Mayor to secretary of state
A mayor already meets 65% of what the secretary of state role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
34.1/ 100
1 How much of what a secretary of state is expected to do is already part of a mayor’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 secretary of state role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A secretary of state role treats 9 of its required skills as things a mayor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on legislative acts
- budgetary principles
- good governance
- legislation procedure
- liaise with local authorities
- perform political negotiation
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 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A secretary of state role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mayor background worth leading with.
- already held prepare legislation proposition management skills
- already held present legislation proposition communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on public finance communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held legislation procedure business, administration and law
- already held constitutional law business, administration and law
- already held perform political negotiation communication, collaboration and creativity
All 19 carried skills, including the 9 the secretary of state 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 advise legislators required
- still to learn implement strategic management required
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held represent the organisation optional
- optional, not held write meeting reports optional
- still to learn analyse legislation required
- still to learn conduct financial audits required
- still to learn audit techniques required
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a secretary of state role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise legislators practise this
- 02 analyse legislation practise this
- 03 audit techniques study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 19 skills that carry over
- already held advise on legislative acts skill
- already held budgetary principles knowledge
- already held good governance knowledge
- already held legislation procedure knowledge
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held perform political negotiation skill
- already held prepare legislation proposition skill
- already held present legislation proposition skill
- already held public administration knowledge
- already held advise on public finance skill
- already held apply conflict management skill
- already held constitutional law knowledge
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held government representation knowledge
- already held manage administrative systems skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held project management principles knowledge
- already held public finance knowledge
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held represent the organisation optional
- optional, not held write meeting reports optional
12 held skills the secretary of state role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse community needs skill
- not needed by the target role build community relations skill
- not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role engage in debates skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relations with local representatives skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role motivate supporters skill
- not needed by the target role perform government ceremonies skill
- not needed by the target role political parties knowledge
- not needed by the target role political science knowledge
- not needed by the target role public law knowledge
1 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 audit techniques required
Common questions about this move
Can a mayor become a secretary of state?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mayor already covers 65% of what a secretary of state is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 9 of which the secretary of state role treats as required.
What skills does a mayor need to become a secretary of state?
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 advise legislators.
How hard is the move from mayor to secretary of state?
Its learning distance is 34.1 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.