Business service manager to office manager
A business service manager already meets 27% of what the office manager role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
72/ 100
1 How much of what an office manager is expected to do is already part of a business service manager’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 office manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An office manager role treats 5 of its required skills as things a business service manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse staff capacity
- manage administrative systems
- manage staff
- perform clerical duties
- write work-related reports
What stands in the way is 12 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 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An office manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a business service manager background worth leading with.
- already held analyse staff capacity management skills
- already held maintain contract administration information skills
- already held manage administrative systems management skills
- already held perform clerical duties management skills
- already held contract law business, administration and law
- already held recruit employees management skills
All 9 carried skills, including the 5 the office manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 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 manage office appliance requirements required
- still to learn identify process improvements required
- still to learn create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement required
- still to learn use office systems required
- optional, not held assess employees' capability levels optional
- optional, not held manage accounts optional
- optional, not held plan shifts of employees optional
- still to learn implement corporate governance required
- still to learn give instructions to staff required
- still to learn manage needs for stationery items required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn cost management required
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held financial capability optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- still to learn manage office facility systems required
- optional, not held use customer relationship management software optional
- still to learn video conferencing tool required
- still to learn office software required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an office manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 manage office appliance requirements practise this
- 02 cost management study this
- 03 identify process improvements 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held analyse staff capacity skill
- already held manage administrative systems skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held perform clerical duties skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held contract law knowledge
- already held maintain contract administration skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held recruit employees skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held develop classification systems optional
- optional, not held prepare financial statements optional
- optional, not held revise drafts made by managers optional
- optional, not held trade union regulations optional
- optional, not held document sharing procedures optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop classification systems optional
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held assess employees' capability levels optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held document sharing procedures optional
- optional, not held financial capability optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held manage accounts optional
- optional, not held plan shifts of employees optional
- optional, not held prepare financial statements optional
- optional, not held revise drafts made by managers optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- optional, not held trade union regulations optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held use customer relationship management software optional
33 held skills the office manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply company policies skill
- not needed by the target role apply system organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role assist in developing practices for well being of employees skill
- not needed by the target role budget for financial needs skill
- not needed by the target role carry out strategic research skill
- not needed by the target role coach employees skill
- not needed by the target role communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role communication principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role conclude business agreements skill
- not needed by the target role consult with business clients skill
- not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
- not needed by the target role develop business plans skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations skill
- not needed by the target role facilities management in the organisation knowledge
- not needed by the target role human resources department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify clients' needs skill
- not needed by the target role identify necessary human resources skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic management skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic planning skill
- not needed by the target role keep personal administration skill
- not needed by the target role maintain professional administration skill
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage physical resources skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate service with providers skill
- not needed by the target role office administration knowledge
- not needed by the target role organisational policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan facilities management policies skill
- not needed by the target role programme work according to incoming orders skill
- not needed by the target role promote facilities management services skill
- not needed by the target role strategic planning knowledge
10 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 cost management required
- still to learn video conferencing tool required
- still to learn office software required
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held document sharing procedures optional
- optional, not held financial capability optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- optional, not held trade union regulations optional
Other moves recorded from business service manager
Common questions about this move
Can a business service manager become an office manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A business service manager already covers 27% of what an office manager is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 5 of which the office manager role treats as required.
What skills does a business service manager need to become an office manager?
12 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is manage office appliance requirements.
How hard is the move from business service manager to office manager?
Its learning distance is 72 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.