RecordMove

Instructional designer to web content manager

An instructional designer already meets 44% of what the web content manager role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From instructional designer

Partial match

To web content manager

22 You already bring

17 Still to learn

54 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

65.1/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a web content manager is expected to do is already part of an instructional designer’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 web content manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A web content manager role treats 15 of its required skills as things an instructional designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

apply tools for content development
authoring software
compile content
conduct content quality assurance
content development processes
develop digital content

What stands in the way is 17 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 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A web content manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an instructional designer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held translate requirement concepts into content working with computers
already held apply tools for content development working with computers
already held publishing strategy arts and humanities
already held authoring software information and communication technologies (icts)
already held compile content information skills
already held conduct content quality assurance working with computers

All 22 carried skills, including the 15 the web content manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 32 missing skills fall into 7 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 working with computers 6 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn digital content creation required
still to learn integrate content into output media required
still to learn manage online content required
still to learn conduct search engine optimisation required
still to learn use content management system software required
still to learn utilise content types required

optional, not held perform online data analysis optional
optional, not held use presentation software optional
optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
optional, not held use word processing software optional

02 information and communication technologies (icts) 4 required, 6 supplementary

still to learn information structure required
still to learn keywords in digital content required
still to learn web based collaborative platforms required
still to learn style sheet languages required

optional, not held CSS optional
optional, not held JSSS optional
optional, not held LESS optional
optional, not held PHP optional
optional, not held Sass optional
optional, not held World Wide Web Consortium standards optional

03 assisting and caring 3 required

still to learn comply with legal regulations required
still to learn ensure compliance with company regulations required
still to learn ensure compliance with legal requirements required

04 information skills 2 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn interpret technical texts required
still to learn identify legal requirements required

optional, not held ensure proper document management optional

05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn create content title required

optional, not held design digital call to action optional
optional, not held perform copywriting optional

06 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn legal requirements of ICT products required

optional, not held content marketing strategy optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a web content manager 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 22 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held apply tools for content development skill
already held authoring software knowledge
already held compile content skill
already held conduct content quality assurance skill
already held content development processes knowledge
already held develop digital content skill
already held identify customer requirements skill
already held manage content metadata skill
already held provide multimedia content skill
already held provide written content skill
already held publishing strategy knowledge
already held translate requirement concepts into content skill
already held translate requirements into visual design skill
already held use markup languages skill
already held web programming knowledge
already held AJAX knowledge
already held JavaScript knowledge
already held augmented reality knowledge
already held cognitive psychology knowledge
already held interactive media knowledge
already held manage content development projects skill
already held proofread text skill

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held provide guidelines for content development optional

15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held design digital call to action optional
optional, not held CSS optional
optional, not held JSSS optional
optional, not held LESS optional
optional, not held PHP optional
optional, not held Sass optional
optional, not held provide guidelines for content development optional
optional, not held World Wide Web Consortium standards optional
optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
optional, not held ensure proper document management optional
optional, not held perform copywriting optional
optional, not held perform online data analysis optional
optional, not held use presentation software optional
optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
optional, not held use word processing software optional

37 held skills the web content manager role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role Absorb (learning management systems) knowledge
not needed by the target role Brightspace (learning management systems) knowledge
not needed by the target role Canvas (learning management systems) knowledge
not needed by the target role Edmodo knowledge
not needed by the target role Engrade knowledge
not needed by the target role Grovo knowledge
not needed by the target role LAMS knowledge
not needed by the target role Litmos knowledge
not needed by the target role Moodle knowledge
not needed by the target role Sakai knowledge
not needed by the target role Schoology knowledge
not needed by the target role Taleo knowledge
not needed by the target role WizIQ knowledge
not needed by the target role apply ICT terminology skill
not needed by the target role apply teaching strategies skill
not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
not needed by the target role conduct educational activities skill
not needed by the target role create SCORM packages skill
not needed by the target role create script for artistic production skill
not needed by the target role design web-based courses skill
not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
not needed by the target role develop digital educational materials skill
not needed by the target role give live presentation skill
not needed by the target role identify ICT user needs skill
not needed by the target role identify training needs skill
not needed by the target role instructional design models knowledge
not needed by the target role instructional strategies knowledge
not needed by the target role keep up-to-date with training subjects skill
not needed by the target role learning management systems knowledge
not needed by the target role perform ICT troubleshooting skill
not needed by the target role perform project management skill
not needed by the target role standards for web-based e-learning knowledge
not needed by the target role structure information skill
not needed by the target role task algorithmisation knowledge
not needed by the target role teach writing skill
not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
not needed by the target role use scripting programming skill

12 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 information structure required
still to learn keywords in digital content required
still to learn web based collaborative platforms required
still to learn legal requirements of ICT products required
still to learn style sheet languages required
optional, not held CSS optional
optional, not held JSSS optional
optional, not held LESS optional
optional, not held PHP optional
optional, not held Sass optional
optional, not held World Wide Web Consortium standards optional
optional, not held content marketing strategy optional

Index

Other moves recorded from instructional designer

Full index of moves from instructional designer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an instructional designer become a web content manager?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An instructional designer already covers 44% of what a web content manager is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 15 of which the web content manager role treats as required.

What skills does an instructional designer need to become a web content manager?

17 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with computers. The single most important is digital content creation.

How hard is the move from instructional designer to web content manager?

Its learning distance is 65.1 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.