> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.skillsdb.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Careers
> Learn how to build and manage careers in SkillsDB — create role structures with levels, sections, and skills, assign people, and configure proficiency, training, and assessment settings.
**Quick Summary:** The Careers library is where administrators build and manage every job role in the organization. Each career holds a structured set of skills, organized into sections and levels, with configurable settings for proficiency grading, training tracking, and assessments.
# Overview
Careers in SkillsDB are the organizational templates that define what skills matter for a given job role. Each career represents a position or role — such as "Software Engineer" or "Operations Manager" — and contains a curated set of skills that employees in that role are expected to develop and demonstrate.
Careers serve as the foundation for SkillsDB's skills tracking, assessment, and analytics features. When a person is assigned to a career, they receive a skills profile aligned to that role. Their proficiency grades are tracked against the career's benchmarks, and their training completion is measured against the career's training requirements. All of this data flows into the Skills Matrix, assessments, and team analytics.
A career is more than a flat list of skills. It has a three-level hierarchy: the career itself contains **sections** that group related skills together, and **levels** that represent progression stages within the role (for example, Level 1 through Level 5). Skills can be assigned individual benchmarks at each level, so the expected proficiency for a given skill shifts as employees advance.
Administrators have full access to create, edit, configure, and delete careers. Managers can view careers and assign their team members to them. Standard employees can view the career they are assigned to and track their own progress against its requirements.
The Careers library requires the **Library Roles** setting to be enabled in your organization settings. If the Careers section is not visible in your sidebar, contact your SkillsDB administrator to confirm the setting is active.
***
## Prerequisites
Before working with careers, you need:
* **Permission level**: Administrator role to create, edit, configure, or delete careers; Manager role to assign people to careers
* **Setup requirement**: Library Roles enabled in your organization settings
* **Optional**: Skills created in the Skills library before building out a career (you can also create new skills directly within a career)
***
## Understanding Career Structure
Every career in SkillsDB follows a consistent three-level hierarchy:
| Level | What it is | Example |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **Career** | The top-level job role or position | "Software Engineer" |
| **Section** | A group of related skills within the career | "Backend Development", "Security" |
| **Skill** | An individual competency within a section | "Python", "SQL", "API Design" |
**Levels** are an optional fourth dimension that sit across the entire career. A career can have multiple levels representing seniority tiers (for example, Level 1 through Level 5, or Junior through Principal). When levels are configured, each skill can have a different benchmark grade required at each level — so a Level 1 engineer may need a grade of 2 in Python while a Level 4 engineer is expected to reach a grade of 4.
People are assigned to a career and, optionally, to a specific level within it. Their assigned level determines which benchmark grades apply to them, enabling accurate skills gap analysis.
**Note:** Levels, sections, and skills are all optional. A career can be as simple as a name and a flat list of skills, or as structured as a multi-level framework with sections and per-level benchmarks.
***
## Navigating the Careers Library
To access the Careers library, select **Library > Careers** from the left sidebar.
#### Group By
The library supports three grouping modes via the toggle at the top of the page:
| Mode | Behavior |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Default** | A flat list with no grouping. This is the default view. |
| **Alphabetical** | Careers grouped into collapsible sections by first letter. |
| **Type** | Careers grouped by their career type. |
#### Columns
| Column | Description |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Career** | The career name. Select a row to open the career detail page. |
| **Labels** | Tags applied to the career. Labels can be edited inline using the **Add label** button. |
| **Type** | The career type (e.g., Job Role). |
| **Assigned** | The number of people assigned to the career. |
Select **Display** on the right side of the toolbar to show or hide columns. An additional **Letter** column is available but hidden by default.
#### Filters
Select **Filter** in the toolbar to open the filter menu. Available filters: Career, Type, Labels, People Assigned.
***
## Creating a Career
Administrators can create new careers from the Careers library. Each career requires a title and a type.
1. Navigate to **Library > Careers**
2. Select **+ Add Career** in the top-right navigation area
3. In the **Create Career** dialog, enter the following:
* **Career title** (required) — Enter a unique, descriptive name for the career
* **Add career description** (optional) — Provide context about the role
* **Add Type** (required) — Select a type to categorize this career (see Managing career types below)
* **+ Add label** (optional) — Apply one or more labels for organization
4. Optionally toggle **Create More** to keep the dialog open after creating, allowing you to add multiple careers in sequence
5. Select **Create**
The new career is created and appears in the careers table. Select the career row to open its detail page and begin building out its structure.
***
## Building out a Career
After creating a career, you structure it by adding levels, sections, and skills. Open a career's detail page by selecting it from the **Library > Careers** table.
The detail page title displays as **Manage / \[Career Name]**. The detail page shows the career's sections, the skills within each section, and any associated learning resources.
#### Managing levels
Levels define the seniority or progression tiers within a career. Add levels before assigning benchmarks to skills, as benchmarks are tied to specific levels.
