Upload competencies in bulk using a CSV

Ben Pemstein Ben Pemstein
· Updated

Use the Import tab in Competencies and Paths settings to add or update multiple competencies at once by uploading a completed CSV file. When the upload is published, the new competencies appear immediately in your account.

Before You Begin

  • You must have Account admin access with permission to manage Feature settings.
  • Uploading a CSV adds or updates competencies. It does not delete existing ones.
  • Save your completed CSV file in UTF-8 encoding before uploading.

Steps

  1. Click the Settings gear in the top-right corner of your account.
  2. Select Features.
  3. Open Competencies and Paths.
  4. Click the Import tab.
  5. Scroll to the Competencies upload section.
  6. Click Download Competencies CSV Template.
  7. Open the downloaded file and complete the required columns:

| Column | Requirement | |---|---| | Competency | Required. 75-character limit. | | Competency description | Optional. | | Company wide | Enter TRUE or FALSE. | | Groups | Required when Company wide is FALSE. |

  1. Save the file in UTF-8 encoding.
  2. Click Upload competencies.
  3. Select Continue to upload.
  4. Click Create new import and select your CSV file.
  5. Review the summary of changes.
  6. Click Publish to finish.

A confirmation message appears once your competencies are published.

If Something Goes Wrong

Issue Check Fix
Upload fails immediately Confirm the file is saved as UTF-8, not UTF-16 or plain CSV. Re-save the file as UTF-8 using your spreadsheet application's Save As dialog, then re-upload.
Competency column flagged as invalid Check that no entry in the Competency column exceeds 75 characters. Shorten the affected entries and re-upload.
Groups column causes an error Verify Company wide is set to FALSE for any row using a group value. Correct the TRUE/FALSE value in the Company wide column and re-upload.
Published competencies don't appear in a review cycle Confirm the competency was published before the review cycle started. Competencies added after a cycle starts won't appear in that cycle. Use these competencies in the next cycle.

Not Covered Here

This article covers bulk CSV upload only — for adding or editing a single competency directly in settings, see Add or edit a single competency.

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