Communication manager to public affairs consultant
A communication manager already meets 29% of what the public affairs consultant role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.6/ 100
1 How much of what a public affairs consultant is expected to do is already part of a communication 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 public affairs consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A public affairs consultant role treats 3 of its required skills as things a communication manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply diplomatic principles
- diplomatic principles
- protect client interests
What stands in the way is 9 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 public affairs consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a communication manager background worth leading with.
- already held media and information literacy social sciences, journalism and information
- already held advise on public image communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply diplomatic principles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held diplomatic principles social sciences, journalism and information
- already held advise on public relations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held government representation social sciences, journalism and information
All 10 carried skills, including the 3 the public affairs consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 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 influence legislators required
- still to learn advise on conflict management required
- still to learn advise on legislative acts required
- still to learn maintain relationships with government agencies required
- still to learn manage relationships with stakeholders required
- still to learn perform political negotiation required
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held liaise with politicians optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional
- still to learn legislation procedure required
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- still to learn government policy implementation required
- optional, not held European political studies optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- still to learn manage government policy implementation required
- optional, not held assess risk factors optional
- optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
- optional, not held monitor political conflicts optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a public affairs consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 influence legislators practise this
- 02 advise on conflict management practise this
- 03 advise on legislative acts 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 apply diplomatic principles skill
- already held diplomatic principles knowledge
- already held protect client interests skill
- already held advise on public image skill
- already held advise on public relations skill
- already held build international relations skill
- already held government representation knowledge
- already held media and information literacy knowledge
- already held perform public relations skill
- already held rhetoric knowledge
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held European political studies optional
- optional, not held assess risk factors optional
- optional, not held conduct public surveys optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- optional, not held liaise with politicians optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held monitor political conflicts optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional
51 held skills the public affairs consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on communication strategies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse external factors of companies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse internal factors of companies skill
- not needed by the target role apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role build community relations skill
- not needed by the target role build trust skill
- not needed by the target role business communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out forum moderation skill
- not needed by the target role communication principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role compile content skill
- not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate sustainability knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop communications strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role develop public relations strategies skill
- not needed by the target role digital communication and collaboration skill
- not needed by the target role disseminate internal communications skill
- not needed by the target role draft press releases skill
- not needed by the target role establish communication with foreign cultures skill
- not needed by the target role establish relationship with the media skill
- not needed by the target role ethics of sharing work through social media knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow the news skill
- not needed by the target role forming of public opinion knowledge
- not needed by the target role give interviews to media skill
- not needed by the target role grammar knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify clients' needs skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role integrate strategic foundation in daily performance skill
- not needed by the target role manage online communications skill
- not needed by the target role manage visual communications skill
- not needed by the target role market research knowledge
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role organise participation in local or international events skill
- not needed by the target role organise press conferences skill
- not needed by the target role prepare presentation material skill
- not needed by the target role proofread text skill
- not needed by the target role psychological concepts knowledge
11 further entries not listed here
6 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 government policy implementation required
- still to learn legislation procedure required
- optional, not held European political studies optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- optional, not held political science optional
Common questions about this move
Can a communication manager become a public affairs consultant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A communication manager already covers 29% of what a public affairs consultant is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 3 of which the public affairs consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a communication manager need to become a public affairs consultant?
9 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is influence legislators.
How hard is the move from communication manager to public affairs consultant?
Its learning distance is 64.6 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.