A growing set of organizations are recognizing how badges & other digital credentials significantly benefit their business operations.
However, the value created by digital badges and credentials affects more than just the organizations issuing them- they also greatly empower the recipients.
By receiving and managing digital badges, individuals gain control over their digital identities and are able to elevate the story of their professional journey.
Taking Control of your Digital Identity
As large parts of our lives now take place in the digital world we are relying on our digital identities to represent ourselves to others.
Unfortunately, most digital identities are fragmented across multiple accounts and emails, may contain incorrect or out-of date information, and often do a poor job of fully capturing a person's achievements and skills. When all of this is combined, it can be hard for others to get the full picture of who you really are.
Digital badges help control your digital identity by bringing the important data that describes you together in a single place. By utilizing an Open Badge compliant backpack or wallet you can collect and instantly share information about yourself - from memberships in associations to the organization where you completed volunteer work or even to showcase a forum you moderate for.
After you've shared the relevant parts of your identity with someone, the nature of a digital badge allows them to easily verify that your info is correct. Digital badges give you the ability to speak a global, common language of verified skills, learning, accomplishments and status. By utilizing them you'll control your digital identity from a single place, and can choose which parts of it to share with the world.
Elevating your Professional Story
Your career is an important part of your life and the journey you've been through tells a powerful story about you and your capabilities. A common problem many professionals face is communicating this story to a 3rd party, as it requires either blind trust about your assertions or a lengthy, tedious process to verify your information as true.
Think about your connections on LinkedIn - how many profiles contain 100% accurate information? Or when you submit a resume - how long does it take the hiring manager to verify your previous work history and accomplishments? The answer to these questions are: Very few people and days to weeks...a sad state of affairs for the digital age we live in.
Fortunately, blockchain-anchored digital badges solve these issues for good. They enable a digital ecosystem of trustworthy communication where each skill, accomplishment or assertion you share about yourself can be verified within seconds.
Telling a trusted narrative about yourself with digital badges is an excellent way to prove the high points of your journey and lend credibility to you. The end result is elevating your professional story which can lead to valuable job opportunities, more effective networking, and better success overall in your career.
If you are interested in the benefits digital credentials unlock for an issuing organization, see our previous article.
