Consul to diplomat
A consul already meets 70% of what the diplomat role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
36.6/ 100
1 How much of what a diplomat is expected to do is already part of a consul’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 diplomat role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A diplomat role treats 14 of its required skills as things a consul already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply diplomatic principles
- assess risk factors
- build international relations
- coordinate government activities in foreign institutions
- create solutions to problems
- develop international cooperation strategies
What stands in the way is 5 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 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A diplomat role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a consul background worth leading with.
- already held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held foreign languages for international careers arts and humanities
- already held European integration social sciences, journalism and information
- already held foreign affairs policy development social sciences, journalism and information
- already held develop international cooperation strategies management skills
- already held analyse foreign affairs policies information skills
All 25 carried skills, including the 14 the diplomat role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 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 represent national interests required
- still to learn establish collaborative relations required
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional
- optional, not held protect client interests optional
- still to learn apply diplomatic crisis management required
- still to learn make diplomatic decisions required
- still to learn observe new developments in foreign countries required
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held good governance optional
- optional, not held public administration optional
- optional, not held international business optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a diplomat role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply diplomatic crisis management practise this
- 02 make diplomatic decisions practise 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 25 skills that carry over
- already held apply diplomatic principles skill
- already held assess risk factors skill
- already held build international relations skill
- already held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held develop international cooperation strategies skill
- already held diplomatic principles knowledge
- already held foreign affairs knowledge
- already held foreign languages for international careers knowledge
- already held government representation knowledge
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held perform political negotiation skill
- already held show intercultural awareness skill
- already held speak different languages skill
- already held European integration knowledge
- already held advise on foreign affairs policies skill
- already held analyse foreign affairs policies skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- already held facilitate official agreement skill
- already held foreign affairs policy development knowledge
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held international law knowledge
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held respond to enquiries skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held good governance optional
- optional, not held public administration optional
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional
- optional, not held protect client interests optional
14 held skills the diplomat role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on public finance skill
- not needed by the target role apply immigration law skill
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role consider economic criteria in decision making skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role family law knowledge
- not needed by the target role host trade delegations skill
- not needed by the target role immigration law knowledge
- not needed by the target role international commercial transactions rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role issue official documents skill
- not needed by the target role offer assistance to national citizens skill
- not needed by the target role organise cultural events skill
- not needed by the target role public finance 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.
- optional, not held good governance optional
- optional, not held public administration optional
- optional, not held international business optional
Common questions about this move
Can a consul become a diplomat?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A consul already covers 70% of what a diplomat is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 14 of which the diplomat role treats as required.
What skills does a consul need to become a diplomat?
5 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is apply diplomatic crisis management.
How hard is the move from consul to diplomat?
Its learning distance is 36.6 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.