Advertising assistant to advertising specialist
An advertising assistant already meets 45% of what the advertising specialist role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
53.9/ 100
1 How much of what an advertising specialist is expected to do is already part of an advertising assistant’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the advertising specialist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An advertising specialist role treats 6 of its required skills as things an advertising assistant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advertising techniques
- develop creative ideas
- develop digital content
- identify customer's needs
- liaise with advertising agencies
- perform market research
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An advertising specialist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an advertising assistant background worth leading with.
- already held create advertisements communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held examine advertisement layout information skills
- already held monitor media industry research figures information skills
- already held create media plan management skills
- already held media planning arts and humanities
- already held perform media outlets research information skills
All 18 carried skills, including the 6 the advertising specialist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn brainstorm ideas required
- still to learn develop professional network required
- still to learn give live presentation required
- still to learn persuade clients with alternatives required
- optional, not held advise on market strategies optional
- optional, not held advise on public image optional
- optional, not held advise on public relations optional
- optional, not held approve advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held follow a brief optional
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- optional, not held publishing market optional
- optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
- still to learn receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples required
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held draw conclusions from market research results optional
- optional, not held meet expectations of target audience optional
- optional, not held assist in developing marketing campaigns optional
- optional, not held define brand identity optional
- optional, not held develop public relations strategies optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held media studies optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an advertising specialist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples practise this
- 02 brainstorm ideas practise this
- 03 copyright legislation study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 18 skills that carry over
- already held advertising techniques knowledge
- already held develop creative ideas skill
- already held develop digital content skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held liaise with advertising agencies skill
- already held perform market research skill
- already held collaborate in the development of marketing strategies skill
- already held coordinate advertising campaigns skill
- already held create advertisements skill
- already held create media plan skill
- already held develop media strategy skill
- already held evaluate advertising campaign skill
- already held examine advertisement layout skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held media planning knowledge
- already held monitor media industry research figures skill
- already held perform media outlets research skill
- already held types of media knowledge
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held publishing market optional
- optional, not held advise on market strategies optional
- optional, not held advise on public image optional
- optional, not held advise on public relations optional
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held approve advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held assist in developing marketing campaigns optional
- optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held define brand identity optional
- optional, not held develop public relations strategies optional
- optional, not held draw conclusions from market research results optional
- optional, not held follow a brief optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held media studies optional
- optional, not held meet expectations of target audience optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
14 held skills the advertising specialist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adobe creative suite knowledge
- not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role create content title skill
- not needed by the target role create media schedule skill
- not needed by the target role design graphics skill
- not needed by the target role digital media knowledge
- not needed by the target role file documents skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role perform business research skill
- not needed by the target role provide written content skill
- not needed by the target role support managers skill
- not needed by the target role use IT tools skill
- not needed by the target role use communication techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- optional, not held publishing market optional
- optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held media studies optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
Common questions about this move
Can an advertising assistant become an advertising specialist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An advertising assistant already covers 45% of what an advertising specialist is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 6 of which the advertising specialist role treats as required.
What skills does an advertising assistant need to become an advertising specialist?
6 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples.
How hard is the move from advertising assistant to advertising specialist?
Its learning distance is 53.9 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.