LinkedIn skill assessments have become an increasingly popular way for professionals to showcase their abilities to recruiters and hiring managers. But are these short multiple-choice quizzes actually worth the time and effort required to complete them? Here’s a look at the pros and cons of LinkedIn skill assessments.
What are LinkedIn skill assessments?
LinkedIn skill assessments are short, multiple-choice tests that measure your proficiency in various skills and software programs. They cover a wide range of topics including programming languages like Python and Java, design software like Photoshop and Illustrator, office productivity suites like Microsoft Office, and more professional skills like time management, communication, and project management.
The assessments are meant to validate the skills you have listed on your LinkedIn profile. When you add a skill to your profile, you have the option to take the corresponding skill assessment. If you pass, you will get a verified skill badge displayed next to that skill on your profile. This signals to recruiters and hiring managers that you have demonstrable knowledge in that area.
The pros of taking LinkedIn skill assessments
Here are some of the benefits of taking LinkedIn skill assessments:
Verification of skills
Arguably the biggest advantage of taking a LinkedIn skill assessment is the ability to prove you have proficiency in a given skill or technology. The verified skill badges stand out and give hiring managers instant validation that you actually know that skill.
Increase profile visibility
In addition to making your skills stand out, completing skill assessments can boost your overall LinkedIn profile visibility. LinkedIn’s algorithm favors profiles with verified skills and assessments when displaying search results. So skills verification can help increase your discoverability.
Opportunity to fill skills gaps
Taking assessments can help you identify areas for improvement. Even if you fail an assessment, you’ll get feedback on which types of questions you struggled with. You can use this to focus your learning and strengthen your skills in areas covered by the assessment.
Practice for interviews
The multiple-choice assessment questions tend to resemble technical interview screening questions. Practicing for the assessments can serve as good preparation for the types of questions you may encounter during skills-based interviews.
Stand out to recruiters
Skills verification provides a way to catch recruiters’ attention among the hundreds of other profiles they are sorting through. WIth so many candidates applying for jobs today, verified skills give recruiters a reason to take a second look at your profile.
The cons of taking LinkedIn skill assessments
While LinkedIn assessments provide some clear benefits, there are also a few drawbacks to consider:
Time commitment
Each assessment takes 15-30 minutes to complete. The time commitment adds up if you want to validate multiple skills. Rather than spending hours taking assessments, you may want to prioritize other professional development or interview preparation activities.
Only covers limited concepts
The assessments cannot comprehensively test every facet of a complex skill. Most focus on definitions and theoretical concepts rather than practical application. Passing an assessment shows basic knowledge, but not necessarily deep expertise.
Questions may be outdated
LinkedIn does not frequently refresh the question banks for assessments. You may encounter questions that are outdated or no longer relevant for the latest versions of certain technologies and tools.
You can fail assessments
If you fail an assessment, you have to wait at least 24 hours to retake it. And after multiple failed attempts, you will be locked out from taking that assessment again. So you’ll miss out on the skills verification if you keep failing.
Assessment scores are hidden
LinkedIn no longer shows the numerical scores achieved on assessments. So even if you pass, you don’t have a metric to demonstrate how high you scored relative to others.
Should you take LinkedIn skill assessments?
In general, completing LinkedIn skill assessments can be worth the effort for most professionals. But it depends on your specific situation and goals. Here are a few factors to consider:
Your job search status
If you are actively searching for a new job, verified skills will significantly help your candidacy stand out. The skills verification can catch recruiter attention and lead to more profile views and InMail messages.
Job Search Status | Take Assessments? |
---|---|
Actively looking for a new job | Yes, the verified skills can boost your profile |
Casually browsing job listings | Optional, less urgency to add verifications |
Not actively job searching | Lower priority, focus efforts elsewhere |
Seniority level
Mid-career and senior professionals have existing experience to demonstrate skills mastery. But for early career candidates, like recent graduates, verified skills help compensate for the lack of extensive work history.
Seniority Level | Take Assessments? |
---|---|
Early career | Yes, provides proof of skills |
Mid-career | Helpful but not critical |
Senior professional | Low value given work experience |
Skills relevance
Focus your efforts on taking assessments for in-demand technical skills and software programs required for roles in your industry. There is less value in verifying soft skills like leadership or general business acumen through assessments.
Skill Type | Take Assessment? |
---|---|
Technical skills like programming languages | Yes, directly relevant for many roles |
Software certifications | Highly valued by hiring managers |
Soft skills | Lower priority and relevance |
Your confidence level
Be honest with yourself about your true proficiency in a skill before taking the assessment. Avoid assessments where you may struggle or fail to pass. But for your strongest skill sets, the assessments provide external validation.
Confidence in Skill Level | Take Assessment? |
---|---|
Not confident at all | Avoid if you think you may fail |
Somewhat confident | Review the material first |
Very confident | Go for it, should pass easily |
How to prepare for LinkedIn skill assessments
Here are some tips to prepare yourself and pass LinkedIn skill assessments:
- Carefully review LinkedIn’s assessment overview pages – these provide a high-level breakdown of the concepts covered in each assessment.
- Study the content and training material LinkedIn provides for free.
- Search online to find practice questions and quizzes related to the skill.
- Brush up on the topics by reading guides and reference sheets.
- Leverage your work experience applying the skill.
- Consider taking a course if you need to fill substantial knowledge gaps.
Get started today
In most cases, the benefits outweigh the minor time investment needed to complete LinkedIn skill assessments. Verified skills provide tangible value to your candidacy as a job seeker. So leverage these assessments to showcase your expertise and get noticed by more recruiters!