While creating architecture for your job library, you can consider the following approaches:
- generalization
- specialization
| Definition | Involves adding multiple skills and combining them into a generalized job profile. Applying the approach of generalization, you can create a global job profile and supply it with a bunch of skills from different areas meaning for example that an employee possessing this job profile can perform several roles in the company at a time. This approach is both time and effort-consuming. | Is based on a refinement of job profiles to more specific skills. Specialization implies a different kind of strategy. It is more focused on adding very specific skills. It reflects your needs more precisely and accurately. |
| Examples | Data scientists | Data scientists (Marketing) |
Let’s consider an example of applying a generalization vs specialization approach.
Our recommendation is to apply the principles of the specialization approach to make it simple and keep to the essentials. Thus, you can split unified jobs to have specific ones. It allows you to build job profiles with fewer skills. We recommend adding 20 skills per each job profile, and distributing them reasonably proportionally among available skill types:
- hard skills
- soft skills
- languages
For a production manager role, it could be essential to have Microsoft Office skills as a requirement for the role. Whereas this skill is not a differentiator for the developer role.
No matter what approach you choose, you can add multiple jobs (past, current, or future) per one profile. Each job is defined as a set of required skills.
Associate software developer embedded (Application engineering BMW) is an example of one current job for a profile. Otherwise, Associate software developer embedded and Application engineering BMW can be added as two current jobs to the same profile.
Next step
Well done! Next up, learn how to set up a training library.
