DEFINING MICRO-CREDENTIALS
A micro-credential is a competency-based, digital form of certification indicating that you’ve demonstrated competency in a specific skill or set of skills. A related counterpart would be your traditional academic transcript – it’s a credential that documents the courses you’ve taken to complete your degree and the grades you earned in each one. Educators and hiring professionals understand that by successfully completing each of these courses, you have acquired baseline knowledge in the subject matter. Micro-credentials are similar, but they tend to be based on a demonstrated skill (vs. knowledge only) and are more specialized in nature.
BENEFITS OF EARNING A MICRO-CREDENTIAL
Micro-credentials are another way for you to showcase your specific skills and competencies. They allow employers to more easily recognize the skills you have developed through experiences such as virtual or on-site internships. Ultimately, the skills you acquire as part of a micro-credential (and your ability to convey them to employers) help set you apart from the pack and improve your employability. Think of it as not leaving things to chance by assuming employers know how skilled you have become as a result of your virtual internship experience – tell them via a micro-credential!
What you can do with it? Once you have earned a micro-credential, you can share it widely across various social media platforms (think adding it to your LinkedIn profile), with your contacts, and the greater community – thus enhancing your professional profile. You can also list it on your resume, refer to it in your cover letters, and use it as a talking point during interviews to introduce the skills you have developed.