Dive Brief:

• LinkedIn has announced a new skills assessment tool that allows job seekers to find out how proficient they are in their area of specialty. LinkedIn Skill Assessments validates job seekers’ proficiency and marks their profile so they’ll stand out to recruiters. 
• Skill assessments are constructed through what LinkedIn described as a "rigorous content creation and review process" in a partnership with subject matter and LinkedIn Learning industry experts. Once candidates complete an assessment, a badge is displayed on their profile in LinkedIn Jobs and LinkedIn Recruiter so recruiters can quickly identify skill proficiencies. LinkedIn said it will be rolling out various assessments that applicants can choose from, including some for software like Adobe Photoshop or coding languages like C++.
• The announcement comes after LinkedIn research found that 83% of surveyed managers agreed that skills and credentials are "becoming more important" for recruiting, and 77% said that "it's hard to know" which skills candidates actually have without some sort of assessment.

Dive Insight:

Job board Indeed also recently rolled out a skills assessment platform for job seekers that allows them to demonstrate their value in the market. These tools have emerged at the same time a shift in hiring requirements took place; some are finding that skills sets are becoming more indicative of a candidate's ability than something like a college degree. A tight labor market is driving some of the shift, which has employers relaxing job requirements with the aim of expanding the talent pool and improving time-to-hire.

Hiring just for experience​ and qualifications is no longer enough in a disruptive market, experts previously told HR Dive; today's hiring professionals must be one part detective and one part analyst as they evaluate workers' backgrounds and traits to determine the likelihood of their success. A sure-fire recruitment strategy, experts say, is a four-pronged process focused on experience, qualifications, soft skills and potential.

Notably, LinkedIn integrated its skills assessment tool with its learning platform. On top of changes to how recruiters approach credentialing, the current talent market may require employers to invest in training and development to build the quality workforce they need now and for the future.