Credly is a digital credentialing platform that allows organizations to issue digital badges or credentials to individuals to recognize skills, achievements, and certifications. Credly has integrations with platforms like LinkedIn that allow badge earners to easily share their credentials to their LinkedIn profile. Displaying Credly badges on LinkedIn gives individuals a way to showcase their professional skills, education, and certifications they’ve earned in a virtual badge case.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 740 million members. Given its broad user base and focus on career development, it’s a natural fit for displaying digital credentials issued through Credly. Here’s a look at how Credly’s badging platform works with LinkedIn to highlight professional credentials.
Displaying Credly Badges on a LinkedIn Profile
Any badge issued on the Credly platform can be shared to LinkedIn with just a couple of clicks. When earning a badge through Credly, individuals are given options to share it via email or directly to social sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and more.
To add a Credly badge to a LinkedIn profile, badge earners simply click the LinkedIn sharing option. This will open a LinkedIn pop-up window where they can provide access to share their badge. Once authorized, the badge will be featured in the user’s LinkedIn profile under an Accomplishments section.
LinkedIn profiles with Credly badges displayed will showcase the badge name, issuing organization, issue date, and badge criteria. Clicking on a badge image pulls up a pop-up window where viewers can learn more details about the credential.
Benefits of Displaying Credly Badges on LinkedIn
Here are some of the advantages of sharing digital credentials from Credly to a LinkedIn profile:
Validates Skills and Achievements
Credly badges serve as a form of virtual proof that individuals have gained specific knowledge, skills, competencies and achievements. Displaying relevant badges on a LinkedIn profile can reinforce proficiencies in certain areas that align with a member’s professional brand.
For example, IT professionals can showcase tech credentials, marketers can display badges confirming their expertise with various marketing automation tools, and engineers can highlight their competencies with certain design programs.
Supports Career Advancement
When badges are shared on LinkedIn, they become visible to a broad professional audience. This gives members an opportunity to put their credentials on display for current or prospective employers and business contacts.
Highlighting achievements via Credly badges can help LinkedIn members demonstrate their investment in professional development and potentially gain an edge when being considered for career growth opportunities.
Expands Professional Network
Credly badges on a LinkedIn profile can help users connect with others in their industry. If a member showcases a technology or project management credential that aligns with another user’s expertise, it could spark a new professional connection.
When badges are set to “public”, LinkedIn members can see which of their connections have earned the same credentials. This enables finding new contacts with shared interests and relevant skills.
Increases Discoverability
In addition to displaying on profiles, Credly badges shared on LinkedIn are discoverable in LinkedIn search results. This gives added visibility of members’ skills and credentials when others are searching LinkedIn.
For example, someone searching “PMP certification” on LinkedIn could come across connections who have earned and shared their Project Management Professional (PMP) digital badge from Credly. This presents new networking and recruiting opportunities.
Credly Badge Data Integrations with LinkedIn
Credly offers data integrations that transfer key badge information into the LinkedIn system. This provides an enriched badge showcase and helps badges stand out prominently on member profiles.
There are two main types of Credly integrations supported on LinkedIn – Open Badges and Certifications.
Open Badges
Credly badges that are issued following the Open Badges specification can be integrated with LinkedIn’s common Open Badges metadata standard. This enables Credly Open Badges to showcase within the Accomplishments module on LinkedIn profiles as interactive badges with expanded details visible.
With Open Badges integration, when viewers click on a LinkedIn badge, they’ll see the full Credly-hosted badge page detailing the issuing organization, issue date, evidence URL, badge description, skills mapped to the badge, and more.
Certifications
Credly offers certified integrations for sharing certain badges as Certifications on LinkedIn profiles. This provides an enhanced showcase and metrics tracking.
Certified badges on LinkedIn will display under the Licenses & Certifications section rather than Accomplishments. Data flows into the LinkedIn system so certified badges are highlighted in search and analytics.
