LinkedIn offers new skills testing

I’ve learned about a new feature being offered by LinkedIn that I thought would be of interest to all those out there who may at some point be looking for a job, as well as for all those out there who may at some point need to hire for a job.

As you know, I believe that anyone who’s a professional in the workforce or anyone interested in work-related networking should, at minimum, have a LinkedIn account and profile. For those unfamiliar, this is a place where you list all the employers and jobs you’ve had, as well as your education, any licenses, certifications and such.

What the new feature will offer is a way for you to take a skills test. And if you pass at 70% proficiency, you will get at badge that you can display in your profile, showing that you have a met their threshold of proficiency on that topic. Whether the tests are valid or too easy is not yet clear, we’ll see.

What happens if you don’t pass a test?

That stays private. They’ll give you feedback on how you did and — this is where the commercialization of your information comes in — they will unlock, for a limited time and for free, relevant learning courses offered by Linkedin (which usually aren’t free) to help you improve that skill. And they hope you stay for more, so that’s what’s in it for them.

So what kind of topics do these tests include?

Mostly technical. There are about 14 tests (with more coming) including: Adobe Acrobat, JavaScript, C++, Ruby on Rails, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, MySQL and Quickbooks.

What’s my opinion on this new LinkedIn feature?

Like any assessment or test in the market — whether for skills or personality (DISC, Myers Briggs) — the value of the test is in its validation. While LinkedIn says that each test “is constructed through a rigorous content creation and review process in partnership with LinkedIn Learning industry and subject matter experts,” I think it’s going to take some time before these can be validated, if at all. It will be a challenge since online tests are easy to cheat unless they have a more rigorous identification system.

It’s a good start though, and a good idea.

Eva Del Rio is creator of HR Box – tools for small businesses and startups. Send questions to Eva@evadelrio.com