Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Credit risk analyst to commodity trader

A credit risk analyst already meets 28% of what the commodity trader role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From credit risk analyst
28 % overlap
Distant match
To commodity trader
7 You already bring
9 Still to learn
27 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

65.7/ 100

1 How much of what a commodity trader is expected to do is already part of a credit risk analyst’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 commodity trader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A commodity trader role treats 4 of its required skills as things a credit risk analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • analyse financial risk
  • analyse market financial trends
  • economics
  • financial jurisdiction

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A commodity trader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a credit risk analyst background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held financial jurisdiction business, administration and law
  • already held financial forecasting business, administration and law
  • already held economics social sciences, journalism and information
  • already held analyse market financial trends information skills
  • already held analyse financial risk information skills
  • already held international commercial transactions rules business, administration and law

All 7 carried skills, including the 4 the commodity trader role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 20 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 business, administration and law 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn commercial law required
  • still to learn financial markets required
  • still to learn international trade required
  • optional, not held banking activities optional
  • optional, not held financial products optional
  • optional, not held international business optional
02 information skills 2 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn analyse economic trends required
  • still to learn perform financial risk management in international trade required
  • optional, not held forecast economic trends optional
  • optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
  • optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn negotiate sale of commodities required
  • still to learn negotiate with stakeholders required
  • optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
  • optional, not held negotiate price optional
04 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn handle financial transactions required
  • optional, not held operate financial instruments optional
05 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required
  • still to learn trading software required
06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held actuarial science optional
  • optional, not held statistics optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a commodity trader role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 7 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held analyse financial risk skill
  • already held analyse market financial trends skill
  • already held economics knowledge
  • already held financial jurisdiction knowledge
  • already held financial forecasting knowledge
  • already held international commercial transactions rules knowledge
  • already held negotiate sales contracts skill
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held actuarial science optional
  • optional, not held banking activities optional
  • optional, not held financial products optional
  • optional, not held forecast economic trends optional
  • optional, not held international business optional
  • optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
  • optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
  • optional, not held negotiate price optional
  • optional, not held operate financial instruments optional
  • optional, not held statistics optional
  • optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
33 held skills the commodity trader role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse the credit history of potential customers skill
  • not needed by the target role apply credit risk policy skill
  • not needed by the target role apply credit stress testing methodologies skill
  • not needed by the target role apply information security policies skill
  • not needed by the target role apply statistical analysis techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role assess risk factors skill
  • not needed by the target role assessment of risks and threats knowledge
  • not needed by the target role carry out statistical forecasts skill
  • not needed by the target role create risk maps skill
  • not needed by the target role create risk reports skill
  • not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
  • not needed by the target role debt collection techniques knowledge
  • not needed by the target role deliver visual presentation of data skill
  • not needed by the target role enforce customer's debt repayment skill
  • not needed by the target role financial analysis knowledge
  • not needed by the target role financial management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
  • not needed by the target role information confidentiality knowledge
  • not needed by the target role inspect data skill
  • not needed by the target role manage currency exchange risk mitigation techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role manage financial risk skill
  • not needed by the target role perform data analysis skill
  • not needed by the target role prevent fraudulent activities skill
  • not needed by the target role produce statistical financial records skill
  • not needed by the target role risk identification knowledge
  • not needed by the target role risk management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role risk transfer knowledge
  • not needed by the target role show diplomacy skill
  • not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
  • not needed by the target role teamwork principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn commercial law required
  • still to learn trading software required
  • still to learn financial markets required
  • still to learn international trade required
  • optional, not held actuarial science optional
  • optional, not held banking activities optional
  • optional, not held financial products optional
  • optional, not held international business optional
  • optional, not held statistics optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a credit risk analyst become a commodity trader?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A credit risk analyst already covers 28% of what a commodity trader is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 4 of which the commodity trader role treats as required.

What skills does a credit risk analyst need to become a commodity trader?

9 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 commercial law.

How hard is the move from credit risk analyst to commodity trader?

Its learning distance is 65.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.