Embassy counsellor to international relations officer
An embassy counsellor already meets 60% of what the international relations officer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
39.7/ 100
1 How much of what an international relations officer is expected to do is already part of an embassy counsellor’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 an embassy counsellor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- build international relations
- build trust
- develop international cooperation strategies
- develop professional network
- 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 20 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 an embassy counsellor background worth leading with.
- 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
- already held diplomatic principles social sciences, journalism and information
All 20 carried skills, including the 7 the international relations officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 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 establish collaborative relations required
- still to learn perform public relations required
- still to learn represent the organisation required
- optional, not held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn keep updated on the political landscape required
- 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 establish collaborative relations 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 20 skills that carry over
- already held build international relations skill
- already held build trust skill
- already held develop international cooperation strategies skill
- already held develop professional network 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 diplomatic principles skill
- already held assess risk factors skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held diplomatic principles knowledge
- 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 administrative systems skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held speak different languages skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions optional
- optional, not held African studies optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held facilitate official agreement optional
- optional, not held set organisational policies optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
17 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 risk management skill
- not needed by the target role analyse foreign affairs policies skill
- not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop defence policies skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with policies 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 maintain operational communications skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relations with local representatives skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role observe new developments in foreign countries skill
- not needed by the target role political economy knowledge
- not needed by the target role represent national interests skill
- not needed by the target role respond to enquiries skill
- not needed by the target role train employees 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
Other moves recorded from embassy counsellor
Common questions about this move
Can an embassy counsellor become an international relations officer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An embassy counsellor already covers 60% of what an international relations officer is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 7 of which the international relations officer role treats as required.
What skills does an embassy counsellor need to become an international relations officer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 8 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 embassy counsellor to international relations officer?
Its learning distance is 39.7 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.