EMEA B2B data, verified mobiles, Diamond Data, intent, CRM/outreach integrations.
Before starting, we run a 1-minute tech check — microphone, ambient noise, connection. If your setup isn't good enough, the test is fully refunded.
Show hiring managers you actually know Cognism — Diamond Data, Bombora intent, CRM sync and all — not just that you have a login.
The Cognism badge tests your hands-on command of the leading B2B data platform for EMEA: building targeted lists with ICP filters, activating phone-verified mobile numbers (Diamond Data), prioritising outreach with Bombora intent signals, and wiring Cognism into a real sales stack. In 15 minutes, an AI examiner probes your actual workflows, your pipeline numbers, and the tradeoffs you've navigated — there's nowhere to hide behind a checkbox.
Unlike a LinkedIn skill endorsement or a vendor-issued completion certificate, the Cognism badge is scored by Claude Opus on a 0-100 scale across five weighted dimensions: platform fluency, real-world outcomes, stack integration depth, intent-driven prioritisation, and compliance awareness. You get a level (Novice / Proficient / Advanced / Expert), a detailed written report, and a shareable URL — the kind of proof that holds up when a VP Sales asks for it.
This badge is built for SDRs and BDRs who live in Cognism every day, Account Executives managing EMEA pipeline, Revenue Ops professionals owning the CRM integration, Sales Managers evaluating tooling decisions, and anyone transitioning into an outbound sales role who has taught themselves the platform and needs something more credible than a self-declaration.
Here are the concrete dimensions the AI examines during the 15-minute oral.
Combining firmographic filters (company size, industry, headcount growth) and persona filters (title, seniority, department) inside Cognism to build precise, export-ready contact lists that match your ideal customer profile.
Understanding what Diamond Data actually means — phone-verified mobile numbers validated by a human call — and how to build lists that lead with mobiles to drive connect rates above industry benchmarks.
Using Bombora intent data embedded in Cognism alongside triggers like funding rounds, hiring spikes, and job changes to surface and prioritise warm accounts before competitors reach them.
Setting up and maintaining two-way sync between Cognism and Salesforce or HubSpot, configuring deduplication rules, automated enrichment cadences, and field-level mapping for Outreach or Salesloft sequences.
Applying country-level Do-Not-Call filters (UK TPS, US DNC, DACH rules), understanding how Cognism certifies its data for GDPR compliance, and maintaining an audit trail for legally sound outbound prospecting.
Reading Cognism's data quality signals — bounce rates, mobile coverage percentages, staleness indicators — and adjusting sourcing strategy to protect sender reputation and improve pipeline conversion.
Articulating where Cognism outperforms ZoomInfo, Apollo, Lusha or Kaspr (EMEA mobile depth, compliance posture) and where those tools are a better fit — geography, budget, use case, or data breadth.
Leveraging the Sales Companion Chrome extension for real-time LinkedIn enrichment, understanding Cognism's AI-powered scoring and filtering enhancements, and staying current with expanding US coverage.
Final scoring is performed by Claude (Anthropic), which reads back the full transcript and applies this weighted criteria grid.
How confidently you navigate Cognism: building lists with the right filters, activating Diamond Data, exporting cleanly to CRM or sequencing tools, and using the platform as a daily driver rather than an occasional lookup tool.
The specificity and credibility of the campaigns, connect rates, pipeline volumes, and data-driven decisions you describe. Vague answers score low; precise numbers and honest tradeoffs score high.
The sophistication of your CRM and outreach integration: dedup logic, enrichment frequency, custom field mapping, and your ability to troubleshoot sync issues or data gaps when they arise.
How you translate Bombora topics and event triggers into a concrete outbound prioritisation workflow — not just knowing the feature exists, but showing you use it to decide who gets called first.
Your grasp of GDPR, TPS/DNC filtering, and Cognism's compliance certifications, plus your ability to objectively position Cognism against competitors for different geographies and team sizes.
A Plume session takes about 20 minutes, from tech check to badge delivery.
The AI confirms your microphone is working and the connection is stable. You confirm you're in a quiet space and ready to start the Cognism oral exam.
You introduce yourself: your current role, how your team uses Cognism, the markets you're targeting, and the stack it sits alongside — CRM, sequencing tool, and anything else relevant.
