How to Make a Skill Chart with a Radar Chart

What is a skill chart?

A skill chart is a radar (spider) chart where each axis is a skill and the plotted value is a rating on a shared scale. Because every axis uses the same scale, the outline you trace is meaningful: a balanced generalist draws a wide, even shape, while a specialist draws a spike.

Skill charts are used for developer and designer portfolios, hiring scorecards, performance reviews, coaching plans, student self-assessments, and team capability maps. The same chart works for a single person, a before/after comparison, or a side-by-side of two or three people.

Step 1 — Choose 5 to 8 skills

Fewer than five axes and the chart looks empty; more than about ten and the labels crowd each other and the shape stops being readable. Five to eight is the sweet spot.

Pick skills that sit at the same level of abstraction. Mixing 'Communication' with 'React hooks' makes the chart hard to interpret — either go broad (Communication, Leadership, Technical, Delivery, Product Sense) or go specific (React, TypeScript, Testing, CI/CD, Accessibility), not both. Order matters too: put related skills next to each other so clusters of strength show up as a visible bulge.

Step 2 — Pick a rating scale and define it

A 1–10 scale is the most common because it gives room for nuance without pretending to be precise. A 1–5 scale works well when several people are rating the same person and you want agreement.

Whatever you choose, write down what the endpoints mean before anyone scores. For example: 1 = no exposure, 3 = can do it with help, 5 = works independently, 7 = teaches others, 10 = recognised expert. Undefined scales are the main reason skill charts drift into being useless — two raters using different mental scales produce shapes you can't compare.

Step 3 — Build the chart

Open the radar chart maker, add one attribute per skill, then add an item for the person (or role) being assessed. Type or drag the scores and the chart updates live.

To compare, add a second item: 'Current' vs 'Target' is the most useful pairing for coaching and development plans, because the gap between the two outlines is literally the roadmap. For hiring, add the role's required profile as one item and each candidate as another. For a team, add one item per person, but stop at three or four overlays before the shapes turn to spaghetti — beyond that, use the split view to render each person as their own small chart.

Step 4 — Make it readable and share it

Keep colours distinct and semi-transparent so overlapping shapes stay legible, label the axes with plain words rather than internal jargon, and keep the max value fixed across charts so two people's charts can be compared fairly.

When it's done, export a PNG for slides and reviews, an SVG for print or a portfolio site, or share a live link that encodes the whole chart so the other person can tweak the numbers themselves. You can also embed the interactive chart directly in a website or notion-style doc.

Common skill chart mistakes

Rating yourself in isolation. Self-ratings drift high on visible skills and low on unfamiliar ones — pair a self-rating with a manager or peer rating and plot both.

Changing the skills between reviews. If the axes change, the shapes aren't comparable and progress becomes invisible. Lock the skill set for at least a few review cycles.

Treating the chart as a score. A bigger shape isn't automatically better; a focused specialist should look spiky. Read the chart for fit against a role, not total area.

Free skill chart maker

RadarChart.io builds skill charts entirely in your browser — no signup, no data leaving your device. Start from the skill assessment template, adjust the axes to your own competency framework, and export or share when you're done.

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Frequently asked questions