Skills
Before you start
This upload works differently to the label and job role uploads. Instead of one row per item, one skill is described across several rows. Each row adds a single property to a skill, its description, a proficiency level, a label, or a job role, and rows belonging to the same skill are tied together by sharing the same skill_name.
You can find the template here: https://filtered-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/000.+Success+Centre+Assets/Assets/skill_upload_template.xlsx
ℹ️ Note
Labels and job roles used in this file must already exist in your organisation. This upload links to them, it doesn't create them. If you haven't uploaded them yet, do that first using the label and job role bulk uploads.
Step 1: Understand the columns
Column | What it means |
skill_name | The name of the skill. Repeat it on every row that belongs to that skill. |
property_type | What the row describes. Must be one of four exact values, see below. |
property_name | The proficiency level, label, or job role name. Left blank for a description row. |
definition | The description text or a proficiency level's definition. Left blank for label and job role rows. |
⚠️ Warning
property_type is the column that causes the most errors. It is not the skill's category or department, it's never things like "IT" or blank. It must be exactly one of the four values below, and the capitalisation matters.
property_type | Use it for | property_name | definition |
Description | The skill's overall description | (blank) | Required |
Proficiency | One proficiency level | The level name, e.g. Entry | Required |
Label | Tagging the skill with a label | The label name | (blank) |
JobRole | Linking the skill to a job role | The job role name | (blank) |
Step 2: Build a row set for a new skill
- Add a Description row with the skill's overall description in the definition column
- Add one Proficiency row per level your organisation uses, each with its own definition
- Add a Label row for each label the skill should be tagged with
- Add a JobRole row for each job role the skill should be linked to
- Use the same skill_name on every row in the set
Here's a complete example for a new skill, "Data Modelling":
skill_name | property_type | property_name | definition |
Data Modelling | Description | The ability to design and structure data models. | |
Data Modelling | Proficiency | Entry | Can read an existing data model and make small guided changes. |
Data Modelling | Proficiency | Intermediate | Can design a normalised schema with light review. |
Data Modelling | Proficiency | Expert | Can own the data model for a domain and mentor others. |
Data Modelling | Label | Backend | |
Data Modelling | JobRole | Data Engineer |
💡 Tip
Proficiencies are all-or-nothing. Either leave them out entirely, or include every level your organisation uses. You can't upload just the "Entry" level and leave the rest out.
Step 3: Tag an existing skill instead
If skill_name already matches a skill in your organisation, the upload only picks up the Label and JobRole rows from your file. Any Description or Proficiency rows for that skill are ignored, so there's no need to include them.
skill_name | property_type | property_name | definition |
Existing Skill Name | Label | Backend | |
Existing Skill Name | JobRole | Data Engineer |
Step 4: Upload your file
- Navigate to the skill upload screen
- Upload your completed file
- Review any errors returned and correct the flagged rows
Common errors
Error message | What it means |
invalid property type ... | property_type isn't one of Description, Proficiency, Label, JobRole. Check spelling and capitalisation. |
definition not found for skill description | A new skill's Description row has an empty definition. |
proficiency ... doesn't exist | The property_name on a Proficiency row doesn't match an organisation proficiency name. |
definition not found for proficiency ... | A Proficiency row is missing its definition. |
Skill ... must have a description | A new skill has no Description row at all. |
Skill ... must have either no proficiencies or all of them | Some, but not all, proficiency levels were included for a new skill. |
label name is missing / job role name is missing | A Label or JobRole row has an empty property_name. |
Quick checklist
- Every property_type is one of the four exact values
- Each new skill has one Description row with text filled in
- Proficiencies are all-or-nothing, and every definition is filled in
- Label and JobRole rows have a name in property_name and a blank definition
- All referenced labels and job roles already exist in your organisation
- Every row for the same skill uses the exact same skill_name