Dive Brief:
- LinkedIn has launched a feature that will allow professional education companies and colleges to provide certifications for LinkedIn users who have completed their courses.
- According to TechCrunch, LinkedIn is also considering testing a program with online educators where LinkedIn would be an online destination for students to do coursework.
- The new certification feature follows a year-long test program that launched with a small number of companies, including Coursera, Lynda.com, and Microsoft.
Dive Insight:
This should add at least an air of legitimacy to certifications earned by students in professional development and career advancement courses — it’s a step beyond a line on a resume, which could be fudged. The new service will also encourage job seekers to add certifications, considering that LinkedIn users whose profiles have certifications are six times more likely to be viewed than those who don’t, according to TechCrunch. LinkedIn benefits from the move by becoming more valuable for job seekers, education service providers, and companies who are recruiting. Its jobseeking business supplies 61% of its revenues.