Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

foreign affairs officertointernational relations officer

A foreign affairs officer already meets 70% of what the international relations officer role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.

From foreign affairs officer
70%
Overlap1
To international relations officer
24 Skills carried over
4 Required, not held
30.4 Difficulty2
adjacent 0–30
moderate 30–55
substantial 55–75
career change 75–100
this move, 30.4

This move: 30.4 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the international relations officer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the foreign affairs officer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A international relations officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a foreign affairs officer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • 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 diplomatic principles social sciences, journalism and information
  • already held facilitate official agreement communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held develop promotional tools communication, collaboration and creativity

All 24 carried skills, including the 8 the international relations officer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 9 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held attend meetings required
  • required, not held build trust required
  • required, not held represent the organisation required
  • optional, not held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions optional
  • optional, not held apply diplomatic principles optional
02 information skills 1 required
  • required, not held keep updated on the political landscape required
03 social sciences, journalism and information 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held European integration optional
  • optional, not held African studies optional
04 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held set organisational policies optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a international relations officer 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 24 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • 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 perform public relations skill
  • already held show intercultural awareness skill
  • already held apply conflict management skill
  • already held assess risk factors skill
  • already held create solutions to problems skill
  • already held develop promotional tools 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 administrative systems skill
  • already held manage government policy implementation skill
  • already held speak different languages skill
  • already held use different communication channels skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held European integration optional
  • optional, not held coordinate government activities in foreign institutions optional
  • optional, not held African studies optional
  • optional, not held apply diplomatic principles optional
  • optional, not held set organisational policies optional
12 held skills the international relations officer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • 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 licencing procedures skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on public relations skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse foreign affairs policies skill
  • not needed by the target role cultural geography knowledge
  • not needed by the target role international commercial transactions rules knowledge
  • not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role observe new developments in foreign countries skill
  • not needed by the target role present reports skill
  • not needed by the target role public administration knowledge
  • not needed by the target role report analysis results skill
2 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 acquire Tier
  • optional, not held European integration optional
  • optional, not held African studies optional
Index
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.