Your Skills, Verified.

This is the third post in our series on the new LER briefs. Catch the intro post here if you missed it.

If you've earned a UMBC microcredential, do you know what's actually in it?

Not the badge image, the record behind it. Because it's more than a nice-looking icon for LinkedIn. Every UMBC microcredential is built from four specific pieces:

• The skill — a specific, named competency. Not "teamwork," but something concrete, like "facilitated cross-functional team decision-making."

• The evidence — a description of what you actually did to earn it: the project, the task, the work you produced.

• The assessment — how it was evaluated, the criteria you had to meet, and confirmation that you met them.

• The issuer — UMBC. Which means anyone who looks at it can verify it's real, not just self-reported.

That combination is the whole point. It's the difference between saying you can do something on a resume and actually proving it.

Why this matters more than it used to

Employers are leaning more heavily on skills-based hiring than ever, focusing on what candidates can actually do, not just where they went to school. And with AI-generated resumes and cover letters becoming the norm, a verified, UMBC-backed record of what you did and how it was assessed carries more weight than another bullet point that reads like everyone else's.

So what do you actually do with one?

• Add it to LinkedIn. Accredible makes this simple: it appears as a clickable, verified credential.

• Use it in applications. "I have a UMBC-verified credential in [skill]" lands differently than "I'm familiar with [skill]."

• Bring it up in interviews. It hands you a concrete story: what you did, how it was assessed, what you learned. That specificity is what people remember.

• Put it in grad school or scholarship applications. A verified competency makes a stronger case than a course title ever could.

• Include it in your digital portfolio. Verified credentials can help demonstrate skills alongside class projects, internships, and research experiences.
  
  

Not sure if you have one, or how to find opportunities?

Some microcredentials are built directly into coursework; complete the assignments, and the badge comes with your grade. Others live outside the classroom entirely: Shriver Center programs, student leadership roles, research opportunities. If you're not sure what's available to you, your academic advisor is a good place to start.

This is yours. It doesn't expire when you graduate, and it doesn't depend on anyone else remembering what you accomplished. Whether you've already got one or you're just learning this exists, it's part of your story — worth telling.

Want the full guide? Read the full student brief here.

Questions? Submit a support ticket or reach out to the DCI team directly.