For individuals, key metrics like views and clicks on certified badges are tracked on LinkedIn profiles to quantify engagement. Organizations can also gain aggregate analytics on their badge programs and how credentials issued on Credly are performing on the LinkedIn platform.
Use Cases: Popular Ways Organizations Issue Credly Badges
Credly supports a vast range of digital credential use cases across industries. Here are some of the most common ways organizations leverage Credly and LinkedIn together to power recognition programs:
Professional Associations
Industry associations, professional societies, trade groups use Credly to issue credential badges recognizing members’ designations, certifications, and achievements. Displaying these badges on LinkedIn helps members showcase credentials that reinforce their professional stature.
For example, the Project Management Institute (PMI) issues digital versions of the PMP and other project management certifications through Credly. These recognize members’ qualifications and capabilities in the field of project management.
Universities & Training Programs
Higher education institutions, online training platforms, and bootcamps award badge credentials on Credly to students and graduates. This enables learners to highlight their educational achievements and newly-gained skills with digital badges shared to LinkedIn.
For instance, Northeastern University issues badges through Credly to verify students’ completion of courses, certificates, and competency-based MicroMasters programs. Being able to display these badges on LinkedIn is valuable for career networking and job hunting.
Technology & Software Companies
Major technology firms leverage Credly to develop certification and skills training programs that issue credential badges. These badges serve as digital verification of expertise with specific platforms and tools.
Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and Cisco are among technology companies offering badge credentials through Credly as a way to validate capabilities with their technologies and highlight these skills on LinkedIn.
Corporate Training
HR departments and corporate training groups create customized skills badges on Credly aligned to internal training initiatives. Employees earn company-specific skill badges for completing programs, which can be shared on LinkedIn profiles.
This helps team members highlight professional development completed through corporate training. It also lets companies track adoption of internal skills programs by monitoring Credly badge shares and analytics.
Conferences & Events
In-person and virtual conferences, trade shows, and corporate events are using Credly badges to recognize attendee participation. These event badges can be added to LinkedIn profiles as a way to highlight industry engagement and professional development opportunities.
For example, technology conferences like Microsoft Ignite and Oracle OpenWorld issue attendee badges through Credly to exhibit on LinkedIn. People can demonstrate their participation in key industry events this way.
Best Practices for Using Credly with LinkedIn
Here are some top tips to help organizations and individuals get the most value from sharing Credly digital credentials on LinkedIn:
Align Badges to LinkedIn Member Interests
When designing and naming badge programs on Credly, consider the target audience and credentials that would bring value to display on LinkedIn. For example, credentials recognizing in-demand skills like Salesforce expertise or cybersecurity knowledge can enable members to reinforce areas LinkedIn members are actively developing.
Make Badges Discoverable
Leverage Open Badges integration so Credly badges showcase as interactive badges on LinkedIn profiles. Use Certified Credly integrations for eligible programs to gain expanded visibility and analytics.
Promote Sharing
Encourage badge earners to share new credentials to LinkedIn. Communicate the benefits of showcasing badges on their profile for networking and career growth. Track sharing metrics in Credly to monitor post-issuance sharing behavior.
Reinforce Skills with Badges
Beyond listing skills on their LinkedIn profile, individuals can reinforce them with related digital credentials displayed alongside. For example, complement project management skills with a PMP certification badge.
Curate and Refresh Badges Displayed
Periodically review which badges are being displayed on a LinkedIn profile. Rotate in new relevant credentials as they are earned to showcase the latest achievements. Remove outdated or redundant badges over time.
Conclusion
Credly provides a powerful platform for creating, issuing, and sharing digital credentials that highlight professional capabilities and achievements. Integrating Credly badges with LinkedIn profiles gives individuals a way to exhibit their credentials and organizations a means to track program metrics.
Configuring Open Badges integration and Certified programs allows Credly badges to display prominently on LinkedIn with enhanced discoverability and built-in analytics. Whether showcasing technology skills, corporate training, or conference participation, Credly badges on LinkedIn profiles can help validate expertise while expanding career and networking opportunities.