Help Center Article: (to be published soon)
Upwork is partnering with Credly, a leading digital credential platform, to expand the number and breadth of verified certifications. It partners with issuing institutions and keeps a live database of verified certifications and its earners.
This integration with Credly will be rolling out gradually starting with this test; so, freelancers may not see the Credly option right away. In the meantime, freelancers will still be able to add certifications using the existing functionality.
Problem we’re solving: Upwork's current certification process is outdated and unscalable. The certifications database that Upwork maintains is extremely limited, the verification process is slow and users are only able to add up to 2 custom certifications.
With this pilot test, Credly MVP, we’re integrating and displaying Credly user data into FL profiles. This pilot will help us:
- Understand the overlap between Credly badge earners and Upwork FLs, and
- Assess CL interest in Credly certifications.
We have defined the Credly MVP scope/use cases based on developer feasibility and Credly’s terms of use.
- One-time sync: For the MVP, we do not plan to “real-time” sync, meaning that we do not update credentials dynamically with Credly once the import is initiated.
- No editing: Credly user data and information are not to be altered in any way so we will not allow for edits to imported information.
- Duplication detection: We do not detect duplicate certifications as of now and will expect users to delete on their own. Since Upwork’s database is limited, we expect this will not be a pain point for most FLs.
- Personas: We are currently targeting FL profiles/accounts at the moment, not agency accounts.
- Credly log-in
- We will connect FL accounts based on email addresses, they do not necessarily have to match FL’s email address
- When users are asked from Upwork to log in to their Credly accounts for integration, we have to display the following log-in (see Credly sign in page screenshot).
With the implementation of this partnership, a new option will appear in the Certification section when talent edits their profile. In addition to the current “Add Manually” option, there will be an option to “Import from Credly”. Selecting the Credly option will direct talent to the Credly site to sign in or create an account. Users will then be able to select their Credly badges to display as certifications on their Upwork profiles.
To get started on the Credly side, freelancers can create an account at Credly.com. Once they’ve created your account, freelancers will be able to claim any credentials that accrediting institutions have shared with Credly. Credly refers to credentials as badges, which are digital representations of a learning outcome, experience or competency. To learn more about getting started with Credly, freelancers can check out this article on Credly.com. They can also find answers to more Credly questions in their help center.
What is Credly?
Credly is a leading digital credential platform that boasts hosting the largest digital credential network. Credly partners with institutions that issue certifications so they can verify that your certifications are valid. The site also allows you to store your verified certifications in their database for easy access.
Why is Upwork partnering with Credly?
Thank you for asking. We are testing out this partnership with Credly to simplify and speed up the process of adding certifications to your Upwork profile. In addition, since Credly only issues verified certifications, this means when clients see Credly certifications on your profile, they can be confident that the certifications are credible. This builds trust all-around and makes your certifications even more meaningful.
What happens if I have a certification that Credly doesn’t verify?
If you have certifications that are not issued by Credly, you will not be able to add them via the Credly import feature. Instead, you can add your certifications to your Upwork profile through the manual option.
Will Credly review my certifications occasionally to make sure they are still valid?
No, Credly will not review certifications to ensure they are up-to-date, but you will be able to go back in to Credly and update your certifications as needed. And Upwork will sync with Credly’s systems daily to ensure that your credentials information in Credly is up to date on your Upwork profile.
A certification was removed from my Upwork profile, what happened?
We will sync with Credly’s systems daily to ensure that your credentials information on Upwork accurately reflects what’s on your Credly profile. If a credential is removed from your Credly profile, it will be removed from your Upwork profile as well.
Do I need to have a Credly account?
You must have a Credly account with issued certifications in order to import Credly certifications into your Upwork profile.
I already have a Credly account with verified certifications, what should I do?
You can go ahead and import your Credly credentials into your Upwork profile if you’d like!
To import your certifications via Credly:
- Go to Find Work › Profile
- Scroll down to the Certifications section and choose the Import from Credly button
- Log in to Credly
- When prompted to choose whether Upwork can access your Credly account, choose Allow Access
- Choose the credentials you want to import
Does Credly have access to my Upwork account? Is this safe?
Yes it is safe.
Credly does not have access to your Upwork account. By logging in to Credly though your Upwork account, you give Upwork permission to access your Credly account to import your Credly certifications over to your Upwork profile.
I don’t want to open a Credly account, what should I do?
You’ll need to open a Credly account if you want to import your credentials from Credly. But you can also add certifications manually without a Credly account.
Do I have to be a previous Credly user to be able to import my certifications?
You can sign up for Credly and update your account with certifications today! Once you have an account, you’ll be able to use this feature and import your Credly certifications onto your Upwork profile.