To manage levels on a career detail page:
1. Select the **Levels** control within the career structure panel
2. Select **+ Add Level** to create a new level, then enter a **Level Title**
3. Select **Save**
To reorder levels, drag a level row using its drag handle. The sort order updates automatically.
To edit a level title, select the edit icon on the level row, update the title, and select **Save**.
To delete a level, select the delete icon on the level row. If skills have benchmarks assigned at that level, a warning displays with the number of affected skills. Confirm to proceed.
**Important:** Deleting a level removes all benchmark assignments for that level across every skill in the career. This cannot be undone. Consider reassigning benchmarks before deleting a level if the data needs to be preserved.
#### Managing sections
Sections organize skills within a career into logical groupings. A career with no sections treats all skills as a single flat list.
To add a section:
1. On the career detail page, select **+ Add Section**
2. Enter a **Section Name**
3. Select **Save**
The first section added groups any skills already in the career. Additional sections start empty.
To edit a section name, select the edit icon next to the section heading. To delete a section, select the delete icon. A confirmation prompt displays listing the skills currently in that section — deleting the section detaches those skills from the section but does not remove them from the career.
**Tip:** Use sections to reflect real-world skill clusters for the role — for example, a "Software Engineer" career might have sections for "Languages & Frameworks", "Infrastructure & DevOps", and "Soft Skills". This makes the skills profile easier to read in assessments and analytics.
#### Adding skills
Skills can be added to a career either by searching for existing skills in your skills library or by creating new custom skills directly within the career.
**To add an existing skill:**
1. On the career detail page, select **+ Add Skill** within the section you want to add to (or at the career level if no sections exist)
2. In the search dialog, type the skill name to search the skills library
3. Select the skill from the results to attach it to the career
4. Optionally, set a **benchmark** (the expected proficiency grade for this skill in this career)
5. Select **Save**
**To create a new skill directly in a career:**
1. Select **+ Add Skill** and select the **Create New Skill** option in the dialog
2. Enter a **Skill Name** (required) and optionally a **Skill Description**
3. Set a **Benchmark** if applicable
4. Select **Save**
The new skill is added to the skills library and attached to the career simultaneously.
**Note:** A skill can belong to more than one career. Attaching a skill to a career does not remove it from any other career it is already part of.
To reorder skills within a section, drag skill rows using their drag handles.
To configure training-specific settings for an individual skill (such as whether training is required, evidence type, or expiration timeline), select the skill's settings icon. These options are only available when **Training Dates** is enabled in Career Settings.
***
## Assigning People to a Career
Administrators can assign people to a career directly from the detail page. When assigning someone, you can optionally specify which level of the career they are at.
1. Navigate to **Library > Careers** and open the career
2. Select **Assign** in the top-right navigation area
3. In the **Assign Career** drawer, search for people by name or email
4. Select one or more people to assign
5. Optionally select a **Career Level** to assign them to
6. Confirm the assignment
Assigned people appear in the career's people count and are included in Skills Matrix analytics for that career.
To reassign a person to a different level within the same career, open the Assign Career drawer, locate the person in the assigned list, and select a new level from the level dropdown.
To remove a person from a career, select the unassign option next to their name in the assigned people list.
**Important:** People assigned to a career without a level will not have benchmark-based performance tracking (Meets Target, Exceeds Target, Below Target) until a level is assigned. Assign levels to ensure accurate skills gap analysis.
***
## Configuring Career Settings
Each career has four configurable settings that control which features are active for that career. Access Career Settings from the detail page by selecting the **Settings** icon in the top-right navigation area.
The **Career Settings** modal displays four toggle settings:
#### Proficiency Grading
**Default:** On
Enables skill proficiency grading and grade columns for this career. When Proficiency Grading is on, employees and managers can record skill grades, and grades appear in the Skills Matrix, assessments, and analytics.
When Proficiency Grading is turned off, all grade columns are hidden and grading data is excluded from search results and analytics. Turning off Proficiency Grading also automatically disables the Assessments setting.
#### Training Dates
**Default:** Off
Enables training approvals and makes this career's skills visible in **Team > Training > Training Matrix**. When Training Dates is on, employees can request training approval for skills in this career, and managers can track training completion.
Enabling Training Dates reveals two additional configuration options:
**Training Timeline** — Set the expected time for employees to complete training approval for all skills in this career. Enter values in **Days**, **Months**, and/or **Years**.
**Bulk Update Skill Training Settings** — Select **Configure Skills** to open a bulk configuration modal where you can apply training settings (required status, evidence type, and expiration timeline) across multiple skills in one action.
#### Assessments
**Default:** On (requires Proficiency Grading to be enabled)
Includes this career's skills in manager and self-assessments. When Assessments is off, skills from this career are excluded from all assessment cycles.
Assessments cannot be enabled if Proficiency Grading is disabled. If Proficiency Grading is turned off, Assessments is automatically disabled and grayed out until Proficiency Grading is re-enabled.
