You're looking at the wrong end of the relationship: don't look at recommendations people have received, look at the ones they've written. That will really tell

You're looking at the wrong end of the relationship: don't look at recommendations people have received, look at the ones they've written. That will really tell you something about them. Can they recognise the skills and attributes that are important? Are they competent enough to recognise people who are better at them than they are? Or are they just flinging out recommendations in the hope that a few will bounce back? It's all there.