LinkedIn is an excellent way to network and connect with potential employers. It’s important to put your best foot forward on this professional social media platform, and LinkedIn Skill Assessments offer a great way to make that good impression. If you have a particular skill that you want to showcase, a LinkedIn assessment can help you showcase your skills and knowledge. In this article, you will learn everything about LinkedIn Skill Assessments and if it’s worth taking.
Are LinkedIn Skill Assessments Worth it?
Yes, it’s definitely worth taking LinkedIn Skill Assessments. This is because it helps recruiters find the top talents by filtering candidates who have taken the skill assessments. It also helps to add value to your LinkedIn profile, which will help you find a high-paying job.
What are LinkedIn Skill Assessments?
The LinkedIn Skills Assessments feature tests your knowledge of specific topics that you have listed in your profile. The assessment is basically a quiz that consists of 15 multiple choice questions, with each question testing at least one concept. On average, you get 1.5 minutes to complete each question, and each test must be taken in one sitting. This is to avoid any cheating and quite reassures employers.
These assessments aren’t mandatory, but this could be a great way to stand out amongst a sea of applicants. If you score in the top 30% for the skill assessment, you will receive a skill badge that can be displayed in your profile. This skill badge makes all the difference between a successful applicant and a failed one.
How do LinkedIn Skill Assessments work?
To take a LinkedIn assessment, navigate to the skills section of your profile and select the relevant skill assessment. If you have a disability, you can activate the accessibility for the skill assessment feature, and this will allow you additional time to complete each question. Your score is private by default, which means you can control your results’ visibility.
If your score is 70th percentile or higher, you will pass the assessment and have the option to display a ‘verified skill’ badge on your profile. If you don’t pass the assessment, you can brush up on your skills and retake the test. Please note that you can take each assessment once per three months.
When you complete the assessment, LinkedIn gives you an outline of your results. In addition, it offers relevant LinkedIn courses for free for a limited time so that you can improve further. You will also receive relevant job recommendations.
How Can LinkedIn Skill Assessments help you find a job?
Increasing your chances of getting a job by one-third is definitely a significant boost. Applicants also get a chance to prove their competency in a skill. The creation of badges gamifies the skill assessment and gives a powerful cue of a candidate’s qualification.
There are many qualified people who won’t take the skills assessment and get a badge. So, without a badge, even though they are qualified, they will be at a disadvantage. Thus, getting a badge to apply for a job on the LinkedIn platform might feel forced for such professionals.
Recruiters also win potential candidates with these assessments. Though there are skill verification tests that you can get candidates to take, they are expensive and time-consuming. LinkedIn also wins here with its badging system as it creates a deeper engagement with its platform.
LinkedIn research shared as part of the tool announcement shows that 69% of people want to verify their skill competency before applying for a job, and 76% wish if there was a way a skill could be verified so they could stand out in the eyes of a potential employer.
How to take LinkedIn Skill Assessments?
Taking LinkedIn Skill Assessments is easy and free, and you can get results as soon as you complete the quiz. You can take the assessments by following these steps:
Step 1 – Click on your profile picture in the top-right corner and select ‘view profile.’
Step 2 – Scroll down to the ‘skills’ section of your profile. You will find a button in the top right that reads ‘Take skill quiz.’
Step 3 – If you know the topic you want to take the quiz, you can search for it in the search box at the top right corner. Or you can look at the ‘Industry Knowledge’ or ‘Tool & Technology’ sections.
Step 4 – After finding the topic, click on it and go to its assessment page.
Step 5 – You can find the assessment details here, and you have two buttons at the bottom to either ‘Practice’ or ‘start’ to take the test.
Step 6 – You can take the quiz right after practice if you want or start the quiz directly. Remember that if you exit at any point, all your progress will be lost, and you need to start over.
Who creates LinkedIn Skills Assessments?
The skills assessments are curated by industry experts. Writers, instructors, and authors write the questions while peer reviewers provide regular feedback to improve the content. This means the skills assessments are up to date. The requirements of certain skills are constantly shifting, so it makes sense for LinkedIn to follow the changes.
Are LinkedIn Skill Assessments difficult?
The skills assessments can be challenging but are actually useful. Moreover, these assessments seem to be well received. Research shows that job seekers who completed the LinkedIn skill assessments are 30% more likely to get hired than those who haven’t.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Skill Assessments offer a brilliant way to showcase your skills to potential employers while at the same time improving your skills. If you know a skill, then why not go ahead, and take LinkedIn Skill Assessments. You never know how much difference it could make to your potential employer who might be lurking on your profile. So, please take advantage of what’s offered by LinkedIn and use it to maximize your employability.
