International forwarding operations coordinator to shipping agent
An international forwarding operations coordinator already meets 24% of what the shipping agent role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.8/ 100
1 How much of what a shipping agent is expected to do is already part of an international forwarding operations coordinator’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 shipping agent role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A shipping agent role treats 3 of its required skills as things an international forwarding operations coordinator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations
- control trade commercial documentation
- manage import export licenses
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 · What you already bring
Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A shipping agent role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an international forwarding operations coordinator background worth leading with.
- already held manage import export licenses information skills
- already held liaise with transportation services communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations assisting and caring
- already held coordinate export transportation activities management skills
- already held coordinate import transportation activities management skills
- already held control trade commercial documentation assisting and caring
All 6 carried skills, including the 3 the shipping agent role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 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.
- still to learn liaise with port users required
- still to learn make bids in forward auctions required
- still to learn provide advice to clients in terms of export restrictions required
- still to learn provide advice to clients in terms of import restrictions required
- optional, not held book cargo optional
- optional, not held create import-export commercial documentation optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with port regulations required
- still to learn comply with regulations related to export in different countries required
- still to learn keep up-to-date to current customs regulations required
- optional, not held analyse shipping rates optional
- optional, not held handle shipment paperwork optional
- optional, not held inspect freight optional
- optional, not held keep written records of cargo optional
- optional, not held observe freight shipment loaders optional
- optional, not held prepare bills of lading optional
- still to learn international import export regulations required
- still to learn port regulation required
- optional, not held oversee arrival and departure of ships into port optional
- optional, not held administer multi-modal logistics optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a shipping agent role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ensure compliance with port regulations practise this
- 02 international import export regulations study this
- 03 keep up-to-date to current customs regulations 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations skill
- already held control trade commercial documentation skill
- already held manage import export licenses skill
- already held coordinate export transportation activities skill
- already held coordinate import transportation activities skill
- already held liaise with transportation services skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held oversee arrival and departure of ships into port optional
- optional, not held analyse shipping rates optional
- optional, not held book cargo optional
- optional, not held handle shipment paperwork optional
- optional, not held inspect freight optional
- optional, not held keep written records of cargo optional
- optional, not held observe freight shipment loaders optional
- optional, not held prepare bills of lading optional
- optional, not held administer multi-modal logistics optional
- optional, not held create import-export commercial documentation optional
16 held skills the shipping agent role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse work-related written reports skill
- not needed by the target role assess carriers skill
- not needed by the target role foster relationships with various types of carrier skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role international business knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage carriers skill
- not needed by the target role perform ICT troubleshooting skill
- not needed by the target role perform services in a flexible manner skill
- not needed by the target role respond to requests for logistics services from all over the world skill
- not needed by the target role set import export strategies skill
- not needed by the target role show intercultural awareness skill
- not needed by the target role tolerate stress skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role work in a logistics team skill
- not needed by the target role write routine reports skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports 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.
- still to learn international import export regulations required
- still to learn port regulation required
Other moves recorded from international forwarding operations coordinator
- aviation data communications manager 29% covered · substantial
- non-vessel operating common carrier 26% covered · career change
- customs and excise officer 26% covered · substantial
- forwarding manager 23% covered · career change
Full index of moves from international forwarding operations coordinator
Common questions about this move
Can an international forwarding operations coordinator become a shipping agent?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An international forwarding operations coordinator already covers 24% of what a shipping agent is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 3 of which the shipping agent role treats as required.
What skills does an international forwarding operations coordinator need to become a shipping agent?
9 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is ensure compliance with port regulations.
How hard is the move from international forwarding operations coordinator to shipping agent?
Its learning distance is 70.8 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.