Note: If you are not seeking a new job, you can stop reading here. Come back tomorrow.
Or, better yet, share this post with someone who is looking.
LinkedIn just opened up another new facet, called Skills Assessments, to allow you to select a technical skill, be tested in it by LinkedIn, and then you are assessed a proficiency level.
Computer languages, Microsoft programs, etc. are the extent of the test subjects as of now.
This can be another differentiator to an employer, only if he/she relies on LinkedIn Recruiter and/or LinkedIn Jobs services (that they pay dearly for), who thinks this little bit of star quality helps place you over another candidate to make the search more efficient.
Think about this as a qualifier, a “feather in your cap” as my father used to say, a badge of courage to take a test and show your level of knowledge in various subjects that you select and then can strut in your “stuff.”
Here’s what it will look like on your profile once the testing is completed:
Note that you can show the badge or not on your profile.
Launch ahead and challenge your knowledge base with a test. It’s pass-fail, so why not? If you do not achieve over 70%, you can retake the test in 3 months.
It also seems to be a marketing lead-in to other courses you can take, some for a fee, on LinkedIn Learning, formerly Linda, so you see where that’s going, right? So the techies in the world will get best benefit from this. For the rest of us. stay tuned.
But techies, be brave. Go where few others have gone before (so far).
Stand out in every way. Brand yourself.
Full disclosure, I took the Microsoft PowerPoint test and I might retake it in a few months (read between the lines!)
PS, the illustrative graphic at the top is NOT what the hiring manager sees on your profile.
