The skills library is the central place where you manage the skills (also called competencies) you want to track and evaluate across your organization.
Note: Only admins can manage the skills library. Import and Generate are rolling out progressively. If you don’t see them on the Skills page, your workspace isn’t enabled yet — contact support.
Before You Begin
Understanding the Skills Library Structure
Your skills library consists of three main components:
Skills: Individual competencies to be evaluated
Areas of Expertise: Categories for organizing related skills
Proficiency scales: Levels that describe a person’s ability in a skill
Tip: Already using skills?
You don’t need to create new skills to use skill mappings. Your existing skills library works with both:
Classic 1:1 review assignments
New skill mappings
Simply continue using your existing skills and apply them to mappings as needed.
Want to get started fast?
If you already have a skills framework in a file (a document that lists your skills and positions), you can import your skills and positions together instead of creating skills one by one. AI suggests how the skills connect to the positions, and you review the suggestions before anything is saved. If you don’t have a framework yet, you can first generate a skills framework with AI.
Note: Use file-based import if you already have a skills framework in a file. Use the Import option on the skills library page if you want to add skills from text you paste.
Add skills to your library
The skills library page gives you three ways to add skills. You review everything before it’s saved:
Create — add a skill manually, one at a time.
Import — paste text (a job description, role summary, or a list of skills), and AI suggests skills. You review the suggestions before they are saved.
Generate — turn a job description into a structured skills document you can review before adding.
Where to find them
If your skills library is empty, you’ll see three buttons at the top of the page: Import, Generate, and Create.
If you already have skills configured, click New skill to open a dropdown with Create, Import, and Generate.
Create — manual entry
Step 1: Access the Skills Library
Go to Development > Skills.
Click New skill, then select Create. If your library is empty, click Create at the top of the page.
Step 2: Define Basic Skill Information
Fill in the core skill details:
Required Field: Skill Name
Use clear, specific names
Good examples: "Python Programming", "Project Management", "Customer Communication"
Avoid: "Technical Skills", "Soft Skills", "General Knowledge"
Optional Field: Description
Add context to help evaluators understand the skill:
Example Description for "Data Analysis": "Ability to collect, process, and interpret complex data sets to drive business decisions. Includes statistical analysis, data visualization, and presenting insights to stakeholders."
Step 3: Assign Area of Expertise
Connect the skill to a category for better organization:
Click the "Area of Expertise" dropdown
Select an existing area, or type a name to create a new one.
Step 4: Create Proficiency Scale
A proficiency scale defines the levels of ability for a skill. Choose how many levels you need, name each level, and describe what a person can do at that level. Clear descriptions help evaluators rate people in the same way:
Click "Add Proficiency"
Name each level (2–10 levels possible)
Add descriptions for each level
Drag the levels to change their order, if needed.
Standard 4-Level Scale Example
Level | Name | Description |
1 | Beginner | Basic understanding, requires supervision |
2 | Intermediate | Can work independently on routine tasks |
3 | Advanced | Handles complex situations, mentors others |
4 | Expert | Recognized authority, drives innovation |
Step 5: Configure 1-1 Review assignment Settings
Note: This section is for the classic 1:1 review system, which is a legacy feature.
If you need this skill in classic 1:1 reviews:
Turn on the Assess skill in legacy 1:1 reviews. Under Assign skill to, choose All employees or Specific employees.
If you choose Specific employees, select one or more groups and add filters if needed.
This setting applies to classic 1:1 reviews only. To assign skills for the new review system and profiles, use positions or skill mappings. See Assigning Skills to Employees
Step 6: Save the Skill
Click Create skill to add it to your library.
Import and Generate — add skills with AI
Import uses AI to suggest skills from text you paste. Generate uses AI to turn a job description into a structured skills document. For both, you review the result before anything is added to your library.
For a step-by-step guide to importing skills from a file, see Import skills from any file with AI.
Create and manage areas of expertise
Areas of expertise are categories that group related skills, making your library easier to navigate and report on.
Creating Areas of Expertise
On the Skills page, click the Areas of expertise tab.
Click "New Area of expertise"
Enter area name
Click "Create area of expertise"
Recommended Area Structure
Functional Areas:
Technical Skills
Leadership & Management
Communication
Business Acumen
Industry Knowledge
Department-Specific:
Engineering
Sales & Marketing
Finance & Operations
Human Resources
Customer Success
Managing Existing Areas
For each area, you can:
View skill count
Edit area name
Archive unused areas (cannot be deleted)
Best Practices for Proficiency Scales
Consistency Across Similar Skills
Use the same scale structure for related skills:
All technical skills: 5-level scale
All soft skills: 4-level scale
All leadership skills: 3-level scale
Clear Behavioral Indicators
Write descriptions that show what a person does and that you can check:
Poor: “Good at Python”
Better: “Writes clean, efficient Python code following PEP 8 standards”
Avoid Overlap Between Levels
Each level should be distinct:
Overlapping:
Intermediate: “Can handle most tasks”
Advanced: “Can handle difficult tasks”
Clear distinction:
Intermediate: “Handles routine tasks independently”
Advanced: “Solves complex problems and mentors others”
Consider your organization's maturity
For small companies (3-level scale):
Developing
Proficient
Expert
For enterprises (5-7 levels):
More detailed steps between levels
Detailed competency frameworks
Specific certification levels
Include "Not Required" Option
When you set up proficiency scales, remember that skill mappings allow Not required, so you don’t need an N/A (not applicable) level.
Maintain your skills library
Searching and Filtering
Use the search function to quickly find skills:
Search by skill name
Filter by area of expertise
View archived skills
Editing Existing Skills
Find the skill in your library.
Click Edit.
Modify the name, description, or proficiency scale.
Click Save changes.
Important: Changing proficiency scales affects all existing evaluations. Consider creating a new skill version instead.
Archiving Skills
Important: Skills cannot be deleted, only archived.
To archive a skill:
Select the skill
Click Archive.
Confirm the action
Why archive instead of delete?
Preserves historical evaluation data
Maintains audit trail
Allows reactivation if needed
Helps avoid data inconsistencies
Reactivating Archived Skills
In filter select Status "Archived"
Find the archived skill
Click … and "Unarchive"
To learn how to assign skills through positions, skill mappings, or classic 1:1 reviews, see Assigning skills to employees.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my existing skills in skill mappings?
Yes. You can reuse the same skills in classic 1:1 review assignments and skill mappings, so you don’t need to create them again. The two ways of assigning skills are separate. Classic 1:1 review assignments apply to classic 1:1 reviews, and skill mappings apply to employee profiles and the new review system.
Can I delete a skill?
No. Skills can’t be deleted. Archive a skill to keep its past evaluation data. You can reactivate it later if needed.
What happens if I change a proficiency scale?
Changing a proficiency scale affects existing evaluations. You can create a new skill instead of editing the scale.
Why doesn’t a skill appear in a skill mapping?
Check that the skill isn’t archived and that it has a complete proficiency scale.
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