Open Skills Taxonomy

A standardized, open-source skills taxonomy for AI-powered hiring that goes beyond keyword matching to understand skill relationships and transferability

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Open Source·CC BY 4.0 License

The Problem with Keyword Matching

Traditional ATS systems treat skills as raw text strings, leading to systematic errors:

"React" vs "React.js" vs "ReactJS" - treated as different skills
No skill inference - candidates must list every possible variation
Transferability ignored - "Next.js expert" doesn't imply "React knowledge"
No context awareness - "Java" could mean programming or JavaScript

Skills Taxonomy Solution

A structured, machine-readable taxonomy that enables intelligent skill matching and inference.

Skill Normalization

430+ aliases mapped to 105 canonical skills. "React", "React.js", "ReactJS" → all understood as React

Transferability Mapping

Skills that imply other skills. Next.js expert → React, Node.js, JavaScript proficiency inferred

Proficiency Tiers

Junior, Mid, Senior, Expert levels with context-aware interpretation

Role-Skill Context

Skills interpreted based on role context and domain

Skill Inference in Action

Example: Job requires "React" and "TypeScript"

Traditional ATS

Candidate CV lists: "Next.js, JavaScript, Vue.js"

❌ REJECTED - Missing "React" and "TypeScript" keywords

Skills Taxonomy

Inference: "Next.js" → implies React, Node.js, JavaScript

"JavaScript" + modern frameworks → likely TypeScript capable

✓ MATCHED - Skills inferred through transferability

What's Included

Documentation

Complete taxonomy structure, usage examples, and integration guide

JSON Data

105 skills with 430+ aliases in machine-readable JSON format

Usage Examples

Sample code for normalization, inference, and matching

Contributing Guide

How to add skills, report issues, and submit improvements

License

CC BY 4.0 - Free to share, adapt, and use commercially with attribution

Changelog

Version history and taxonomy evolution

Who Uses This Taxonomy?

ATS Developers

Build intelligent skill matching that goes beyond keyword search. Reduce false negatives and improve candidate quality.

Integration guide

HR Tech Companies

Standardize skill representation across products. Enable better analytics and benchmarking with normalized data.

API documentation

Researchers

Use as a reference dataset for skill taxonomy research. Build upon for academic work. Contribute improvements back.

Citation format

See Skill Inference in Action

Upload a CV and job description to see how our skills taxonomy enables intelligent matching beyond keyword search.

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