The AI examiner works through 5 to 7 questions drawn from the full Cognism curriculum: Diamond Data list building, CRM integration logic, compliance handling, Bombora intent usage, a data quality failure story, and competitive positioning versus Apollo or Lusha.
You summarise your take on Cognism — where it shines, where it falls short, and in which scenarios you'd steer a team away from it. The AI examiner closes the session.
Claude Opus scores the transcript and generates your 0-100 score, your Cognism level (Novice to Expert), and a detailed written report ready to share on LinkedIn or forward to a hiring manager.
Your score out of 100 translates into a level a recruiter can grasp at a glance.
You have Cognism access and can run basic searches by name or company, but you haven't yet tapped into Diamond Data filtering, advanced ICP criteria, or CRM integration. You're building familiarity with the platform and rely on colleagues for the heavier configuration.
You build targeted lists using firmographic and persona filters, you specifically request Diamond Data mobiles to improve connect rates, and you've connected Cognism to your CRM. You understand the basics of GDPR filtering and DNC lists, and you export contacts cleanly into your sequencing tool.
You layer Bombora intent signals and growth triggers (funding, job changes) onto your lists to prioritise outbound. You've configured automated enrichment rules and dedup logic in Salesforce or HubSpot, you track data quality metrics systematically, and you can articulate Cognism's strengths versus Lusha or Apollo in your specific market.
You set the Cognism strategy for your team or organisation: segment design, integration architecture, compliance audit, license ROI reporting to leadership, and benchmarking against ZoomInfo or Apollo by market. You train others, define the data governance playbook, and are the go-to voice when the renewal conversation comes around.
No degree or years of experience required to take the badge. Here are the profiles it makes the most sense for.
Cognism is your primary sourcing tool. The badge proves you go beyond basic search — that you build smart lists, use Diamond Data intentionally, and can explain your connect rates with real numbers.
You use Cognism to ensure full contact coverage on your named accounts, qualify your ICP, and time your outreach on intent signals. The badge validates the strategic depth behind your prospecting motion.
You own the Cognism-to-CRM integration, enrichment rules, and data quality governance. The badge certifies the technical depth of your configuration and your ability to scale it across a team.
You're evaluating whether Cognism earns its seat in the stack or onboarding new SDRs onto the platform. The badge helps you set a performance standard and filter for candidates who are already productive.
You've learned Cognism through courses, free trials, or a short stint and you need something more concrete than a LinkedIn self-endorsement to compete against candidates with years of experience.
Where and how your Cognism badge will help you day to day.
You're applying to a SaaS scale-up that runs Cognism and Outreach. Your Advanced badge signals you can ramp in days, not weeks — and the detailed report gives the hiring manager a breakdown of exactly what you know.
Your VP Sales wants ROI justification before signing another year. Your Expert badge and the performance data in your report give you the credibility to lead that conversation with concrete evidence rather than gut feel.
You add the Cognism badge as a minimum requirement for BDR applicants. Candidates scoring above 70 skip the tool-knowledge round, cutting two steps from your hiring funnel without lowering the bar.
Your six-person SDR team all take the badge. You identify the two Novice profiles and run a focused enablement session on Diamond Data and intent triggers — the two areas with the highest pipeline upside.
You're brought in to wire Cognism into a client's HubSpot instance. Your Advanced badge gives the client confidence you'll deliver a clean integration with solid dedup rules, fast — without a long discovery phase.
Your company is choosing between Cognism, Apollo, and Lusha. Your badge-backed expertise lets you lead the evaluation with a credible EMEA-vs-US coverage breakdown and a recommendation the CFO will trust.
A few minutes to check you have everything you need.
At the end of your session you don't just get a score — here's everything that awaits you.
You get a 0-100 score and an official level — Novice, Proficient, Advanced, or Expert — that reflects your real command of Diamond Data, CRM integration, intent signals, and compliance workflows.
A written report structured by evaluation dimension — platform fluency, data quality, stack integration, intent usage — so you know exactly what you nailed and what to improve before your next pipeline review.
Your exam audio is stored privately in your Plume account. It's never shared without your explicit permission — you stay in full control of what recruiters or managers can access.
You get a public badge URL and a visual credential to embed on LinkedIn, your resume, or your portfolio. Any recruiter or client can verify it in one click — no PDF, no expiry, no friction.
Discover related skills you can validate with Plume.
A 15-min oral exam with an AI, a shareable badge for your recruiters.
Choose this badge · €19.99
