In today’s competitive job market, job seekers are looking for ways to stand out and showcase their skills and qualifications to potential employers. One way that some people choose to do this is through LinkedIn skill badges – but do these digital credentials really help or are they just resume filler?
What are LinkedIn skill badges?
LinkedIn skill badges are digital badges that you can display on your LinkedIn profile to showcase your knowledge, skills, and expertise in a particular area. They are awarded when you pass a short online assessment test in one of over 50 skill areas ranging from leadership and project management to sales and customer service.
The badges are designed to validate your capabilities and supplement your resume by visually representing your strengths. Each badge earned appears as an icon on your profile that when clicked shows the skill name, difficulty level of the assessment, and date earned.
Who’s using LinkedIn skill badges?
Over 30 million people have earned LinkedIn skill badges so far. They tend to be most popular among recent graduates and early career professionals who are trying to build up their profiles and get noticed by recruiters and hiring managers.
However, even experienced professionals use them as a way to get recognized for developing new skills or to back up their expertise in specialized areas. For example, an IT project manager could display badges for skills like Agile Methodologies and Data Analytics.
The pros of displaying LinkedIn skill badges
Here are some of the potential benefits of showcasing LinkedIn skill badges on your profile:
They demonstrate your knowledge
The badges serve as a form of certification to prove you actually have the skills and understanding you claim. Rather than just listing “Social Media Marketing” on your resume, the corresponding skill badge shows you’ve passed LinkedIn’s assessment to validate your knowledge.
They highlight hard and soft skills
LinkedIn skill badges span both hard skills like programming languages and tools as well as soft skills like leadership and time management. This allows you to showcase a diverse range of capabilities.
They illustrate your commitment to learning
The badges show you’ve taken initiative to develop and improve your skills over time. Ongoing professional development is critical for growth in any career.
They look professional
Skill badges add visual interest to your profile and make it look more polished and complete. The icons catch the eye of recruiters scanning profiles.
Recruiters value them
According to a LinkedIn survey, over 80% of talent professionals view LinkedIn skill badges as useful credentials to evaluate candidates. So displaying relevant badges for in-demand skills can potentially give you a competitive edge.
The cons of displaying LinkedIn skill badges
On the other hand, there are some downsides to consider before populating your profile with lots of skill badges:
The tests may not be comprehensive
The short online assessments generally take around 10-15 minutes to complete and involve multiple choice questions. Some experts argue these quick tests don’t evaluate skills in enough depth.
They aren’t equivalent to formal certifications
While LinkedIn skill badges serve as a form of verification, they aren’t as rigorous as many professional certifications that involve exams, assignments, real-world demonstrations of ability, and continuing education requirements.
They may not align with job requirements
Some of the skill badge options don’t necessarily correspond with in-demand skills employers are looking for. So not all badges will be considered relevant or valuable by recruiters.
Anyone can earn them
There are no prerequisites to take the skill badge assessments, so even people with no experience in a skill area can earn the badges potentially diluting their value.
Too many could raise questions
Displaying an excessive number of skill badges on your profile could backfire and make recruiters wonder if you’re compensating for weaknesses in other areas.
Tips for earning and showcasing LinkedIn skill badges
If you’re interested in leveraging LinkedIn skill badges, here are some best practices:
Pick skills strategically
Focus on earning badges that validate in-demand hard and soft skills required for the types of roles you want to be considered for.
Align badges with your experience
Match the badges with skills and capabilities described in your work experience section so they directly complement rather than seem disconnected.
Conduct a self-assessment first
Before taking a test, honestly self-assess whether you truly have that skill. If not, spend time developing it before trying to earn the badge.
Display selectively
Choose just the most relevant skill badges so your profile highlights your top strengths, not every skill you dabble in.
Combine with other credentials
Integrate badges as part of a broader skills sections that also lists certifications, coursework, credentials, and key skill keywords.
The bottom line on LinkedIn skill badges
At the end of the day, LinkedIn skill badges are best viewed as a supplemental way to showcase your capabilities, not an official certification of expertise. They have the potential to reinforce and visually demonstrate skills, but have limitations in terms of depth and credibility compared to some other qualifications.
Like any credentials, it’s about quality over quantity when it comes to strategically picking relevant skill badges that align with the rest of your experience and the job requirements. When used selectively and appropriately, they can be a valuable addition to your LinkedIn profile and resume.
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Key takeaways on LinkedIn skill badges
Here are the main points to keep in mind when considering LinkedIn skill badges:
What are they?
– Digital badges earned by passing short online assessments in various skill areas
Who uses them?
– Mostly recent grads and early career professionals, but also some experienced workers
Potential benefits:
– Validate capabilities, showcase range of skills, signal professional development, catch recruiter eye
Potential limitations:
– Assessments lack depth, not equivalent to certifications, may not prove valuable skills
Best practices:
– Strategically choose relevant skills tied to goals, align with experience, don’t overdo it, combine with other credentials