Introducing Microsoft badges for Microsoft Certified Professionals

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Introducing Microsoft badges

Now that you have passed an exam or earned a new certification, let the world know about your achievement! Microsoft is partnering with Acclaim to award badges for your certifications.

Beginning October 21, 2016, Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) who achieve certain certifications or pass select exams will receive emails from Acclaim with details on how to claim your badges and how to use them to explore opportunities for career advancement.

Why is Microsoft offering badges?

Microsoft wants to provide you with the tools you need to move forward in your career. Your digital badge allows you to easily share the details of your skills in a way that is trusted and verifiable.
Your Microsoft badge empowers you to:

• Easily share your certification online with your professional network.
• Find out which employers are looking for individuals with your skills.
• Discover what kind of salary you could expect to earn in a job that requires your Microsoft skills.
• Search for new job opportunities associated with your certification, and apply in just a few clicks.

What is a digital badge?

Badges are web-enabled representations of your Microsoft certifications. Your digital badge is made of an image and metadata uniquely linked to you. This ensures that only you can take credit for your achievement.
You can share your digital badge to popular online destinations, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. It can also be embedded in a résumé, your personal website, or an email signature. Anyone who views your badge can select it to learn more about your skills and to verify its authenticity.

Am I eligible for a badge?

MCPs who pass the exams or achieve the certifications on the following list, on or after October 21, 2016, will receive badges. Beginning in November 2016, badges will be retroactively issued to those who passed the exams or achieved the certifications prior to October 21, 2016, beginning with those certifications which are still active.
The following subsets of exams and certifications are part of the pilot badge program. Additional badges are being evaluated for 2017. More information will be available in the January update.

Microsoft exams eligible for badges

• 70-473: Designing and Implementing Cloud Data Platform Solutions
• 70-475: Designing and Implementing Big Data Analytics Solutions
• 70-532: Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions
• 70-533: Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
• 70-534: Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions
• 70-740: Installation, Storage and Compute with Windows Server 2016
• 70-741: Networking with Windows Server 2016
• 70-742: Identity with Windows Server 2016
• 70-743: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA: Windows Server 2016

MCSA certifications eligible for badges

• MCSA: Cloud Platform
• MCSA: Linux® on Azure
• MCSA: Office 365
• MCSA: SQL 2016 Business Intelligence Development
• MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Administration
• MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Development
• MCSA: SQL Server 2012/2014
• MCSA: Universal Windows Platform
• MCSA: Web Applications
• MCSA: Windows 10
• MCSA: Windows Server 2012
• MCSA: Windows Server 2016

MCSE certifications eligible for badges

• MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure
• MCSE: Data Management and Analytics
• MCSE: Mobility
• MCSE: Productivity

MCSD certifications eligible for badges

• MCSD: App Builder

What is the process for claiming a badge?

Claiming your Microsoft badge is very simple. After you’ve achieved a certification or passed an exam, you receive an automated email from Microsoft with general details on the Microsoft Certification Program. This is automatically followed up with an email notification from Acclaim. To claim your badge:

1. Select the link in your Acclaim email notification.
2. Create an account on Acclaim.
3. Acclaim sends you a confirmation email.
4. To confirm your account and claim your badge, select the link in that email.

Take advantage of the features that Acclaim offers:

• Share your badge to LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Download your badge image and URL to embed in a résumé, website, or email signature.
• Personalize your profile.
• Explore labor market insights and job opportunities.

Your digital badge is one more way that Microsoft supports the development and recognition of your professional skills. Take advantage of this new program to help accelerate your career growth.

Source: Introducing Microsoft badges | Microsoft Learning