#### User Dashboard
**Default:** Off
Enables a career-specific dashboard for employees, accessible at **Profile > Career > Overview**. The dashboard gives employees a summary view of their career progress.
Enabling User Dashboard reveals **Dashboard Components** checkboxes to control which sections appear on the dashboard:
| Component | Default |
| ---------------------- | ------- |
| Career Description | On |
| Training Dates Summary | On |
| Proficiency Summary | On |
| Pinned Pages | On |
Uncheck any component to hide it from the employee dashboard for this career.
Select **Save Settings** to apply changes, or **Cancel** to discard them.
**Note:** Career Settings are configured per career. Each career can have a different combination of settings. Changes apply immediately after selecting **Save Settings**.
***
## Editing, Deleting, and Managing Types
#### Editing a career
Career names and descriptions are edited inline directly on the career detail page:
1. Navigate to **Library > Careers** and select the career row to open its detail page
2. Select the career title or description text on the detail page to edit it inline
3. Changes save automatically
Career settings (proficiency, training, assessments, dashboard) are managed separately via the **Settings** icon in the detail page top navigation bar.
#### Managing career types
Career types are optional labels that categorize careers in your organization (for example, "Job Role", "Specialty Path", or "Leadership Track"). The default type is "Job Role".
To manage career types:
1. Navigate to **Library > Careers**
2. Select **Manage Types** in the top-right navigation area
3. In the **Manage Career Types** drawer:
* Select **+ Add Type** to create a new type and enter a name
* Select the edit icon on any existing type to rename it
* Select the delete icon to remove a type
Career types appear as a column in the careers table and as a badge on each career's detail page. Types help admins filter and organize large career libraries.
***
## Viewing Career Analytics
Every career has two analytics views accessible from its detail page: the **Skills Matrix** and the **Flag Matrix**.
#### Skills Matrix
The Skills Matrix displays skill proficiency data for everyone assigned to the career. It shows each person's grade for every skill in the career, color-coded by performance against the benchmark.
To access the Skills Matrix, open the career detail page and use the analytics navigation in the top bar.
The Skills Matrix page supports six display views — Skills Matrix (default), Training Matrix, Skills Flag, Nightingale chart, Bar Chart, and Learning — and includes filters for organizational structure and performance. See Analytics & Reporting for full details.
#### Flag Matrix
The Flag Matrix shows which skill flags (Mentor, Expert, Focus, Interest) are applied to people in this career.
To access the Flag Matrix, select **Flag Matrix** in the top-right navigation area on the career detail page.
***
# Common Questions
Administrators can create, edit, configure, and delete careers. Administrators can also manage career types and assign people to careers. Managers can assign their direct reports to careers but cannot create, edit, or delete careers. Standard employees cannot modify careers — they can only view the career they are assigned to and track their own skills progress.
Yes. A skill from the skills library can be attached to any number of careers. Each attachment is independent — the skill can have a different benchmark grade and different training settings in each career. Removing a skill from one career does not affect any other career that uses the same skill.
Turning off Proficiency Grading hides grade columns and excludes the career's grading data from search and analytics. The data is not deleted — it is preserved in the database. If Proficiency Grading is re-enabled, all historical grades are restored and visible again.
Assigning a level tells SkillsDB which benchmark grade applies to that person for each skill in the career. For example, if Level 2 requires a benchmark of 3 for Python, a person at Level 2 is evaluated against that benchmark. Without a level assignment, performance-based filtering (Meets Target, Below Target, etc.) in the Skills Matrix cannot apply to that person.
Yes. Skills within a section can be reordered by dragging them using their drag handle. Sections within a career can similarly be reordered. Levels can be reordered in the Levels management panel using drag-and-drop. The order set here is reflected in the career detail page and the Skills Matrix.
**Training Dates** is the toggle that enables the training tracking feature for the career — turning it on allows employees to request training approval and makes skills visible in the Training Matrix. **Training Timeline** is a sub-setting that appears when Training Dates is enabled. It sets the expected total time (in days, months, and/or years) for an employee to complete training for all skills in the career. The Training Timeline is informational and helps managers understand expected completion windows.
Yes. When Training Dates is enabled, you can configure training settings for individual skills using the skill's settings icon in the career detail view. You can also use the **Configure Skills** button in Career Settings to bulk-apply training settings across multiple skills in one action.
***
# Related Articles
Full guide to the Skills Matrix analytics views and how to interpret career data
How to create and run manager and self-assessments using career skills
Understanding how Training Dates settings connect to training tracking
Detailed reference for per-career configuration options
Managing the skills library that careers draw from
Configuring Mentor, Expert, Focus, and Interest flags visible in the Flag Matrix
***
# Need Help?
If you run into any issues or have questions, reach out to your organization's SkillsDB administrator or contact [SkillsDB Support](https://www.skillsdb.com/support).