# Adding and Managing Skills

### Overview

Skills are the foundation of your Skillmelo experience. They power AI recommendations, impact reports, and career matching. This guide covers everything about managing your skills.

### Adding Skills

#### Method 1: Manual Entry

1. Click **Skills** in the sidebar
2. Click **+ Add Skill**
3. Enter the skill name
4. Select a category (Technical, Soft Skills, Industry, Tools, etc.)
5. Rate your proficiency (1-10)
6. Click **Save**

#### Method 2: Import from Resume (Pro)

1. Go to **Skills** page
2. Click **Import Skills**
3. Select **From Resume**
4. Upload your resume (PDF or DOCX)
5. Review extracted skills
6. Adjust proficiency levels
7. Click **Import Selected**

#### Method 3: Import from LinkedIn (Pro)

1. Export your LinkedIn data (Settings → Resources → Save to PDF)
2. Go to **Skills** page in Skillmelo
3. Click **Import Skills**
4. Select **From LinkedIn**
5. Upload your LinkedIn export PDF
6. Review and import

### Understanding Proficiency Levels

<table><thead><tr><th width="145">Level</th><th width="182">Label</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1-2</td><td><strong>Novice</strong></td><td>Just getting started: following tutorials, exploring concepts with structured guidance</td></tr><tr><td>3-4</td><td><strong>Beginner</strong></td><td>Building foundations: complete simple tasks independently, still rely on references for edge cases</td></tr><tr><td>5-6</td><td><strong>Proficient</strong></td><td>Solid day-to-day use: work independently, strong grasp of core concepts, can explain to peers</td></tr><tr><td>7-8</td><td><strong>Advanced</strong></td><td>Deep expertise: tackle complex problems, lead technical decisions, mentor others effectively</td></tr><tr><td>9-10</td><td><strong>Expert</strong></td><td>Highly skilled and recognized: go-to person for complex problems, respected by peers and employers</td></tr></tbody></table>

#### How to Rate Yourself

* **Be honest** - Inflated ratings lead to poor recommendations
* **Consider context** - Rate based on professional competence, not personal projects
* **Update regularly** - Your skills improve over time!

### Skill Categories

Organize your skills into categories for better insights:

| Category           | Examples                                   |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------ |
| **Technical**      | Python, JavaScript, Data Analysis          |
| **Soft Skills**    | Communication, Leadership, Problem Solving |
| **Tools**          | Excel, Figma, Jira, AWS                    |
| **Industry**       | Healthcare, Finance, E-commerce            |
| **Languages**      | English, Spanish, Mandarin                 |
| **Certifications** | PMP, AWS Certified, CPA                    |

### Editing Skills

1. Go to **Skills** page
2. Find the skill you want to edit
3. Click the **edit icon** (pencil)
4. Update name, category, or proficiency
5. Click **Save**

### Deleting Skills

1. Go to **Skills** page
2. Find the skill to delete
3. Click the **delete icon** (trash)
4. Confirm deletion

> ⚠️ **Note**: Deleting skills may affect your AI recommendations and reports.

### Linking Skills to Careers

Skills can be associated with your career paths:

1. Open a career from your Careers page
2. Scroll to the Skills section
3. Select relevant skills from your profile
4. This helps AI provide better career-specific insights

### AI Skill Recommendations

Based on your careers and current skills, Skillmelo AI can recommend new skills to learn:

1. Visit the **AI Impact** page
2. Generate a report for your target career
3. Review the "Emerging Skills" section
4. Add recommended skills to your profile to track them

#### Monthly Limits

* **Free**: 10 AI skill recommendations/month
* **Pro Basic**: 25 AI skill recommendations/month
* **Pro Standard**: 100 AI skill recommendations/month

### Best Practices

#### Start with Core Skills

Add your 10-15 most important professional skills first. You can always add more later.

#### Be Specific

Instead of "Programming", add specific languages like "Python", "JavaScript", "SQL".

#### Include Soft Skills

Don't forget communication, leadership, problem-solving—these are increasingly valuable in the AI age.

#### Update Quarterly

Review and update your skills every few months as you develop professionally.

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### Related Articles

* [Creating Your First Career Path](/skillmelo-help-center/getting-started/readme.md)
* [What are AI Impact Reports?](/skillmelo-help-center/ai-features/readme.md)


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