Welcome to the heart of the TalentLabs Skills module!
You’ll find everything you need here — from discovering skills to earning verified badges that boost your career.
This guide will walk you through two core concepts that power your career development journey:
The Role Map and Skills Verification. Understanding this system will give you a clear, step-by-step framework to become a verified professional in your chosen field.
At a Glance:
🗺️ Explore Role Maps: See what skills are needed for your chosen tech role.
🏅 Verify Your Skills: Take assessments and earn badges that showcase your abilities.
🚀 Track Your Growth: Follow the Discover → Practice → Verify steps to build confidence.
💼 Showcase Your Talent: Share your verified skills with employers to stand out.
The Role Map: Your Career Blueprint 🗺️
Think of your Role Map as your personal career GPS. It outlines exactly what skills and knowledge you need to master for your chosen role — whether you’re aiming for Junior, Mid-level, or Senior.
Every role on TalentLabs has a meticulously researched Role Map, which you can also think of as its "curriculum." This map outlines the exact skills and competencies you need to be proficient and successful in that specific role and at your chosen level.
It's designed to be your ultimate guide, showing you precisely what to learn and what to master to prepare yourself for the job market. To ensure our framework is useful for everyone, including hiring managers, we've structured every Role Map around four key pillars.
The Four Pillars of a Role Map
1. Core Skills & Principles These are the foundational theories, principles, and knowledge that everything else is built upon. They are the "must-haves" for anyone in the field.
Examples:
Software Engineer: Algorithms, Data Structures, Python
Project Manager: Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
UX Designer: User Research Principles
2. Role-Specific Skills These are the practical, hands-on skills that are mandatory for the day-to-day execution of the role. They are often unique to the specific career path.
Examples:
Software Engineer: Django, React
Project Manager: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Stakeholder Management
UX Designer: A/B Testing, Figma
3. Methodologies & Best Practices This pillar covers the industry-standard frameworks and processes for working efficiently and collaboratively. It’s about how you do the work.
Examples:
Software Engineer: Agile, Scrum, Waterfall
Project Manager: Agile, Waterfall
UX Designer: Agile, User-Centered Design Process
4. Tools These are the specific software and platforms you'll be expected to use to perform your job effectively.
Examples:
Software Engineer: Git, JIRA
Project Manager: JIRA, Asana
UX Designer: Figma, Sketch
Pillar | What It Means | Example |
1. Core Skills & Principles | The foundation — theories, principles, and must-know knowledge. | Software Engineer: Algorithms, Data Structures, Python |
2. Role-Specific Skills | The practical skills you’ll use every day. | UX Designer: Figma, A/B Testing |
3. Methodologies & Best Practices | How the industry works — frameworks and teamwork approaches. | Project Manager: Agile, Waterfall |
4. Tools | The platforms you’ll use on the job. | Software Engineer: Git, JIRA |
How to Complete a Role Map ✅
To earn your Verified Role badge, you must complete all the requirements outlined in your selected Role Map. The requirements come in a few different formats to provide flexibility while ensuring comprehensive coverage:
1. Specific Skill Verification: You must pass a specific skill assessment at a designated level.
Example: "Pass the Python (Junior) skill verification."
2. Choice from a Skill Group (One Of): You need to verify just one skill from a curated group of alternatives.
Example: "Verify one of the following programming languages at the Junior level: Python, JavaScript, or Java."
3. Multiple from a Skill Group: You need to verify a certain number of skills from a larger group, allowing you to showcase your specific areas of expertise.
Example: "Verify two of the following frontend frameworks at the Mid-level: React, Vue, or Angular."
What is Skills Verification? 🏅
A Skills Verification is an assessment designed to confirm your competency in a specific skill at a certain level. We believe in diverse and practical evaluation methods, so verification can take many forms:
Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ) Tests
AI-Powered Interviews
Project Submissions
Online Coding Challenges
Competition Performance
We are constantly adding new and engaging ways to help you prove your skills!
Each skill has up to 3 levels of verification. These levels represent your journey from newcomer to expert:
Junior: Represents a foundational, nascent understanding of the skill.
Mid-level: Represents proficient, practical application of the skill.
Senior: Represents an expert-level competency in the skill.
Your Journey: Discover, Practice, Verify
We know the world of skills can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve designed a simple, three-step process to guide you. You can find these features on your Skills homepage and in the main menu.
1. Discover: Find Your Next Skill 🔍
Based on your chosen role, the Discover section recommends the most in-demand skills you should consider learning. For each skill, you'll find an introduction, an explanation of why it's valuable, and even data on the expected salary for professionals who possess that skill.
2. Practice: Prepare with Confidence ✍️
Before attempting a formal verification, head to the Practice section. Here, you can take shorter, mock assessments to gauge your readiness, understand the test format, and identify any knowledge gaps. All practice scores are 100% private, so feel free to take them as many times as you need to build confidence.
3. Verify: Earn Your Badge 🏆
This is where you take the official Skills Verification assessment. Each test includes detailed instructions on the format, duration, and topics covered. Currently, most are MCQ-based.
If you pass: Congratulations! You'll earn a digital skill badge that you can add to your TalentLabs profile and share on LinkedIn or other social media.
If you don't pass: No problem at all! Learning is a process. You can always retake the assessment when you feel ready. You have full control to hide your scores from employers until you achieve a result you're proud of.
Your Career Path, Clarified
We built this system to replace guesswork with a clear and actionable roadmap for your career. Every skill you practice and every badge you earn is a concrete step toward achieving your professional goals. The path to your dream job is now clearer than ever.
Ready to take the next step? Explore your Role Map or try a Practice assessment today!