Chemical application specialist to business developer
A chemical application specialist already meets 23% of what the business developer role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
74.9/ 100
1 How much of what a business developer is expected to do is already part of a chemical application specialist’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 business developer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A business developer role treats 5 of its required skills as things a chemical application specialist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse business plans
- apply business acumen
- business analysis
- identify new business opportunities
- marketing principles
What stands in the way is 13 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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A business developer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a chemical application specialist background worth leading with.
- already held perform customer management assisting and caring
- already held apply business acumen management skills
- already held business analysis business, administration and law
- already held customer relationship management business, administration and law
- already held marketing principles business, administration and law
- already held analyse business plans information skills
All 7 carried skills, including the 5 the business developer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 30 missing skills fall into 4 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 corporate sustainability required
- still to learn sales strategies required
- still to learn services marketing required
- still to learn brand marketing techniques required
- still to learn financial analysis required
- still to learn market analysis required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held customer insight optional
- optional, not held vertical markets optional
- optional, not held business incubation optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held market entry planning optional
- optional, not held market entry strategies optional
- optional, not held market research optional
- still to learn collaborate in the development of marketing strategies required
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- optional, not held negotiate settlements optional
- optional, not held prospect new customers optional
- optional, not held represent company in exhibitions optional
- optional, not held brainstorm ideas optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held negotiate with stakeholders optional
- still to learn carry out sales analysis required
- still to learn study sales levels of products required
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held use analytics for commercial purposes optional
- still to learn expand store regional presence required
- still to learn manage accounts required
- optional, not held analyse data about clients optional
- optional, not held strive for company growth optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a business developer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 carry out sales analysis practise this
- 02 corporate sustainability study this
- 03 expand store regional presence 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 7 skills that carry over
- already held analyse business plans skill
- already held apply business acumen skill
- already held business analysis knowledge
- already held identify new business opportunities skill
- already held marketing principles knowledge
- already held customer relationship management knowledge
- already held perform customer management skill
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held customer insight optional
- optional, not held negotiate settlements optional
- optional, not held prospect new customers optional
- optional, not held represent company in exhibitions optional
- optional, not held vertical markets optional
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held analyse data about clients optional
- optional, not held brainstorm ideas optional
- optional, not held business incubation optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held market entry planning optional
- optional, not held market entry strategies optional
- optional, not held market research optional
- optional, not held negotiate with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held strive for company growth optional
- optional, not held use analytics for commercial purposes optional
17 held skills the business developer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust production schedule skill
- not needed by the target role advise on customs regulations skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role characteristics of products knowledge
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role customer service knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop chemical products skill
- not needed by the target role develop components separation processes skill
- not needed by the target role green chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep up-to-date with regulations skill
- not needed by the target role perfume and cosmetic products knowledge
- not needed by the target role pharmaceutical products knowledge
- not needed by the target role satisfy customers skill
- not needed by the target role translate formulae into processes skill
- not needed by the target role use chemical analysis equipment skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
14 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 corporate sustainability required
- still to learn sales strategies required
- still to learn services marketing required
- still to learn brand marketing techniques required
- still to learn financial analysis required
- still to learn market analysis required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held customer insight optional
- optional, not held vertical markets optional
- optional, not held business incubation optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held market entry planning optional
- optional, not held market entry strategies optional
- optional, not held market research optional
Other moves recorded from chemical application specialist
Common questions about this move
Can a chemical application specialist become a business developer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A chemical application specialist already covers 23% of what a business developer is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 5 of which the business developer role treats as required.
What skills does a chemical application specialist need to become a business developer?
13 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is carry out sales analysis.
How hard is the move from chemical application specialist to business developer?
Its learning distance is 74.9 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.