Never before have their been more tools and options for those applying for a job – or finding job candidates. But as employers and potential employees connect easily over the internet, the hiring process can be difficult from both ends.

Job candidates can have a hard time standing out among a seemingly endless pool. Hiring managers can have a hard time weeding through countless applications to determine who would truly be the best fit for the company.

The ever-evolving hybrid/return to office/remote environment has created additional challenges for both employees and employers. Plus, especially in the field of international trade, disruptions to supply chains and other aspects of business have required companies to be agile and responsive.

For many businesses, that has brought the need for new skillsets or areas of expertise from employees. As businesses look to fill those needs internally and externally, professionals in international trade have needed to acquire or market their skills for the changing business landscape.

That’s where digital credentialing comes in. More and more, professionals are seeking out training that will grow their skills while demonstrating their proficiencies to potential employers.

Digital badges, offered by companies such as Credly, are another way to recognize professionals that have met educational or professional experience benchmarks. Digital badges are easily shareable by job candidates and simple to verify for potential employers.

Standing out from the crowd: Digital badging credentials for professionals

By now, most people are familiar with the disconnect in employment: Professionals often lament how hard it is to find a job, while businesses claim they have plenty of openings but lack qualified candidates. Many experts say this disconnect comes from the so-called “skills gap”.

Up to 80% of employers say young professionals lack the skills and experience they need to succeed in the workplace.

This skills gap can be especially pronounced in fields such as international business and trade. Professionals in the field know that there are many areas of specialization, and college courses often offer a broader understanding of the field as a whole.

More targeted digital badges can also help trade professionals better communicate the scope of their education and skills with potential employers.

Taking the time to earn and share digital badges can pay off for professionals at any stage of their career.

One recent survey of 400,000 people worldwide found that 76 percent of professionals who earned a new certification saw a salary increase or promotion.

FITT has seen this play out with its own CITP certification: According to a FITT CITP salary survey, CITP®|FIBP®s in Canada on average earn CAD $52,000 more than the median salary.

Building the right team: The benefits of digital badging credentials for businesses

From hiring to retaining staff, digital badges also provides a major benefit to businesses. Businesses are increasingly moving to skills-based hiring. Rather than looking for educational or experience-based pre-requisites that a broad range of candidates might meet, companies are searching for a specific set of skills that will meet the company’s operational need or growth goals.

Digital badges allow hiring managers to quickly see how a candidate fits the company’s needs and to see what special skills the employee brings that  fill knowledge or skill gaps within the company.

Digital badges can also add an objectivity to the hiring process by allowing hiring managers to easily compare candidates’ education and experience.

“Employers must hire qualified personnel in any discipline to ensure that they get the most value from their employees. Hiring certified employees allows companies to get their employees working in what’s important faster,” said Emiliano Introcaso, CITP, Knowledge Product Manager for Export Development Canada and supply chain management professor at Sheridan and Seneca colleges.

In addition to signaling key skills to employers, digital badges also communicate something important about the type of employee the candidate will be. Professional certifications generally indicate that a candidate is willing to learn and grow their skills. That growth mindset can pay off for companies as they continue to grow and adapt to new markets and new market developments.

Connecting employees to skills-building opportunities allow companies to develop their existing talent to meet their future needs. Not only does that benefit the company, but it allows employees to grow with the company.

This can help with retention because employees can continue to advance their careers, and educational opportunities are often seen as a major benefit to motivated employees.

Once those employees have developed additional skills, they add value to the company and reduce costs by building those skill sets in-house, removing the need to bring in additional employees or find outside expertise.

“Bottom line – in-house experts’ salaries are less costly than third-party consultants. Then, in-house experts train internal employees to at least level up,” said Audrey Ross, CITP, Import & Export Compliance Manager at Orchard Custom Beauty.

“The more people thinking globally, the better growth you will have.”

Statistics demonstrate the value of investing in upskilling employees for business. Companies that invest $1,500 or more annually per employee for professional development report an average of 24%higher profit margins than companies who don’t make the investment.

Digital badging credentials for international trade

FITT has long met the demand for professional education and credentialing in international trade, to help employees and employers develop the key skills needed to expand to new markets and adapt to the ever-changing international business climate.

