professional You. Endorsements and the lengthy quotes that accompany them will dilute your message, dilute the endorsement and occupy valuable real estate that should be reserved for other more important content (or lack thereof). So my advice is not to include your endorsements on your resume.

Instead, take the highest profile, most impressive kudos and include them on your LinkedIn profile. Not too many though – as a reader’s eyes will start to glaze over and will eventually bypass them altogether.

If you insist on including endorsements on your resume, my recommendation is to create a separate section on a separate page (hard page break) within the same soft copy as your resume and house this information here. This will appropriately separate the content both physically and psychologically for the reader. Depending on the length of your quotes, I’d stick to three endorsements max starting with your most impressive supporter.

A high quality professional will earn admirers and cheerleaders in the course of a successful career. And showcasing those who sing one’s praises is a natural human desire. For those who do, the best…and most appropriate platform to leverage is not the resume, but the LinkedIn profile. So pursue this wiser path to enhance your candidacy and leave your resume to reflect the core of the Professional You.