Diplomat to international relations officer
A diplomat already meets 65% of what the international relations officer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
34.8/ 100
1 How much of what an international relations officer is expected to do is already part of a diplomat’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 international relations officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An international relations officer role treats 7 of its required skills as things a diplomat already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- build international relations
- develop international cooperation strategies
- develop professional network
- establish collaborative relations
- government representation
- international business
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 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An international relations officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a diplomat background worth leading with.
- already held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions communication, collaboration and creativity
- 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 foreign affairs business, administration and law
- already held apply diplomatic principles communication, collaboration and creativity
All 23 carried skills, including the 7 the international relations officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 10 missing skills fall into 4 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 attend meetings required
- still to learn build trust required
- still to learn perform public relations required
- still to learn represent the organisation required
- optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn keep updated on the political landscape required
- optional, not held manage administrative systems optional
- optional, not held set organisational policies optional
- optional, not held African studies optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an international relations officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 attend meetings practise this
- 02 build trust practise this
- 03 keep updated on the political landscape 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 23 skills that carry over
- already held build international relations skill
- already held develop international cooperation strategies skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held establish collaborative relations skill
- already held government representation knowledge
- already held international business knowledge
- already held show intercultural awareness skill
- already held European integration knowledge
- already held apply conflict management skill
- already held apply diplomatic principles skill
- already held assess risk factors skill
- already held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held diplomatic principles knowledge
- already held ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- already held facilitate official agreement 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 maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held speak different languages skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage administrative systems optional
- optional, not held African studies optional
- optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
- optional, not held set organisational policies optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
15 held skills the international relations officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on foreign affairs policies skill
- not needed by the target role advise on legislative acts skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role analyse foreign affairs policies skill
- not needed by the target role apply diplomatic crisis management skill
- not needed by the target role foreign languages for international careers knowledge
- not needed by the target role good governance knowledge
- not needed by the target role make diplomatic decisions skill
- not needed by the target role observe new developments in foreign countries skill
- not needed by the target role perform political negotiation skill
- not needed by the target role present arguments persuasively skill
- not needed by the target role protect client interests skill
- not needed by the target role public administration knowledge
- not needed by the target role represent national interests skill
- not needed by the target role respond to enquiries skill
1 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 African studies optional
Common questions about this move
Can a diplomat become an international relations officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A diplomat already covers 65% of what an international relations officer is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 7 of which the international relations officer role treats as required.
What skills does a diplomat need to become an international relations officer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is attend meetings.
How hard is the move from diplomat to international relations officer?
Its learning distance is 34.8 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.