Can a digital badge make a difference in one’s job search?
The team at Wonderlic, Inc. thinks so. Digital credentials help its users better explain and promote competencies to prospective employers, and Wonderlic has developed several comprehensive sets of digital credentials in allied health fields. Further, Wonderlic recently introduced the “Soft Skills Training Bootcamp,” with corresponding digital badges for competencies like “Critical Thinking,” “Teamwork,” and “Professionalism.” Working with students and employers alike, Wonderlic is demonstrating that a digital badge with solid metadata describes not only what an earner knows, but verifies what he or she can do with the knowledge.
A long-respected authority in the testing world, Wonderlic offers a range of assessments that benefit employers and students. Beyond the famed cognitive ability test known as the Wonderlic Personnel Test used in hiring and human resources decision making (not to mention the NFL Draft Combine), Wonderlic also offers direct assessments of specific skills and competencies within competency-based learning programs.
In 2016, Wonderlic’s Career Education Talent Showcase afforded students the opportunity to earn badges within four programs in allied health (Medical Assistant, Medical Office Assistant, Medical Billing and Coding and Phlebotomy). Students who earned these badges could immediately use them to promote themselves through social and professional media and on resumes. As one student explained, “I walked into my interview with something other candidates didn’t have - digital badges that prove my strengths. These badges gave me newfound confidence as I spoke with hiring managers and future co-workers knowing that I had these credentials to back up my education.”
For their part, employers are similarly bullish on digital badges: a 2016 survey revealed that 83% of employers found the data available through a digital badge preferable to a traditional transcript. In addition to gathering data related to the value that employers find in digital badges, Wonderlic’s research led to the identification of specific non-cognitive skills frequently demanded in the workplace. These results led Wonderlic to develop the Soft Skills Training Bootcamp, an online program with ten eLearning units and ten corresponding assessments, each providing the potential to earn a digital badge.
Wonderlic also recognized the importance of end-user education to ensure adoption and traction. To that end, Wonderlic developed several videos that explain the value of badges to employers, along with a version for students. With this comprehensive strategy in place, Wonderlic is helping badge earners explain their competencies, and helping employers better assess what a candidate will be able to do on the job. It’s a win-win proposition!
