How skills are rated (1 to 10)

CareerLab HQ rates each skill from 1 to 10. This is our own scale, not an outside standard. Each skill is judged on its own evidence, not on how senior the job it appears in was, and when the evidence is thin we rate a skill no higher than 5. The rating is a starting point: you can change it any time.

1. Aware of it (Beginner). Aware of it. A tutorial or course only, no independent use.

2. Learning it (Beginner). Used in coursework or a side project, with references open.

3. Early hands-on (Intermediate). Used a little on real work, mostly following existing examples.

4. Works independently (Intermediate). Works independently on routine tasks in one role.

5. Comfortable (Intermediate). Comfortable across more than one project or role. Handles normal problems alone.

6. Proficient (Advanced). Sustained use over a year or more in multiple places. Solves non-trivial problems and debugs it unaided.

7. Deep knowledge (Advanced). Deep working knowledge. Makes design decisions that involve it, and colleagues come to you with questions.

8. Mentors others (Advanced). Mentors or reviews others in it. Owns significant systems built on it. Handles hard edge cases.

9. Leads with it (Expert). Leads teams or architecture around it. The person people in the organization turn to for it.

10. Recognized authority (Expert). Recognized authority beyond the organization, shown by public work such as authoring, maintaining, speaking or setting standards.

When CareerLab HQ builds a resume, it considers your highest-rated skills first, after any that match the job posting.