Consul to foreign affairs officer
A consul already meets 58% of what the foreign affairs officer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
42.7/ 100
1 How much of what a foreign affairs officer 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 foreign affairs officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A foreign affairs officer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a consul already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on foreign affairs policies
- analyse foreign affairs policies
- assess risk factors
- create solutions to problems
- foreign affairs
- foreign affairs policy development
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 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A foreign affairs officer 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 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
- already held advise on foreign affairs policies communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held foreign affairs business, administration and law
- already held diplomatic principles social sciences, journalism and information
All 20 carried skills, including the 8 the foreign affairs officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 6 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 international business required
- still to learn labour legislation required
- still to learn advise on public relations required
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held advise on licencing procedures optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held perform public relations optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn manage administrative systems required
- still to learn cultural geography required
- optional, not held observe new developments in foreign countries optional
- optional, not held report analysis results optional
- optional, not held public administration optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a foreign affairs officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 cultural geography study this
- 02 manage administrative systems practise this
- 03 advise on public relations 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 20 skills that carry over
- already held advise on foreign affairs policies skill
- already held analyse foreign affairs policies skill
- already held assess risk factors skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held foreign affairs knowledge
- already held foreign affairs policy development knowledge
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held international law knowledge
- already held build international relations skill
- already held develop international cooperation strategies skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held diplomatic principles knowledge
- already held ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- already held facilitate official agreement skill
- already held government representation knowledge
- already held international commercial transactions rules knowledge
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held show intercultural awareness skill
- already held speak different languages skill
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held public administration optional
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held advise on licencing procedures optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held observe new developments in foreign countries optional
- optional, not held perform public relations optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held report analysis results optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
19 held skills the foreign affairs officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role European integration knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on public finance skill
- not needed by the target role apply diplomatic principles 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 coordinate government activities in foreign institutions skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role family law knowledge
- not needed by the target role foreign languages for international careers 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 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 perform political negotiation skill
- not needed by the target role public finance knowledge
- not needed by the target role respond to enquiries skill
4 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 cultural geography required
- still to learn international business required
- still to learn labour legislation required
- optional, not held public administration optional
Common questions about this move
Can a consul become a foreign affairs officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A consul already covers 58% of what a foreign affairs officer is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 8 of which the foreign affairs officer role treats as required.
What skills does a consul need to become a foreign affairs officer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is cultural geography.
How hard is the move from consul to foreign affairs officer?
Its learning distance is 42.7 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.