At LinkedIn, we want everyone to have access to opportunities based on the skills they have, regardless of their background or where they went to school. That’s why we’re excited to roll out LinkedIn Skill Assessments. 

According to new research conducted by LinkedIn, 69% of professionals think verified skills are more important than college education when job-seeking, and 76% think a way to verify skills would help them stand out amongst other candidates. With Skill Assessments, our members can assess and validate their own skills and improve upon them with LinkedIn Learning.

When skills are validated, members can build a stronger profile and become more discoverable to opportunities -- early results show a significant improvement (~30%) in the likelihood to get hired if you complete a LinkedIn Skill Assessment.

LinkedIn members can show off their skills

Skill Assessments are short-form, standardized assessments designed by third-party subject matter and learning experts to assess and validate skills. Regardless of whether a member passes, they are offered free, relevant LinkedIn Learning courses to improve their skills.

If members successfully pass (in the 70th percentile or above), they have the option to add a “verified skill” badge. Members have complete control over the visibility of their results. 

Recruiters and hiring managers are empowered to find the right hire faster

87% of employers agreed that an easy way to verify candidate skills would save them time. With Skill Assessments, recruiters and HMs can:

• Streamline the candidate search: With LinkedIn Skill Assessments, there’s no need to set up custom assessments for each new role. The ability to view candidates who have passed a Skill Assessment will be easily visible in candidate search results. 

• Engage with a more diversified talent pool: When recruiters search for ‘java’ or ‘photoshop,’ we can make sure that members with verified skills show up. In turn, helping reduce the time to find quality hires. 

• Source more confidently: Recruiters and hiring managers can quickly and reliably pinpoint candidates that have the skills they are looking for.

Today, we are rolling out in-demand assessments that members can choose from, spanning from coding languages like C++, to design software like Adobe Photoshop, to everyday business tools like Microsoft Excel. We plan to keep expanding our Skill Assessment portfolio, so expect more Skill Assessments in the coming weeks. 

For more on the launch of Skill Assessments, see the full LinkedIn Talent Solutions blog post here.