Building cleaner to window cleaner
A building cleaner already meets 41% of what the window cleaner role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.3/ 100
1 How much of what a window cleaner is expected to do is already part of a building cleaner’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 window cleaner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A window cleaner role treats 7 of its required skills as things a building cleaner already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- clean glass surfaces
- cleaning industry health and safety measures
- follow organisational guidelines in the cleaning industry
- handle chemical cleaning agents
- maintain cleaning equipment
- maintain inventory of cleaning supplies
What stands in the way is 10 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A window cleaner role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a building cleaner background worth leading with.
- already held supervise the work of cleaning staff management skills
- already held clean building facade handling and moving
- already held clean particular areas manually handling and moving
- already held manage routine waste handling and moving
- already held follow organisational guidelines in the cleaning industry assisting and caring
- already held maintain personal hygiene standards when cleaning handling and moving
All 14 carried skills, including the 7 the window cleaner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 9 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 prepare cleaning materials for window cleaning required
- still to learn use a water-fed pole system required
- still to learn follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health required
- still to learn dispose of non-hazardous waste required
- optional, not held clean public furniture optional
- optional, not held perform outdoor cleaning activities optional
- still to learn report on window damage required
- still to learn complete report sheets of activity required
- optional, not held read technical datasheet optional
- still to learn personal protective equipment required
- still to learn risk assessment for window cleaning required
- still to learn protect window frames required
- optional, not held perform glazing reconditioning optional
- optional, not held apply proofing membranes optional
- still to learn follow reporting procedures required
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held manage a small-to-medium business optional
- optional, not held maintain professional administration optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a window cleaner role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 follow reporting procedures practise this
- 02 prepare cleaning materials for window cleaning practise this
- 03 protect window frames practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held clean glass surfaces skill
- already held cleaning industry health and safety measures knowledge
- already held follow organisational guidelines in the cleaning industry skill
- already held handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- already held maintain cleaning equipment skill
- already held maintain inventory of cleaning supplies skill
- already held maintain personal hygiene standards when cleaning skill
- already held carry out pressure washing activities skill
- already held clean building facade skill
- already held clean particular areas manually skill
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held manage routine waste skill
- already held perform cleaning activities in an environmentally friendly way skill
- already held supervise the work of cleaning staff skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held select hazard control optional
- optional, not held customer service optional
- optional, not held operate aerial work platforms optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held perform glazing reconditioning optional
- optional, not held customer service optional
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held manage a small-to-medium business optional
- optional, not held apply proofing membranes optional
- optional, not held clean public furniture optional
- optional, not held maintain professional administration optional
- optional, not held operate aerial work platforms optional
- optional, not held perform outdoor cleaning activities optional
- optional, not held read technical datasheet optional
- optional, not held select hazard control optional
39 held skills the window cleaner role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role arrange furniture skill
- not needed by the target role clean building floors skill
- not needed by the target role clean furniture skill
- not needed by the target role clean rooms skill
- not needed by the target role clean surfaces skill
- not needed by the target role clean toilet facilities skill
- not needed by the target role clean wood surface skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with waste collectors skill
- not needed by the target role disinfect surfaces skill
- not needed by the target role dispose food waste skill
- not needed by the target role dispose medical waste skill
- not needed by the target role dispose of hazardous waste skill
- not needed by the target role fire safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role hardware, plumbing and heating equipment products knowledge
- not needed by the target role hygiene in a health care setting knowledge
- not needed by the target role inform on toilet facilities malfunctions skill
- not needed by the target role lawn care knowledge
- not needed by the target role locking mechanisms knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain facility security systems skill
- not needed by the target role monitor building security skill
- not needed by the target role operate floor cleaning equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate janitorial tools skill
- not needed by the target role perform cleaning duties skill
- not needed by the target role perform ground maintenance activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform minor repairs to buildings' systems skill
- not needed by the target role perform pest control skill
- not needed by the target role perform procurement processes skill
- not needed by the target role perform weed control operations skill
- not needed by the target role provide lawn care skill
- not needed by the target role remove dust skill
- not needed by the target role remove snow skill
- not needed by the target role report major building repairs skill
- not needed by the target role restock toilet facilities' supplies skill
- not needed by the target role snow removal safety hazards knowledge
- not needed by the target role sort waste skill
- not needed by the target role spray pesticides skill
- not needed by the target role sterilization techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role use snow-removal equipment skill
- not needed by the target role wood preservation knowledge
3 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 personal protective equipment required
- still to learn risk assessment for window cleaning required
- optional, not held customer service optional
Common questions about this move
Can a building cleaner become a window cleaner?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A building cleaner already covers 41% of what a window cleaner is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 7 of which the window cleaner role treats as required.
What skills does a building cleaner need to become a window cleaner?
10 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is follow reporting procedures.
How hard is the move from building cleaner to window cleaner?
Its learning distance is 63.3 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.