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QUESTION: I’ve noticed we have skill quizzes available on LinkedIn. What good are they to my job search?

Grant Cooper, Strategic Resumes & Business Plans

Employers are cautious about hiring candidates who have not mastered the technical skills required for the position. Submitting the skill quizzes on LinkedIn will go a long way toward assuring the employer of your specific capabilities. In addition, completion of the LinkedIn quizzes may also help to improve the algorithms LinkedIn uses when employers or recruiters search for suitable candidates.

Brenda Bernstein, The Essay Expert LLC

Recruiters and hiring managers are increasingly searching for people who have passed certain skills quizzes. If you do work that relies on your ability to use specific software and are claiming proficiency in it, you need to see if there is a skills test available so you can PROVE your skill. You have to score 70% to pass. If you fail, no one will know. You can try again in 3 months.

Robert Rosales, EZ Resume Services

The LinkedIn Skill Assessments can be a big help in your job search. Demonstrate your expertise of the skills listed on your profile by completing assessments specific to those skills. This feeds the algorithms and helps streamline the candidate search for recruiters and hiring managers. Recruiters can also request that you take an assessment as part of the application process. Be proactive.

Carol Adams, Ideal Resumes, LLC

Recruiters will feel more confident contacting you if you have taken a skills assessment for a skill required in a particular position. So definitely go ahead and take any of the quizzes that you want to advertise and that you can pass! Note that you get 3 chances to pass, and if you don’t, you can do some studying and then try again in 3 months.

David Wiacek, Career Fixer LLC

My senior-level clients rarely use these assessments, which are divided into Technical (e.g., C++), Business (Excel), and Design (Photoshop) categories—but they all feel technical. They don’t test for creativity or soft skills, just your granular knowledge of the software. If applying via L/In to a job where the software is essential, passing the quiz can’t hurt. Recruiters can see your badge.

Freddie Cheek, Cheek & Associates

Skill quizzes/assessments are beneficial to recruiters and job seekers. Earning a skill badge carries weight with LinkedIn’s algorithms and enables recruiters to streamline a candidate search. Employers, when surveyed, agreed that verifying a candidate’s skills would save them time and expedite the hiring process. Although technology-based, the skill quiz list keeps growing.

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