Civil service administrative officer to secretary general
A civil service administrative officer already meets 37% of what the secretary general role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
59/ 100
1 How much of what a secretary general is expected to do is already part of a civil service administrative officer’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 secretary general role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A secretary general role treats 5 of its required skills as things a civil service administrative officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- audit techniques
- bookkeeping regulations
- budgetary principles
- maintain relationships with government agencies
- manage staff
What stands in the way is 8 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A secretary general role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a civil service administrative officer background worth leading with.
- already held legislation procedure business, administration and law
- already held bookkeeping regulations business, administration and law
- already held public finance business, administration and law
- already held audit techniques business, administration and law
- already held manage administrative systems management skills
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies communication, collaboration and creativity
All 10 carried skills, including the 5 the secretary general role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 5 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 coordinate government activities in foreign institutions required
- still to learn represent national interests required
- still to learn apply conflict management required
- still to learn represent the organisation required
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held apply diplomatic principles optional
- optional, not held build community relations optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held implement strategic management optional
- optional, not held prepare presentation material optional
- still to learn perform project management required
- optional, not held develop international cooperation strategies optional
- optional, not held manage government policy implementation optional
- still to learn good governance required
- optional, not held government policy implementation optional
- still to learn project management principles required
- still to learn conduct financial audits required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a secretary general role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 coordinate government activities in foreign institutions practise this
- 02 good governance study this
- 03 represent national interests 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held audit techniques knowledge
- already held bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- already held budgetary principles knowledge
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held legislation procedure knowledge
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held manage administrative systems skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held public finance knowledge
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop international cooperation strategies optional
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held apply diplomatic principles optional
- optional, not held build community relations optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held implement strategic management optional
- optional, not held manage government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held prepare presentation material optional
21 held skills the secretary general role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role archive documentation related to work skill
- not needed by the target role conduct workplace audits skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with policies skill
- not needed by the target role ensure information transparency skill
- not needed by the target role fix meetings skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role inspect government expenditures skill
- not needed by the target role inspect government incomes skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with politicians skill
- not needed by the target role manage accounts skill
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role respond to enquiries skill
- not needed by the target role supervise daily information operations skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role use microsoft office skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
- not needed by the target role write meeting reports skill
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 good governance required
- still to learn project management principles required
- optional, not held government policy implementation optional
Other moves recorded from civil service administrative officer
- defence administration officer 54% covered · moderate
- public administration manager 41% covered · substantial
- court administrator 36% covered · substantial
- public finance accountant 35% covered · substantial
Full index of moves from civil service administrative officer
Common questions about this move
Can a civil service administrative officer become a secretary general?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A civil service administrative officer already covers 37% of what a secretary general is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 5 of which the secretary general role treats as required.
What skills does a civil service administrative officer need to become a secretary general?
8 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is coordinate government activities in foreign institutions.
How hard is the move from civil service administrative officer to secretary general?
Its learning distance is 59 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.