To date, more than 37,000 professionals around the globe have taken advantage of FITT’s professional training and/or earned FITT credentials.

To keep up with the changing demands of the increasingly digital employment environment, FITT is offering digital badges that can be easily shared by international trade professionals and verified by the companies looking to hire those with specific skills in international business.

FITT’s digital badges will serve as a digital representation of meeting the requirements of FITT’s training, certificate, diploma and CITP designation.

The post Digital Credentials: How digital badges can impact your international trade career appeared first on Trade Ready.

What Are Digital Badges?

Digital badges are an innovative way to display achievements and qualifications to potential employers. They can be attached to resumes and email signatures, embedded in websites, and even displayed on social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Digital badges are more than just an image.

Badges contain metadata that provides extra information beyond just a logo; they tell employers, clients, and coworkers what the qualification is and the process that was required to earn it.

A Deeper Look at FITT Digital Badges

FITT digital badges are a new way to display learning accomplishments, skills, and FITT credentials. They are organized into a five tier structure to capture different types of achievements.

The first two tiers are relegated to achievements in education. You can earn a badge for successful completion of a FITTskills course assessment, or the equivalency thereof and/or successful completion of a FITTskills workshop assessment, or the equivalency thereof.

Both badges indicate that an individual has successfully completed the necessary requirements for a course or workshop covering different aspects of international trade.

Many international trade professionals will acquire a number of these course/workshop badges as they progress through their professional development journey.

The next two badge tiers are awarded to individuals who have successfully met the requirements to obtain the FITT Certificate or Diploma. The FITT Diploma in International Trade and the FITT Certificate in International Trade are both indicators that an individual has dedicated much of their time to improving their skills and knowledge to be a more effective professional in the international market.

The final badge tier is the CITP®|FIBP® designation badge. It is awarded to individuals who have met the knowledge and skill requirements of the designation, but it goes further than that too.

In order to earn this digital badge, and the designation it represents, individuals need to demonstrate “a commitment to global trade” and a “dedication to ethical business practices and ongoing professional development” in addition to their expertise in international trade processes.

This badge is therefore the best judge of a person’s character and investment in their career and will therefore be the most valuable to employers when it comes to hiring.

Get answers to all your questions about FITT Digital Badges here.

How do Digital Badges Help Hiring Managers?

Skills based hiring is the way of the future, and digital badges make this process a lot easier by helping recruiters identify ideal candidates.

No company wants to onboard a new employee only to find out later that the individual does not have the necessary skills to perform the job successfully.

Hiring an individual proven to have those skills, verified through to digital badges, will make the entire recruitment and onboarding process much smoother, saving the company a significant amount of money.

Skills based hiring also eliminates bias and ensures a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Starting your search for candidates by looking for badges related to the skills needed for the job can reduce the hours needed for recruitment. Sorting through resumes, performing background checks, assessing other requirements, and verifying qualifications takes a lot of man hours.

Digital badges provide all of this information right away on a verifiable, trustworthy platform. Unlike paper credentials that are difficult to verify, the hiring team will be able to look at a resume and know whether the candidate actually has the skills and knowledge they claim to possess.

When it comes to ensuring a candidate meets the requirements of a position, this verification is essential.

How Do Candidates with Digital Badges Benefit the Company That Hires Them?

Since digital badges exist for education, skills, and favorable personality traits like leadership, a business will know that the individual they hire will be a positive and productive member of their team. Plus, these individuals may encourage their coworkers to earn badges as well, further improving the overall value of the team to the company.

Employees who have earned and shared their digital badges are also great for marketing, especially if the company offers its employees opportunities to earn badges internally.

Potential clients and applicants for other job openings will be able to see that the business is staffed by qualified and knowledgeable individuals, making the business a great choice to hire or to work for.

One other thing that is important to keep in mind is that employees with digital badges make it easier for the business to meet compliance standards and ensure every qualification is up to date.

For example, some job sites require at least one member of each shift to be first aid certified. If those individuals have digital badges for the first aid certification, it is very easy to check the expiration date and ensure scheduling is done correctly.

The post How Digital Badges Can Help Businesses Hire the Right Professionals to Fill Their Teams appeared first on Trade Ready.